Unready 'n' unsteady

I think I've found a good comparison for the ongoing caving by the Democrats to extreme Republican ideology.

The Democrats apparently aren't even a real party anymore. They exist in name only! It's a bit like the song that some music historians believe existed in name only.

The song in question is the subject of one of the strangest incidents in the history of Billboard's music charts. I've looked at the charts for decades just for my own interest - but I never heard this story until recently.

Back in 1979, a single called "Ready 'N' Steady" by D.A. hit Billboard's Bubbling Under chart - a listing of songs that just barely miss the Hot 100. This record "bubbled" on this chart for 3 weeks.

Legendary music researcher Joel Whitburn has reportedly collected every record ever to reach the Hot 100 or the Bubbling Under - except "Ready 'N' Steady." He's never been able to find a copy of it - or anyone who even knows of the existence of the song or the recording artist.

Whitburn speculated that it might be a punk rock tune - as it was 1979, after all. He said it probably received a few spins on several Midwest stations. But the record was released on a tiny label whose headquarters was just a vacant building, so nobody could find out anything else - or even if this speculation was true.

Eventually, however, Mr. Whitburn began doubting that the song was even real. Whitburn's books that list all the songs that charted on the Bubbling Under began including a comment under the entry for D.A. This remark reportedly said, "The existence of this record and artist is in question."

Later, his books stopped listing "Ready 'N' Steady" or D.A. altogether. Whitburn recently said of the song, "I don't think it exists."

I'd bet it exists. Why would Billboard list it on its chart for 3 weeks if it wasn't real?

In other words, "Ready 'N' Steady" is probably more real than the modern Democratic Party is! The Republicans' failures are so mind-boggling that you'd think the Democrats would be a much more powerful force against the GOP. But nope. It's like the Democrats aren't even a party, despite having control of the White House and Congress.

If the Democrats were a party, why didn't they pass health care reform by August as they pledged to do?