This is opportunity. Please, I beg you, don't waste me.
Do not listen to the polls. Do not listen to your strategists. Do not let your opponents drag you down into the mess. Listen to your heart, your soul - run on what you believe and know. Let the rest of us step up and elect you.
I know this is wishful thinking. I know this is not how our current election process (for lack of a worse term) is run. I know you will have to pander and make mistakes and "get dirty", but I wish it weren't so. I wish for everyone to simply and clearly understand what you bring to the table. For you, for me and especially for our world.
Tom Hayden's article, "An Appeal to Obama" (11/09/07 on Huffington Post) discusses problems with the campaign's strategies from lacking a definitive constituency to trying to distance itself from the 60s generation. While most of the article is critcal of these perceived missteps, Hayden also offers a succint glimpse to your unique promise:
"The greatest gift you have been given by history is that as the
elected tribune of a revived democracy, you could change America's
dismal role in the world. Because of what you so eloquently represent,
you could convince the world to give America a new hearing, even a new
respect. There are no plazas large enough for the crowds that would
listen to your every word, wondering if you are the one the whole
world is waiting for. They would not wait for long, of course. But
they would passionately want to give you the space to reset the
American direction."
This is what we want. This is what we so desperately want, yet the need to campaign is getting in the way of the message you radiate. America is a skeptical bunch. One that is undertandably weary and leery of what seems to obviously be "the answer". It's too easy and we've had our hearts broken too many times before. As huffpo blogger akhinaten says: "Obama is a manifested impossibility that is slowly being deconstructed to find his tribal allegiance." It is safer for us to break you down into systematic categories and pick your every detail apart. We feel the need to define you in a way that makes sense to us instead of believing in our own ability to transcend definition. That way, we can see your shortcomings and somehow justify relinquishing our hope for the future we really want and need.
Barack, you alone find yourself in this precarious position. As the first African American man that has an honest chance of winning the presidency, you are our history and our future. People ask "Is he black enough?" or " Can a black man be elected to the highest office?" Instead of thinking of this as a liability, we should be honoring the fact that we have grown (albeit slowly) as a nation to a place where this is even a possibility. Sad, but true.
Can you live up to your enormous potential? Will you even get the chance? Can we, as a people, put aside all of our prejudice, ignorance and greed and truly step up and start to heal the extensive damage in this country that we say we love? I hope so. It will break my heart if we (you and me) let this opportunity pass.
Hayden also included this memory in his article.
"I sat listening to you last year at an RFK human rights event in our
capital. I was sitting behind Ethel Kennedy and several of her
children, all of whom take more progressive stands than anyone
currently leading the national Democratic Party. They were applauding
you, supporting your candidacy, and trying to persuade me that you
were not just another charismatic candidate but the one we have been
waiting for."
That is pretty huge coming from the Kennedy clan. Let us remember the words spoken by one of their own:
"So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
(JFK's inaugural address - 1961)
Showing posts with label political. Show all posts
Showing posts with label political. Show all posts
Friday, November 9, 2007
PMS!!!
I am suffering from PMS. Politically-induced Mental Stress.
Governor Strickland (D-Ohio) today endorsed Hillary Clinton for the presidency. This is somewhat of a coup for Hillary as Ohio has 20 electoral votes and is a crucial swing state. What bothers me is why. Aside from rumors that she may pick him as her running mate, Strickland was quoted in USA Today as saying she "is the one who can win". The NYTimes also states that in a phone interview he "vouched for her electability".
That pisses me off. Shouldn't the primary be about voting for who you really want? Everyone should vote for the candidate that most closely adheres to your beliefs. The one that you honestly believe has your personal best interests and hopes at heart. We should not be voting for who can "get elected" at this stage. That is what the general election is for.
If you think Kucinich, or Biden, or Dodd (notice I didn't mention any Republicans) is your guy, go for it. If you like Hillary for other reasons, fine by me, but don't waste your precious vote on someone because everyone is saying that's your best chance. Not now. There is way too much at stake.
I'm an Obama girl. I'm not telling you to vote for him. (I wish you would, but I'm not.) I'm asking each and every one of you to make a heartfelt, informed (by personal research, not what the media or campaign strategists are telling you to believe) decision and vote for who you think will do the best work for our country.
Oy, I think my head may explode before the primary.
Governor Strickland (D-Ohio) today endorsed Hillary Clinton for the presidency. This is somewhat of a coup for Hillary as Ohio has 20 electoral votes and is a crucial swing state. What bothers me is why. Aside from rumors that she may pick him as her running mate, Strickland was quoted in USA Today as saying she "is the one who can win". The NYTimes also states that in a phone interview he "vouched for her electability".
That pisses me off. Shouldn't the primary be about voting for who you really want? Everyone should vote for the candidate that most closely adheres to your beliefs. The one that you honestly believe has your personal best interests and hopes at heart. We should not be voting for who can "get elected" at this stage. That is what the general election is for.
If you think Kucinich, or Biden, or Dodd (notice I didn't mention any Republicans) is your guy, go for it. If you like Hillary for other reasons, fine by me, but don't waste your precious vote on someone because everyone is saying that's your best chance. Not now. There is way too much at stake.
I'm an Obama girl. I'm not telling you to vote for him. (I wish you would, but I'm not.) I'm asking each and every one of you to make a heartfelt, informed (by personal research, not what the media or campaign strategists are telling you to believe) decision and vote for who you think will do the best work for our country.
Oy, I think my head may explode before the primary.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Timely quotes
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain
the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the
government -- lest it come to dominate our lives." -Patrick Henry
"The prohibition against torture [in the law] is considered to be a jus cogens norm, meaning that no derogation is permitted from it under any circumstances." -Naomi Wolf, from blog "What is probably in the Missing Tapes" 12.13.07
"The strategy is to lay low and then blame them for not getting anything done. The truth is, we all lose." -Rep. Ray Lahood, IL. discussing the Republican strategy to undermine the Democratic-held Congress
"When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross." -Sinclair Lewis
"Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her [America's] heart, her benedictions, and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy." -John Quincy Adams
"Why worsen the situation by threatening sanctions and bring it to a
dead end?" Putin said in a veiled reference to the U.S. push for
harsher international sanctions. "It's not the best way to resolve the
situation by running around like a madman with a razor blade in his
hand." -Vladmir Putin on US proposed Iranian sanctions
(originally published 10/25/07 in the Christian Science Monitor)
"At its best," writes Sullivan, "the Obama candidacy is about ending a
war--not so much the war in Iraq, which now has a momentum that will
propel the occupation into the next decade--but the war within America
that has prevailed since Vietnam and that shows dangerous signs of
intensifying, a nonviolent civil war that has crippled America at the
very time the world needs it most. It is a war about war--and about
culture and about religion and about race. And in that war, Obama--and
Obama alone--offers the possibility of a truce."
(Celeste Fremon in 'Off The Bus' article on The Huffington Post quoting Andrew Sullivan's article in the December issue of The Atlantic)
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." -Abraham Lincoln
"The problems we face will not be solved by the minds that created them." - unknown
the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the
government -- lest it come to dominate our lives." -Patrick Henry
"The prohibition against torture [in the law] is considered to be a jus cogens norm, meaning that no derogation is permitted from it under any circumstances." -Naomi Wolf, from blog "What is probably in the Missing Tapes" 12.13.07
"The strategy is to lay low and then blame them for not getting anything done. The truth is, we all lose." -Rep. Ray Lahood, IL. discussing the Republican strategy to undermine the Democratic-held Congress
"When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross." -Sinclair Lewis
"Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her [America's] heart, her benedictions, and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy." -John Quincy Adams
"Why worsen the situation by threatening sanctions and bring it to a
dead end?" Putin said in a veiled reference to the U.S. push for
harsher international sanctions. "It's not the best way to resolve the
situation by running around like a madman with a razor blade in his
hand." -Vladmir Putin on US proposed Iranian sanctions
(originally published 10/25/07 in the Christian Science Monitor)
"At its best," writes Sullivan, "the Obama candidacy is about ending a
war--not so much the war in Iraq, which now has a momentum that will
propel the occupation into the next decade--but the war within America
that has prevailed since Vietnam and that shows dangerous signs of
intensifying, a nonviolent civil war that has crippled America at the
very time the world needs it most. It is a war about war--and about
culture and about religion and about race. And in that war, Obama--and
Obama alone--offers the possibility of a truce."
(Celeste Fremon in 'Off The Bus' article on The Huffington Post quoting Andrew Sullivan's article in the December issue of The Atlantic)
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." -Abraham Lincoln
"The problems we face will not be solved by the minds that created them." - unknown
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Is it just me, or...
...does the Bush/Cheney dynamic summon images of the late 90's Emmy-winning cartoon "Pinky and the Brain"? Two genetically enhanced lab mice: one insane with a thick accent, and one a bald evil genius. Narf!
Pinky: Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?
Brain: The same thing we do every night, Pinky -- try to take over the world.
...does the current Blackwater scandal seem eerily like something "Treadstone" from Robert Ludlum's Bourne series would do (but not get caught)?
...do you find it interesting that Theodore Sorensen, former Senior Advisor to JFK, is now travelling with Barack Obama on the campaign trail?
...do they always print pictures of Nancy Pelosi that make her look psychotic and deranged? Poor thing. People already think she's nuts.
...is Cheney really Beelzebub?
...does the fact that DraftGore.com says that is has 136,000 signatures on its petition to have Al run for Pres make you all tingly inside? (Sorry Barack. I love you, but you may get kicked to the curb if the Big Man runs. Call me fickle!)
...are the Dems really just a bunch of liberal sissies? I mean really -- grow some balls, get our troops home and impeach the assholes already!!
...is Bush's new appointee for Family Planning the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard? Susan Orr, whose rationale for discouraging birth control funding is that "fertility is not a disease", comes from the conservative Family Research Council and teaches at Pat Robertson's Regent University.
...does Ann Coulter need to go away?
..is the main stream media choosing our candidates for us? The political "reporting" of late is nothing more than the creation of a he said/she said, mudslinging horserace to get ratings. Pathetic. (And I'm especially disenchanted by the farce of a debate that CNN hosted last week. Wolf, you are an idiot!)
...does Hillary take a poll to see what she eats for breakfast? (Note to our former First Lady: That does NOT count as experience in the White House and you may want to contact a new make up artist because you look like you've been consulting with Mary Matalin or a bad drag queen lately.)
Pinky: Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?
Brain: The same thing we do every night, Pinky -- try to take over the world.
...does the current Blackwater scandal seem eerily like something "Treadstone" from Robert Ludlum's Bourne series would do (but not get caught)?
...do you find it interesting that Theodore Sorensen, former Senior Advisor to JFK, is now travelling with Barack Obama on the campaign trail?
...do they always print pictures of Nancy Pelosi that make her look psychotic and deranged? Poor thing. People already think she's nuts.
...is Cheney really Beelzebub?
...does the fact that DraftGore.com says that is has 136,000 signatures on its petition to have Al run for Pres make you all tingly inside? (Sorry Barack. I love you, but you may get kicked to the curb if the Big Man runs. Call me fickle!)
...are the Dems really just a bunch of liberal sissies? I mean really -- grow some balls, get our troops home and impeach the assholes already!!
...is Bush's new appointee for Family Planning the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard? Susan Orr, whose rationale for discouraging birth control funding is that "fertility is not a disease", comes from the conservative Family Research Council and teaches at Pat Robertson's Regent University.
...does Ann Coulter need to go away?
..is the main stream media choosing our candidates for us? The political "reporting" of late is nothing more than the creation of a he said/she said, mudslinging horserace to get ratings. Pathetic. (And I'm especially disenchanted by the farce of a debate that CNN hosted last week. Wolf, you are an idiot!)
...does Hillary take a poll to see what she eats for breakfast? (Note to our former First Lady: That does NOT count as experience in the White House and you may want to contact a new make up artist because you look like you've been consulting with Mary Matalin or a bad drag queen lately.)
Friday, October 5, 2007
torture
President Bush was quoted today as saying: "This government does not torture people."
Well "Bushie", you are (unfortunately) a part of "this" government and you are killin' me!
By definition [dictionary.com], torture is:
1. the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.
2. a method of inflicting such pain.
3. Often, tortures. the pain or suffering caused or undergone.
4. extreme anguish of body or mind; agony.
5. a cause of severe pain or anguish.
With your lack of compassion, lack of understanding, lack of brain power, lack of judgement and lack of vocabulary, you are torturing millions of thoughtful, peace-minded, intelligent people here in your own land.
SUCK IT W!
Well "Bushie", you are (unfortunately) a part of "this" government and you are killin' me!
By definition [dictionary.com], torture is:
1. the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.
2. a method of inflicting such pain.
3. Often, tortures. the pain or suffering caused or undergone.
4. extreme anguish of body or mind; agony.
5. a cause of severe pain or anguish.
With your lack of compassion, lack of understanding, lack of brain power, lack of judgement and lack of vocabulary, you are torturing millions of thoughtful, peace-minded, intelligent people here in your own land.
SUCK IT W!
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