Tonight, I am in a soft bed in a clean room with a quiet air
conditioner. I am slowly coming
back to civilization, as I know it.
I have slept in the seat of my
van, on my air mattress, on a plastic covered mattress, on a thin mattress on
the floor, on a bunk bed and in a roach motel. The saving grace was that in each place, I had a fan.
We (Ananda and I) left Charlotte
around noon, since I couldn’t get in to see Obama’s acceptance speech. We drove 9 hours to Fayetteville,
Tennessee, where my sister lives.
But my sister’s house is, as she put it, “way too tiny and filled with
crap.” So, I am more than happy to
spend the night in a decadent, capitalist motel.
I did not listen to the radio
during the drive. I have heard enough speeches and analyses of those speeches.
Ananda and I have just shared stories, which make me once again, glad that I do
not have children.
It was enlightening for me to go
from a world of intentional communities, where few people are engage in the
political system, to the hot bed of partisan politics. I think I got psychic whiplash. I went from talking with people who
want a whole new operating system of government, or no government, or don’t
care about government, to listening to slick speeches, designed to move us to
vote. And they were good
speeches. As I mentioned, Julian
Castro gave a moving story of his family, struggling to become educated in this
country. My first thought was,
‘What a slick politician.” Then,
as he continued, I felt the emotion of pride in this country that could allow
his grandmother and mother to educate him and his brother to this level of
national prominence. I know he
will be one to watch, but I somehow think it will be very difficult for anyone
over the age of 20 to accept “President Castro”.
The bottom line for me, is that I
will vote. And I will encourage
others to vote. And as much as I
admire Jill Stein, I will encourage progressives not to vote for her. We live in a 2 party system. Until we can get public financing of
campaigns and/or ranked choice voting, a vote for the Greens is a vote for
Romney. Of course, on the other
side of the coin, a vote for Ron Paul is a vote for Obama.
Does it make a difference? Maybe not. But where the real difference will be is in the House and
Senate races. These are the people
who represent us. These are the
people who we have half a chance to influence. These are people I have actually seen in person. This is where our potential power lies.
And right now, my power lies in
that welcoming, cushy, soft, cool bed.
Can't agree here. There is only one party - the party of good cop / bad cop. Same motives. Senators and Reps worthwhile? How many only except "clean money" or vote consistently enough in a manner which represents the interests of their constituents? Obama gets away with murder, as is his presidential self-appointed privilege. Voting is futile, the system has always been rigged. What does it really mean to be an "informed citizen"? If one feels the need to "vote", at least try to make it as a gesture against what is wrong with the system.
ReplyDeleteOf course, you are right. There is only the corporate party. But it is all we have at this point. Just dropping out of the system will not change it. And you raise a good point about what does it mean to be an informed voter. As long as people get there information via the TV, we will have low-information voters.
DeleteI think Tocqueville was right on when he said that it is local political associations that hold the key to democracy. That will be my focus when I return home. I want to have discussions, not to convince, but to understand.
Welcome back to civilization! I have enjoyed and admired all of your exploits, but I bet you're glad to re-experience that cushy, cool, "real" bed :-)
ReplyDeleteSo far the only thing you've written that has given me a heart attack are the words "ranked choice voting". Eeek! That's how we ended up with a "yahoo" like Dale Washam!!!
Oh, yes! I was shocked when Washam got in. But I think I understand it now. People thought that they had to rank each candidate. They didn't know you could only vote for one, if you wanted.
DeleteAgain, an example of low-information. Until we get a more informed and involved populace, this is what we get. Are we doomed?
Hello, was off line, catching up now! I agree, Louisa. I have seen so much apathy and huge lack of information. Sadly, running the gamut from a racist brother to elderly neighbors filled with fear and those that don't want to be bothered to take the time to inform themselves. We need to wake up! Our current system is far from perfect however I shudder to even contemplate the horrors that will be unleashed on the populace if we end up with a Romney/Ryan ticket. May the Gods smile upon us with an Obama / Biden win and victories in the congress and senate. Maybe then a man who truly cares about our country can move us forward. On a lighter note... news from the northwest. Your Mardi Gras beads adorned my neck while attending an Austin Powers themed birthday party. I also had a hearty laugh to read you were propositioned at the convention, while on duty no less. Keeping a sense of humor, especially during the next couple of months seems like a good idea.
ReplyDeleteexcuse me, Linda but what are some of the .." horrors that will be unleashed on the populace if we end up with a Romney/Ryan ticket"? What horrors have been eliminated under Obama? Do we have less of a Police State now than under Bush? Have any "social" economic programs really improved in the last 10 or even 20 years? The middle class has lost 47% of it's NET "economic worth" (whatever that means - I defer to Manfred Max-Neef here). This is a very old "System" and everyone continues to play their part, their role assigned by social osmosis. You, need to be the "man who truly cares..." as does anyone who has a caring bone in them. The real action is not about voting which is just a formal way of excusing one's self for actions done in our "name". The real action begins by looking in the mirror,which is very difficult to do, which is why nothing really changes.
DeleteCorrection --- middle class net worth dropped 28% not 47% as stated above
ReplyDeleteA couple of signs I've seen:
ReplyDelete"I'm better off than I was 4 years ago in spite of obstruction from the Republicans" and
"I'm joining the Republican party, because they are the party of the rich, and I'm tired of being poor."
I have to agree about the police state. Won't be any better under Romney. It is the economic issues where they diverge.