squishes, rinos, feminatzis, greens, socialists, libs: stalemate
i have learned so much from this process, i think my
overall political savvy just got a huge boost for the better.
hopefully my political intelligence is raised a few notches.
i have made reading everything i can think of the focus
of about 8 weeks of my life. i have spent many many
obsessional hours on it. i have talked constantly
about it and my viewpoints changed daily as i investigated
deeper and deeper into the political mire. i may have even
discovered a small love of political science?
i want this election to go well with no last minute hijinks.
i now even more firmly dislike the republican
party and what it represents. my feelings border on hatred
but i wont go there. its a very difficult challenge to my own ethic
based in tolerance to not use the same hateful posturing as i have
perceived from the neocons. many on the liberal side
are guilty of the same intolerance accused of the right.
this stooping behavior allows no dignity and goes
against my basic belief system for whomever
perpetrates it. isnt it funny how we accuse others
of what we are most guilty of ourselves? is it our very
guilt that spurs on the accusation in the first place?
i digress.
to their merit, the old school republicans do have
a basic idea that i agree with however surprising
i find this within myself. that is one of small government.
however the party of the "moral majority/christian right"
countless human rights abuses as well as degradation of
our constitution, big military spending as well as the nationalization
of our banking system endorsed by leaders of the far
right (to name only a few) do not have my respect either
when it comes right down to it. additionally i have
found the policy of their tendency to alienate moderates
within their own party to be baffling. if carried to an extreme as it
seems to be going currently, it doesnt bode well for the
future legitimacy of a republican brand.
going further with the idea of small government, it has been
argued that a small government would not support
a social welfare system. while this is theoretically interesting
in practice it would be draconion and lead to a
form of stupefying fascism if really thought through carefully.
we see echos of this already if we really look closely.
as for the democratic side i am much more skeptical
than i ever have been for my own "allegiance." i
am in strong disbelief that this will resolve in any
real way the huge problems and issues facing the country.
i believe much more should be done to deal with
problems on so many fronts it is almost impossible to even
know where to start. i feel that the democratic party
in many ways overall is only a cosmetic alternative
to the status quo i so abhor from conservatives.
to me the democratic party has lost much of a real impact for
progressive change. i have been annoyed with democrats
lack of creative solutions--how is dumping more
money into a broken system a better way?
but i also think democrats are the best shot i have at being
represented.
i find the voices of the independents in whatever
shade they appear to be interesting but until they
reach the 5% needed to be taken seriously as a major
party, there will be little impact on the lives of those
that do not adhere to either brand a or brand b.
i support an obama presidency because i
think (hope) that it would be the best chance for my
voice to be heard from one of the independent parties
which are closer to my actual residence on the political spectrum.
we shall see.
all i have is hope.
i have learned so much from this process, i think my
overall political savvy just got a huge boost for the better.
hopefully my political intelligence is raised a few notches.
i have made reading everything i can think of the focus
of about 8 weeks of my life. i have spent many many
obsessional hours on it. i have talked constantly
about it and my viewpoints changed daily as i investigated
deeper and deeper into the political mire. i may have even
discovered a small love of political science?
i want this election to go well with no last minute hijinks.
i now even more firmly dislike the republican
party and what it represents. my feelings border on hatred
but i wont go there. its a very difficult challenge to my own ethic
based in tolerance to not use the same hateful posturing as i have
perceived from the neocons. many on the liberal side
are guilty of the same intolerance accused of the right.
this stooping behavior allows no dignity and goes
against my basic belief system for whomever
perpetrates it. isnt it funny how we accuse others
of what we are most guilty of ourselves? is it our very
guilt that spurs on the accusation in the first place?
i digress.
to their merit, the old school republicans do have
a basic idea that i agree with however surprising
i find this within myself. that is one of small government.
however the party of the "moral majority/christian right"
countless human rights abuses as well as degradation of
our constitution, big military spending as well as the nationalization
of our banking system endorsed by leaders of the far
right (to name only a few) do not have my respect either
when it comes right down to it. additionally i have
found the policy of their tendency to alienate moderates
within their own party to be baffling. if carried to an extreme as it
seems to be going currently, it doesnt bode well for the
future legitimacy of a republican brand.
going further with the idea of small government, it has been
argued that a small government would not support
a social welfare system. while this is theoretically interesting
in practice it would be draconion and lead to a
form of stupefying fascism if really thought through carefully.
we see echos of this already if we really look closely.
as for the democratic side i am much more skeptical
than i ever have been for my own "allegiance." i
am in strong disbelief that this will resolve in any
real way the huge problems and issues facing the country.
i believe much more should be done to deal with
problems on so many fronts it is almost impossible to even
know where to start. i feel that the democratic party
in many ways overall is only a cosmetic alternative
to the status quo i so abhor from conservatives.
to me the democratic party has lost much of a real impact for
progressive change. i have been annoyed with democrats
lack of creative solutions--how is dumping more
money into a broken system a better way?
but i also think democrats are the best shot i have at being
represented.
i find the voices of the independents in whatever
shade they appear to be interesting but until they
reach the 5% needed to be taken seriously as a major
party, there will be little impact on the lives of those
that do not adhere to either brand a or brand b.
i support an obama presidency because i
think (hope) that it would be the best chance for my
voice to be heard from one of the independent parties
which are closer to my actual residence on the political spectrum.
we shall see.
all i have is hope.
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
A tidbit from part III "Surviving in Fantasy Land", chapter 22 "The Virtue of Doubt" on page 582.
This rootless wandering is perhaps the explanation for the hypnotic effect which the idea of efficiency has upon us. Deprived of direction, we are determined to go there fast. And so we apply this minor sub-product of reason to our economies, administration, arts, and even to our democratic process. We confuse intention with execution. Decision making with administration. Creation with accounting. On the dark plain we wander, totems have been erected, not to indicate the way, but to provide hopeful relief. That of efficiency is one of the highest, a freestanding moral value.
It is difficult in this context to keep in mind that the essence of civilization should tend towards consideration, not speed. The easy answer is that decision making must be decoupled from administration; the former being organic and reflective, the latter linear and structured. Bit in a civilization which has mistaken management techniques for moral values, all answers are a trap.
"I don't belong to any organized political party _ I'm a Democrat."