To paraphrase Authority Zero, "You want a revolution? Youve got to make a difference on your own. You want a revolution? Stand up and make it known!" Lord knows, Im tryingbut it gets very frustrating.
Okay, for the last few months Ive been going to the Democratic Party meetups over in Augusta, GA. The ironic thing is, Im not even really a DemocratIm more of what youd call an "Anyone but Bush" independent. I feel that both parties are equally responsible for the current sorry state of affairs in which we now find ourselves, and what we ultimately need is a viable third choiceand a fourth, and a fifth, and so on. Do you realize that 35% of voters here in these United States identify themselves as independents? Both parties try to pigeonhole us as "swing voters" or "undecideds", but what they dont realize is that for many of us, our lack of a party affiliation is a conscientious choice. Were sick of the partisan bickering and the corruption inherent in the current system and are boldly deciding to declare ourselves "none of the above." The parties try to pander to us every election year, but VERY rarely ever address the issues that are important to us once theyre elected. True coalition-builders are invariably steamrolled by the party machinesjust ask Howard Dean.
But, if you think its lonely being a South Carolina Democrat, try getting a group of Independents together under one roof in THIS area. While I dont like the Democrats, I DESPISE the Republican Party and the direction theyre taking this nation, so for the sake of my own progressive agenda Ill bite the bullet and play along with the Democratic Party. For now.
The way I see it, the real problem facing our country is a lack of truly progressive leadership. Youve heard the joke about why politicians are so easy to operate on, right? Because they have no heart, no guts, no spine, no balls, no brains, and their heads and assholes are interchangeable. Who cares that were running up trillion-dollar deficits that our grandchildrens grandchildren will still be paying on, as long as everyones pork-barrel projects get funded? Who cares that we have forty-four million citizens without even the most basic health insurance, as long as the big political donors in the health care industry can afford to keep doling out the big campaign checks? Who cares that our basic civil liberties are being stripped as long as the politicians can claim were now somehow safer from the phantom menace of terrorism? Who cares that our environmental protections are being strip-mined, workers rights are being trampled, and our cities are rotting from within? Does it really matter that our men and women in uniform are dying every day while fighting an unjust and unjustifiable war? As long as the great unwashed masses stay placated and none of our elected officials lose their re-election bids, everything is just hunky-dory. The future iswell, an awfully long way off. No point in worrying about it as long as people are making money (the grease that keeps the political machine rolling) under the status quo. As long as people are more interested in the most recent trends in fashion, the newest reality-show craze, or the latest Hollywood gossip than in anything that REALLY matterswhats the point in changing anything for the better?
Which is why I had such high hopes for Democracy for America. I know, Ive been let down by movements and candidates plenty of times before. True progressives and independent thinkers tend not to fare too well under the current systemremember Ross Perot and John McCain? I supported both, of course, but the movements they inspired both went AWOL immediately after their leaders campaigns imploded. But all history aside, I was still rooting for the Deans spinoff movement. Any group whose stated purpose is to take back our country through grassroots involvement in the political process and to fight for progressive policieswell, it felt like home to me. This is what Ive been fighting for--alone--for as long as Ive been in politics. But, lets face it, theres only so much one guy can do, particularly in an area as blindly nationalistic and as prone to knee-jerk neo-conservatism as this part of South Carolina. But, given a team of like-minded individualswell, perhaps we really COULD make a difference.
So, I went to this Democracy for America meetup in Augusta tonight. Which, granted, is a LONG way out of the way for me, but Im one of those people whos willing to go the extra mile(s) for an opportunity to make a difference. I was thinking Ive found the perfect way to meet and network with fellow activists. A new team with whom I can brainstorm ideas and work to break the stranglehold the neo-cons have on Southern politics
Yeah, it was a great meeting, if by great you mean that I was the ONLY PERSON THERE. Once again, Im stuck talking to myself. I know I cant be the only well-informed, desperate-to-change-the-system Independent left in the Southcan I? I mean, where's the outrage? Where's the indignation?? I simply cannot comprehend how anyone, anywhere, regardless of their political affiliation, could take an honest look at what's really going on in the world and still not be inspired to do something--ANYTHING--about it.
By the same token, though, I dont want to be a victim of the Ben Frasier syndrome, either. Ben Frasier, for those of you outside of South Carolina, is a former congressional aide and perennial candidate. Hes run for so many offices, so many times, and lost in such dramatic fashion every time, that hes become a total parody of himself. Maybe he has some fantastic ideas, and maybe he would make an excellent statesman, but no one will ever know because hes rendered himself completely irrelevant. Its the political equivalent of masturbation, really. I dont want to be the lone voice in the wilderness, crying out for sanity in an insane world. I dont want to be the guy who has all the answers but whos never asked the questions. I need a forum. I need some teammates. I need a movement, damn it!
You know, I really miss my friends from Charleston Peace. We may not have been the most cohesive or ideologically homogenous group on Earth, but you knowat least I could count on them to show up. As Woody Allen observed, eighty percent of life is just showing up! What can I say? I live for this stuff. Ask anyone who knows me: to me, EVERYTHING is political. My main goal in life is to help people, and I feel that the best way I can do thatis through politics.
But, try as I mightI STILL cant do it alone.
Okay, for the last few months Ive been going to the Democratic Party meetups over in Augusta, GA. The ironic thing is, Im not even really a DemocratIm more of what youd call an "Anyone but Bush" independent. I feel that both parties are equally responsible for the current sorry state of affairs in which we now find ourselves, and what we ultimately need is a viable third choiceand a fourth, and a fifth, and so on. Do you realize that 35% of voters here in these United States identify themselves as independents? Both parties try to pigeonhole us as "swing voters" or "undecideds", but what they dont realize is that for many of us, our lack of a party affiliation is a conscientious choice. Were sick of the partisan bickering and the corruption inherent in the current system and are boldly deciding to declare ourselves "none of the above." The parties try to pander to us every election year, but VERY rarely ever address the issues that are important to us once theyre elected. True coalition-builders are invariably steamrolled by the party machinesjust ask Howard Dean.
But, if you think its lonely being a South Carolina Democrat, try getting a group of Independents together under one roof in THIS area. While I dont like the Democrats, I DESPISE the Republican Party and the direction theyre taking this nation, so for the sake of my own progressive agenda Ill bite the bullet and play along with the Democratic Party. For now.
The way I see it, the real problem facing our country is a lack of truly progressive leadership. Youve heard the joke about why politicians are so easy to operate on, right? Because they have no heart, no guts, no spine, no balls, no brains, and their heads and assholes are interchangeable. Who cares that were running up trillion-dollar deficits that our grandchildrens grandchildren will still be paying on, as long as everyones pork-barrel projects get funded? Who cares that we have forty-four million citizens without even the most basic health insurance, as long as the big political donors in the health care industry can afford to keep doling out the big campaign checks? Who cares that our basic civil liberties are being stripped as long as the politicians can claim were now somehow safer from the phantom menace of terrorism? Who cares that our environmental protections are being strip-mined, workers rights are being trampled, and our cities are rotting from within? Does it really matter that our men and women in uniform are dying every day while fighting an unjust and unjustifiable war? As long as the great unwashed masses stay placated and none of our elected officials lose their re-election bids, everything is just hunky-dory. The future iswell, an awfully long way off. No point in worrying about it as long as people are making money (the grease that keeps the political machine rolling) under the status quo. As long as people are more interested in the most recent trends in fashion, the newest reality-show craze, or the latest Hollywood gossip than in anything that REALLY matterswhats the point in changing anything for the better?
Which is why I had such high hopes for Democracy for America. I know, Ive been let down by movements and candidates plenty of times before. True progressives and independent thinkers tend not to fare too well under the current systemremember Ross Perot and John McCain? I supported both, of course, but the movements they inspired both went AWOL immediately after their leaders campaigns imploded. But all history aside, I was still rooting for the Deans spinoff movement. Any group whose stated purpose is to take back our country through grassroots involvement in the political process and to fight for progressive policieswell, it felt like home to me. This is what Ive been fighting for--alone--for as long as Ive been in politics. But, lets face it, theres only so much one guy can do, particularly in an area as blindly nationalistic and as prone to knee-jerk neo-conservatism as this part of South Carolina. But, given a team of like-minded individualswell, perhaps we really COULD make a difference.
So, I went to this Democracy for America meetup in Augusta tonight. Which, granted, is a LONG way out of the way for me, but Im one of those people whos willing to go the extra mile(s) for an opportunity to make a difference. I was thinking Ive found the perfect way to meet and network with fellow activists. A new team with whom I can brainstorm ideas and work to break the stranglehold the neo-cons have on Southern politics
Yeah, it was a great meeting, if by great you mean that I was the ONLY PERSON THERE. Once again, Im stuck talking to myself. I know I cant be the only well-informed, desperate-to-change-the-system Independent left in the Southcan I? I mean, where's the outrage? Where's the indignation?? I simply cannot comprehend how anyone, anywhere, regardless of their political affiliation, could take an honest look at what's really going on in the world and still not be inspired to do something--ANYTHING--about it.
By the same token, though, I dont want to be a victim of the Ben Frasier syndrome, either. Ben Frasier, for those of you outside of South Carolina, is a former congressional aide and perennial candidate. Hes run for so many offices, so many times, and lost in such dramatic fashion every time, that hes become a total parody of himself. Maybe he has some fantastic ideas, and maybe he would make an excellent statesman, but no one will ever know because hes rendered himself completely irrelevant. Its the political equivalent of masturbation, really. I dont want to be the lone voice in the wilderness, crying out for sanity in an insane world. I dont want to be the guy who has all the answers but whos never asked the questions. I need a forum. I need some teammates. I need a movement, damn it!
You know, I really miss my friends from Charleston Peace. We may not have been the most cohesive or ideologically homogenous group on Earth, but you knowat least I could count on them to show up. As Woody Allen observed, eighty percent of life is just showing up! What can I say? I live for this stuff. Ask anyone who knows me: to me, EVERYTHING is political. My main goal in life is to help people, and I feel that the best way I can do thatis through politics.
But, try as I mightI STILL cant do it alone.
I guess I could try again...I'm just not sure what to do...and I thought I sent in awesome pics...maybe it was something else, I dunno....