It's that man again
Nov. 3rd, 2004 01:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
avevale_intelligencerAnother four years. And this time he either got a legitimate majority, or hid his callifudging rather more effectively.
We only get a far-off and distorted view of the politics of another country. We don't know anything we don't get from the news, from messages from friends, from Michael Moore and other such commentators. But it should be no surprise to anyone when power goes to the venal, the incompetent, the downright insane. They're the ones who choose to go into the race, to seek the power. The rest of us have more important, more enjoyable, more satisfying things to do. When we do go into politics it's because we want to make a difference at a local level, or maybe add our voice to a consensus with which we agree. And, since we make that choice, we can hardly complain if the people who get voted in don't do what we would do if we were in their shoes.
Bush in particular has been on the way for a long time. Government is run by the moneyed and always has been: democracy is a joke among them, and to the rest of us a smoke screen to hide their dirty scheming. He's just being more blatant about it than the last few have been, either because he can't be subtle or because he doesn't feel he has to bother. He bought his first term, quite openly, and whether he cheated on this election or not is now irrelevant. No-one will ever get the Republicans out of power again, because they don't have to hide their manipulations any more. Over here, we have two identical parties, so the interests of the moneyed will be served identically whichever one gets in. They don't have to care any more.
The only way out is revolution. And that will be worse, with a very very slim to non-existent chance that it might get better somewhere down the line.
I guess, at bottom, I'm just disappointed.
We only get a far-off and distorted view of the politics of another country. We don't know anything we don't get from the news, from messages from friends, from Michael Moore and other such commentators. But it should be no surprise to anyone when power goes to the venal, the incompetent, the downright insane. They're the ones who choose to go into the race, to seek the power. The rest of us have more important, more enjoyable, more satisfying things to do. When we do go into politics it's because we want to make a difference at a local level, or maybe add our voice to a consensus with which we agree. And, since we make that choice, we can hardly complain if the people who get voted in don't do what we would do if we were in their shoes.
Bush in particular has been on the way for a long time. Government is run by the moneyed and always has been: democracy is a joke among them, and to the rest of us a smoke screen to hide their dirty scheming. He's just being more blatant about it than the last few have been, either because he can't be subtle or because he doesn't feel he has to bother. He bought his first term, quite openly, and whether he cheated on this election or not is now irrelevant. No-one will ever get the Republicans out of power again, because they don't have to hide their manipulations any more. Over here, we have two identical parties, so the interests of the moneyed will be served identically whichever one gets in. They don't have to care any more.
The only way out is revolution. And that will be worse, with a very very slim to non-existent chance that it might get better somewhere down the line.
I guess, at bottom, I'm just disappointed.
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 06:26 am (UTC)I feel like wearing black to class tonight but I'm determined to hang in there and "visualize Kerry winning" until it's officially announced one way or t'other. Sigh...
If Bush is elected again how will I be able to say I'm an American to any of my friends overseas? augh!!!
no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 06:50 am (UTC)Because Bush isn't America.
Good, hardworking, decent folk all over the country are America. Honest, plain-spoken, determined people, both Democrats and Republicans, dedicated to the principles of freedom and justice are America. Helpful, compassionate, community-oriented people are America.
When a neighbor reaches out to a neighbor, there you find us. When people pitch in togehter for the good of their families, their neighborhoods, and their communities, there you find us. When people do the right thing for no reason other than its the right thing to do, there you find us. When the law protects the individual from the mob.
Bush and his crowd are just a passing thing, in the great wash of history. There are many ways, too many to list, where they are bad for us, and bad for the world, but they too shall pass, and the ideal that is America shall remain.
Because America isn't a man. It isn't a political party. It isn't an ideology.
America is a belief in a better future, in a rule of law, and in the idea that no matter how divided we become over matters of religion, race, or political ideology, we have the right and responsibility to peacefully work towards change.
Right now, the American Dream may be a bit tarnished. Sometimes its hard to see. Sometimes you can be so frustrated that you don't know how to go on.
But we will go on. We will go on working to ensure that the principles that made America the ideal do not vanish, do not falter, do not perish from the earth.
There's work to be done. And we will do it, no matter who sits in the halls of government. Because we are Americans.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 07:29 am (UTC)But that country didn't vote for Bush. At least, a majority of it didn't. I'm sure of that.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 07:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 09:34 am (UTC)I feel terrible arguing with Rob's wonderful piece of poetry, but ideals don't cut it. We have a shedload of them over here, and you know what Britain's like. They're wonderful things to aim for, but...well, sooner or later you're going to have to elect a leader who respects those ideals, and anyone who thinks you just did is really not paying enough attention to current affairs to be qualified to cast a vote. And till you do, Rob's post is sadly nothing more than beautiful poetry.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 10:10 am (UTC)Blah.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 07:41 am (UTC)Seriously though - thanks. That really was lovely and true. I think you should cut and paste this in your own journal and/or let me do so in mine. It deserves its own entry.
It makes me feel like rereading books like "The Grapes of Wrath" which show very clearly that America is not about who is in power at the time.
Or more succinctly: "I knew that!" ;-)
Hugs!
no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 07:45 am (UTC)Sigh.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 07:58 am (UTC)shorah
Date: 2004-11-03 07:07 am (UTC)Re: shorah
Date: 2004-11-03 07:24 am (UTC)Re: shorah
Date: 2004-11-03 07:39 am (UTC)Re: shorah
Date: 2004-11-03 09:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 07:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 09:15 am (UTC)I'd really like to believe that your lot (a) had a fighting chance, and (b) when they got into power wouldn't turn out to be more of the same...but I saw, back when the Liberal Democrats had their big opportunity, how easily it was taken out of their hands (and I believe it was taken) and I can't find it in my heart to believe they'd ever let you get that close again. Which is not to say I couldn't be wrong. Please, keep fighting.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 04:31 pm (UTC)The last time we had a big chance, we didn't actually have a chance in hell in hindsight. The sort of political revolution we're trying to pull off doesn't happen overnight; it's taken us 20 years to grow the activist base, get 55 MPs, and reach the point where a hell of a lot more constituencies are marginal than most people would have you believe. Heck, even the BBC have realised that reporting Lab/Con swings is not a useful thing to do any more :-)
no subject
Date: 2004-11-03 08:08 am (UTC)Yes, this time it only looks suspiciously as though he might possibly have won by cheating, instead of being clear that he had.
Apparently two important states, Florida and Ohio, have fairly wide use of electronic voting machines, with a known history of problems, which do not provide a paper audit trail, made by a company whose CEO has openly declared that he wanted to deliver votes for Bush. Those states, unlike others, have results that show Bush doing significantly better than exit polls projected. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/3/04741/7055
(On the other hand, there are enough other states that could go Bush's way that it might not matter, it's just a question of how quickly Bush can claim his win. It is certain that a huge proportion of Americans did vote for him, very very likely a popular majority. I still don't have any idea why - the most comprehensible arguments from his supporters seem to be "He may be a lying fuckup, but he's a Republican lying fuckup, and that's good enough for me" and "he's fucked up so badly that the additional instability of a change of leader could be fatal". Admittedly they weren't worded quite like that.)