help me vote for obama
Well, I felt like it didn't really matter who would win before. I was being all snooty and cynical about it and thinking I just wouldn't vote, or I'd write in Ron Paul or something. That last debate somehow made me realize that cynicism does absolutely nothing to make the situation better. I think there's a really good chance he will be very good for this country. I'll fucking cry if he loses.
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dj superflat
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dj superflat
- Posts: 1279
- Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 5:31 pm
- Location: leadville, CO
um, how so? you mean the market crashing? or the dancing in the streets, people spontaneously breaking into song? look, i'm voting for obama. but i'm not going to pretend life in the US is suddenly going to be so very different. in fact, little's likely to change. if you think the world's suddenly going to be very different in a practical sense, please let us know. you might convince some folk to vote for O.
I see signs everywhere that Obama represents a movement...record number of voters, record numbers of donors, students, seniors, people engaged and involved, people volunteering, I mean the list just goes on. You can't ignore that politics in this country has changed forever. And from that energy and discourse emerges changed standards as to what we expect from government and how we expect to live as a society.
I get that you may be jaded or cynical. And I get that you may begrudgingly vote Obama as a lesser of evils. But as far as I'm concerned, I see a social revolution happening right before my eyes, and it's fantastic!
I get that you may be jaded or cynical. And I get that you may begrudgingly vote Obama as a lesser of evils. But as far as I'm concerned, I see a social revolution happening right before my eyes, and it's fantastic!
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dj superflat
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- Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 5:31 pm
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i'm not begrudgingingly voting for O, i'm a supporter. and i don't consider myself cynical but, instead, realistic. no lefty candidate even floats the idea of doing many things that most lefties would get behind, consider well worth while. here's an example: gay marriage. fairly broad support for gay marriage on the left, but O won't touch it (for pragmatic reasons). here's another: legalize pot. nope. here's another: cut military spending by 80% so we don't have the capability of going off to serious wars (don't worry, we could still invade panama, etc.). not going to happen.
the list goes on and on of things that O will never, ever do, even if they make lots of sense to many if not most of his supporters. so, by definition, he will be somewhat of a disappointment, because you get the president you want, but few of the policies that might make a difference.
this may explain why movements tend to dissipate pretty quickly once someone gets elected. people who get elected very quickly start doing most of the same things their predecessors did, and also very quickly start breaking promises they made to get elected (how'd that gays in the military thing work out? or universal healthcare w/ hilary?).
as for a social revolution, i don't see that at all. put another way, this has nothing on the 60s, and all that died once the draft did (well, it got us the 70s and disco, so you can't really complain).
the list goes on and on of things that O will never, ever do, even if they make lots of sense to many if not most of his supporters. so, by definition, he will be somewhat of a disappointment, because you get the president you want, but few of the policies that might make a difference.
this may explain why movements tend to dissipate pretty quickly once someone gets elected. people who get elected very quickly start doing most of the same things their predecessors did, and also very quickly start breaking promises they made to get elected (how'd that gays in the military thing work out? or universal healthcare w/ hilary?).
as for a social revolution, i don't see that at all. put another way, this has nothing on the 60s, and all that died once the draft did (well, it got us the 70s and disco, so you can't really complain).
nebulae wrote:I see signs everywhere that Obama represents a movement...record number of voters, record numbers of donors, students, seniors, people engaged and involved, people volunteering, I mean the list just goes on. You can't ignore that politics in this country has changed forever. And from that energy and discourse emerges changed standards as to what we expect from government and how we expect to live as a society.
I get that you may be jaded or cynical. And I get that you may begrudgingly vote Obama as a lesser of evils. But as far as I'm concerned, I see a social revolution happening right before my eyes, and it's fantastic!
Organizing during elections does not generally continue after the election. The infrastructure of electioneering, is not so useful afterwards.
Many people have such unrealistic hopes for an Obama administration that there is going to be a period of disappointment. And what Obama talks about is the US as a great nation leading the world. Essentially a better imperialism. This is a failed vision. It is a vision that caters to an underlying arrogance that is common across party lines.
There is still much that has to first be stripped away from before we can move forward. Too many self lies still muddy the water. I see that happening from the ground up. The best thing Obama can do once elected is stay out of the way of the real change that is fomenting from below.
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dj superflat
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- Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 5:31 pm
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or not really fomenting from anywhere. the US isn't really well set up to permit structural change, at least not quickly, and almost certainly not outside the traditional power structures. people can argue whether the stability that creates is good or bad, but i'm way skeptical of any claim that significant change is coming, let alone groundbreaking change.
nebulae wrote:I see signs everywhere that Obama represents a movement...record number of voters, record numbers of donors, students, seniors, people engaged and involved, people volunteering, I mean the list just goes on. You can't ignore that politics in this country has changed forever. And from that energy and discourse emerges changed standards as to what we expect from government and how we expect to live as a society.
I get that you may be jaded or cynical. And I get that you may begrudgingly vote Obama as a lesser of evils. But as far as I'm concerned, I see a social revolution happening right before my eyes, and it's fantastic!
This isnt necessarily obamas movement, more than likely a movement against bush imo.