Thanks,

Joel, for reminding us to keep our feet on the ground.

by Russ Wellen (58 articles, 1029 quicklinks, 66 diaries, 335 comments) on Wednesday, November 8, 2006 at 2:07:25 PM
 

Half full, or half empty?

Let me begin by saying I believe we need to strike down the "duopoly", as you put it. I would love to be able to do what I did yesterday on my ballot, and have a space marked "Libertarian" or "Independent" below the usual spaces marked "Democrat" or "Republican". Yes, even when I had no idea who my vote was going for, I voted for the third party candidates.

Was that responsible voting? Maybe. I did have a choice, and I exercised it. However, being uninformed as to the ideas of the person in question, was I not just picking the third bubble as a case of the lesser evil of the lesser evil? Perhaps, like the so-called Yellow Dog Democrat, I was being a Black Cat Libertarian.

In other words, I knew that by voting for unknowns (except Kinky Friedman), I was essentially throwing my vote away. Even though I effectively did the same thing as far as Kinky was concerned, it was about principle. I had a choice, and by goddess, I exercised it.

Now, with all that said, I need to also say I think you are raining on the parade a little more than is called for. Whether or not you think anything of real import happened yesterday, the plain truth is America did show its desire for change. Voter turnout, although not 100 percent (will it ever be, even in your Utopian ideal?), was record setting here in Texas, and I am sure in other places as well. The fact that the House turned over more seats than anyone predicted also shows America's desire for change. The fact that the Senate remains in a statistical dead heat, or even a tie also bears this out.

So what's the problem? Can you actually sit there and tell me that you think it's going to be status quo all over again? More importantly, can you be as idealistic to believe that having more than two parties from which to choose is going to end government corruption?

How naive can you be? Just because in your ideal, we should be able to choose the best and brightest, doesn't mean that's how the scene would run. A career politician is a career politician, no matter what party gives him or her identity. Just because they don't wear a Democrat or Republican moniker doesn't mean they aren't bad, wrong, evil, or given to corruption.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The evidence of this is everywhere. Even in countries where there are multiple parties, somehow greed, corruption, hypocrisy and mendacity find their way into the mix.

We are humans. Everything we create is subject to our imperfections. There is no ideal we hold that can't be thrown headlong into a festering sewer when it meets the real world. None.

Utopia doesn't exist! It never will exist! Even though Todd Rundgren wrote a song about it, there is no Road To Utopia, nor a typical day on said road. It's a silly ideal, and it will remain that from now until the end of the world.

Now to some specific points in your article:

Tell me, to begin a Second American Revolution, when will millions of clear-minded dissenters unite behind a new centrist or populist party and take back our nation?

Why the need to unite behind anything? I believe that what happened yesterday was a clear signal that America was uniting to take back our nation. No one here, not even myself has the gift of precognition. Oh sure, we can sit here and pretend we are the heir-apparent to Nostradaums, but we always wind up with egg on our collective faces. Ergo, you can't say that what happened yesterday isn't going to be a real force for change. After all, in the wake of the election results of yesterday, Dumbsfeld has stepped down. That's a change for the better, or do you think not?

I wouldn't have predicted it. Not a one of the sharp-minded writers here saw that one coming either. If they did, no one wrote about it. Any mention of Dumbsfeld anywhere here prior to the news of his leaving was done in the vein of, "he needs to go," not, "he's on his way out after the election." Ergo, perhaps this revolution is already under way. Just because it doesn't have your earmarks on it doesn't mean it isn't happening.

You will decide, through attention or distraction, through truth or delusion, through action or passivity.

The point is, we did decide. Don't paint the devil on the wall just because the "revolution" didn't fit your glorious and short-sighted ideal of what it should have been. Come on, let's give time time. Will things change for the better? I think they will. Will some things stay the same? Of course! Remember, there is the real world, and there is the ideal world, and ne'er the twain shall meet!

Let us not forget that a MAJORITY of Americans did NOT speak with their votes. They rejected both Democrats and Republicans. That only 40 percent bothered to vote, especially this year, shames our nation and confirms that we have a delusional democracy.

Is the glass half full, or half empty. In many places in America, new records for voter turnout were set. Such is the case here in Texas! There was one state (I forgot which one, I apologize) that ran out of ballots. They had to Xerox ballots. Those Xeroxed ballots had to be hand counted as they wouldn't work in the optical scan machines.

The American people are lazy when it comes to politics. You can blame it on whatever factor you like, but that truth remains. Some don't vote because of apathy. Some don't vote because they feel their votes don't matter. Some don't vote because they see it as a complete and utter waste of their time. Some don't vote because they don't want to choose between the lesser of two evils. There is no one reason, and to say there is ignores the reality of the diverse tapestry that is society.

And remember this wisdom: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Our behind-the-scenes Ruling Class remains; they will now speed dial more Democrats.

Yes, and that would still hold true even if your Utopian world were to somehow be blinked into existence. Then the Libertarians and Independents would be on speed dial as well.

The point is, no matter who has the power, eventually it will corrupt them all. You can think your pretty ideal world will make it all better, but you are deluding yourself in the process. Like so many other high-minded ideals and idealists, you forget the unchanging human truth: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This holds true for the American poliitcal scene. This held true for the political scene in the USSR. This held true for so many other governments around the world and through the ages. No matter how you might wish it to be otherwise, the truth is we will always have a weakness for power. As long as we remain a social animal, we will also be an animal given to corruption. Perhaps social and biological evolution will work these kinks out of our systems. Frankly, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

So, in summation, perhaps you are right, and nothing will change. Perhaps you are right, and it will all remain a sham and a shame. Perhaps there is no hope for this country, and we should all start making sure our passports and other papers are in order.

OR perhaps the change in congress will bear some good fruit for all. Perhaps the change in congress will have as one of its results the impeachment and prosecution of DUBYA, Dick(LESS) Cheney, and the rest of the gang of idiots in the executive branch. Time will tell. We need to give time time to see what happens. Now is not the time to rain on the parade. Let's wait until we see our new congress heading down the same road as the one just handed their walking papers before we start seeding the clouds!

Blessed be!
Pappy

by Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 860 comments) on Wednesday, November 8, 2006 at 2:14:19 PM
 

Field of Screams

Well Joel, thanks for raining on the parade. You are one cynical human being. Yes the Repubs deserved to lose because of all there hubris and corruptive ways.
Is the corporate state safe? We do not want fascism in any form, and the corproationists want people to buy there products.
After 6 years of very questionable voting tactics and machines I'm pleased with the results.
Hirschhorn thinks low paying jobs just hit the job market,
we need to stop exporting jobs and start getting out of NAFT and KAFTA and any other anti-american treaties stealing our money and jobs.
The rich will be behind the scenes and want capitalism to ride the smooth road to there banks which they own.
At least we have a chance to bring the many corruptions to the fore front and see who's been doing what to whome.
I'm satisfied with the results and I know that there were many people who were just as happy as me.
Everything is fleeting and so is happiness, and so are elections.

by anthny (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 39 comments) on Wednesday, November 8, 2006 at 5:29:26 PM
 

Raining on the parade

Excellent article. Parades are fun and uplifting, but they carry all the weight of a fireworks display. There's no reason for anyone who's not the cerebral equivalent of Joseph (Rush) Goebbels riding a donkey instead of an elephant to expect more from the new Congress than they got from any other Democratic (or Republican) Congress during the last half-century.

Thanks for a sip of reality.

J

by Jack Purcell (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 102 comments) on Wednesday, November 8, 2006 at 6:40:10 PM
 

Pappy said it all!

Joel, if I may I would ask you to temper your emotionalism and consider that establishing a third party here in America is an uphill road. As Pappy noted so perceptively above the simple fact that only 40% of the electorate chose to participate in a very important mid term election shows clearly that there is a vast untapped resource for third parties to engage and bring back to the process.

I voted, as I have for years, for the best candidate available to me and that some were Greens and one was Peace and Freedom gave me no pause at all, I answer only to my conscience and my vision for this nation and I do so with my vote.

Activism is not a whim it is a calling. Your vision for America as shown by your posts here is a good one, one deserving of your efforts but it is also deserving of your hope and your patience.

by ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2377 comments) on Thursday, November 9, 2006 at 7:14:14 AM
 

4 questions

I submit the following (partial) list of "Big Brother" laws/bills/acts passed by the "sheep" in the Republican Congress:

Patriot Act
Anti-Terrorism Bill
Warrantless Wiretapping Bill
Military Tribunals Bill
Torture Bill
NSA Spying Bills

My first question is this.....

HOW LONG WILL IT BE BEFORE THE NEW DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS INTRODUCES BILLS TO REPEAL THESE AND OTHER ILLEGAL ACTS OF THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS?

I'll bet you dollars to donuts that NONE of these acts or bills will be repealed by the new Congress or even altered in any significant way.

Next question:

HOW LONG BEFORE THE NEW DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS BEGINS TO PRESS THE ADMINISTRATION TO REDEPLOY OR PULL OUT TROOPS FROM IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN?

Not likely to happen. In fact, I think there is a chance that troop numbers will be INCREASED.

Next question:

HOW LONG BEFORE JOHN CONYERS STARTS THE PROCESS FOR IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS IN THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE?

Not gonna happen. "I have said it before and I will say it again: Impeachment is off the table," Pelosi, D-Calif., said during a news conference. (NYT)

She's "the New Boss" now so there you have it...

My contention is that NOTHING WILL CHANGE in any significant way under Democratic control of the government, even if they take over the presidency in '08. The corruption of the Two Party System is entrenched and is well described in Joel's article...

And in that old Who song...

There's nothing in the street
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Is now the parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

"Won't Get Fooled Again" 1971

I submit we have "been fooled again" and again and again and again and again in the three and a half decades since Pete Townsend wrote these words. Think back...

While you're thinking, I submit my last question:

HAS ANYTHING REALLY CHANGED IN THE LAST FORTY+ YEARS?

Nope. Not for the better anyway. So, PLEASE, don't go back to sleep thinking things will change now that the other party is in control. If the opiate of the masses is religion, maybe the opiate of the intelligentsia is politics...

WAKE UP America! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.........

by Mike Balay (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Saturday, November 11, 2006 at 6:06:28 PM
 

4 answers.

My first question is this.....

HOW LONG WILL IT BE BEFORE THE NEW DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS INTRODUCES BILLS TO REPEAL THESE AND OTHER ILLEGAL ACTS OF THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS?

Time will tell, but if I were a betting man, I'd say that at least one of them is sure to go under the knife pretty much from the get-go. The one most likely to get chopped up first is warrantless wiretaps. Support for this has always been soft, and even though DUBYA is going to push hard to get this one through the lame duck congress before January, all indicators show it's not going to work. The Democrats in congress know they have some leverage now, and they are going to use it.

HOW LONG BEFORE THE NEW DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS BEGINS TO PRESS THE ADMINISTRATION TO REDEPLOY OR PULL OUT TROOPS FROM IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN?

That one might happen a bit sooner. For good or bad, the new iteration of congress knows that the vote on November 7 was a referendum on Iraq. Everyone seems to be in a holding pattern waiting on the Baker Iraq study group to make its determination. Frankly, I think there are enough folks in the new iteration of congress to bring this one up and keep it on the table.

HOW LONG BEFORE JOHN CONYERS STARTS THE PROCESS FOR IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS IN THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE?

Just because Pelosi says impeachment isn't on the table doesn't mean it won't get there. I am sure Conyers is going to get writer's cramp from all the subpoenas he's already committed to writing. The more shit that gets turned up by these investigations, the more realistic becomes the option for impeachment.

I remind you, Dumbsfeld is not only gone, he's under indictment in Germany for war crimes due to his actions in the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal. Just because the justice for his crimes isn't coming from our shores doesn't mean it isn't coming. I am sure the same will be said for DUBYA once he is out of office. He and Dick(LESS) are war criminals, and just because we in America don't have the balls to prosecute him doesn't mean the rest of the world is as cowardly on this issue.

HAS ANYTHING REALLY CHANGED IN THE LAST FORTY+ YEARS?

That depends on your meaning. The fact that we are typing all this on computer keyboards means things have changed. As for politics, let me say this: Richard Nixon! Perhaps things haven't changed in the way you want them to, but that doesn't mean they haven't changed at all.

Sometimes we can take running leaps, sometimes we have to take baby steps. In either case, change happens on a daily basis. Just because it doesn't happen the way we want it to happen, or because it doesn't happen on our schedule doesn't mean it isn't happening.

Finally, nothing is really going to happen until January anyway. Everything we are writing about the new iteration of congress is all theoretical until they take office. While there are things the present iteration of congress can do until then, for all intent and purpose, not much is going to change here in the next few months.

So, let's all get ready for "we fucked the Native Americans out of their land" day, "christian bastardization of Winter Solstice day" (otherwise known as "Commerce day", or Christmas), and new years. Once we get past those yearly annoyances, perhaps the answers to your questions will come.

Blessed be!
Pappy

by Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 860 comments) on Monday, November 13, 2006 at 1:14:16 PM