Watching the returns from my home state of South Carolina gets me to thinking about where people’s heads are at. The difference between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are only about race or gender, their positions on issues and their acceptance of corporate funding for their campaigns is just about the same. I know that it isn’t “politically correct” to bring up the race or gender card, but to me, after looking at their numbers it becomes apparent that people are voting with their emotions and not with their intellect. This development leaves me feeling more disenfranchised than ever.
I voted in the Democratic Primary because I support John Edwards. The choice to me is so clear; either vote for the people taking corporate money and deal with their influence on Washington for another four to eight years, or vote for the candidate that had identified what is basically wrong with the American political system (and I have been writing about it for years now) and pray that people understand that.
It looks to me that people, if they understand, don’t really think it’s all that important. This issue seems to have registered not at all with the majority of Democrats that vote in the primaries and caucuses. This gives me a clear signal that the Democratic Party, once again, is not the party that represents the way that I think politically. The Republicans are so far away from my views that I very rarely listen to their candidates. I can’t sit through an entire interview or a campaign speech without feeling my skin crawl. It is amazes me to hear the Republicans talk about victory over the Islamo-fascists and their voodoo economics while understanding that some economists and religious leaders actually support these people. I feel overwhelmed at times and question my own political and moral beliefs and wonder how I could be so out of step with the rest of the people in this country.
When the parties nominate their candidates, it will be in all likelihood either Obama or Clinton (Corporate shills), or McCain or Romney (corporate shills and empire seekers). In my confused political state, I will see corporations comfortable with either party’s candidate, and if the Republicans win, another four years of war in Iraq with a strong possibility that we will become engaged in Iran. The prospects for real change in America do not seem good in my opinion. I thought at one time I would be pleased to see an African-American President or a woman in the presidency, but not people that are entrenched and in bed with the military industrial complex, AIPAC and the corporate-controlled media.
Now, like many Progressive people, I must ask myself where I go from here? I know that I won’t be able to ignore politics, there just is too much at stake here. Do I sit on the sidelines and take cheap shots at all the candidates? (way too easy) As far as I’m concerned, I’m locked out of the system, there just isn’t anyone acceptable to me. Maybe I should just lower my expectations and support one of the Democrats. The problem with that is I just can’t. I can’t cozy up to the idea of another Clinton White House and Obama just has no real substance or insight.
One thing is perfectly clear to me, I realize that there won’t be any real substantive change coming anytime soon. I believe Progressive/Liberals need their own party. I could go Green and campaign for Cynthia McKinny, but what will that get me? If I do a great job and she actually picks up anything like a good percentage of votes, the only thing that will do is help the Republicans. Maybe I shouldn’t care, but if we have McCain in the White House, we just might not see another election; we’ll be too busy ducking ICBM’s from one country or another. Maybe Al Gore will come into the race. Maybe we could see an Independent Edwards run or see Ron Paul run on a third ticket. One thing I know is that I see so many Progressives on the internet writing about the same issues that I believe in, so many comments on progressive websites that echo my sentiments and I wonder why we haven’t organized into our own political party? Like many of you out there, I have nowhere to go, politically speaking. I’m hoping that someone has some ideas.
That’s the way I see it.
