political tuppence

[zostrianos]

Over the few weeks I've been back in America, I've been trying to take stock of the political situation here. When I left for Thailand things were feeling pretty stuck, like there was no real organized resistance to the military-industrial powers-that-be. I think when Obama came into office there was some hope that things would change in a

Comments

[devilscrowbar]

This is a strong argument, and one that bears careful consideration. I have always (so far) voted Democrat, and I think the party suffers terribly by its "lesser evil" stance.

That "we're not as bad" position is passive, apathetic, and stagnating. You may know of the massive rallies last year here in Wisconsin. While I feel that I was part of a very self-organized, relatively mixed (for Wisconsin, and setting aside the marked absence of people of color) group of protesters, the Democratic Party, various progressive non-profits, and several large union organizations were quick to take credit for the events of the winter. There was a great deal of apathy masquerading as active support.

Our "Hope and Change" president has not only permitted, but contributed to the dissolution of civil rights and various legal freedoms. Likewise, he asks nothing of us - despite the continuing economic hardship and warfare, we are not called upon to make sacrifices of time, resources, or talent

[merikus]

I rarely check Livejournal anymore, and so when I saw your post my first thought was "there's a userpic I haven't seen in a long time." It is good to hear your voice, even through writing, after so long. I would love to talk to you and see how you are doing. Please e-mail, or message me on here, or whatever so we can get in touch!

That said, on to your actual post. devilscrowbar said much of what I feel. Ron Paul has an appeal to me, and one I've thought a lot about. Laura is right--Ron Paul has some terrible position regarding social issues, ones that I, and I assume you, do not support. Then why are we being drawn to someone like this? Why are so many people our age, liberal, conservative, and everything else, rooting for this particular underdog