As I ramp up for the baseball and racing seasons, I'm also getting into the details of the presidential race. I follow the Democratic primaries and caucuses and pay attention to Bush in the media. I know for certain that I won't vote for Bush and that I'll tell those who will listen that he must lose in November for a multitude of reasons. The only problem is that I'm not convinced that I'll vote for the Democratic nominee to ensure that Bush goes down.
For many years, I've been a raging independent who won't vote for Dems or Repubs, especially for President. Both parties are beholden to special interest money, and both are whores to the mainstream media that elect them. Regarding my presidential voting history, in '96, I went to the polls and did not choose either Clinton or Dole. In 2000, I voted proudly for Nader, and, to this day, I don't have any regrets for that choice. I think it's funny how fast Dems say "You bastard!" and Repubs say "Thanks!" to all of the Nader voters. This behavior is an example of how most people are too dumb, lazy, or weak to research and analyze all of the information out there and make up their minds themselves.
Nader voters did not lose the election for Gore. Gore lost, stating only a few reasons, because 1.) He ran poorly 2.) The conservative media and the RNC did a good job of painting him as the Second Coming of Clinton 3.) The Florida Elections Commission and its Secretary of State were corrupt and racist 4.) The Supreme Court was partisan 5.) Gore rejected progressives and independents who might have voted for a Democrat 6.) An estimated one million members of the GLB community voted for Bush in 2000. Did some of these points siphon off votes from Gore and give them to Nader? I'm sure they did, but Nader voters are not accountable for ALL of the issues that prevented Prince Al from setting up shop in the White House.
Unfortunately, there is a large portion of this country that only thinks in black or white, in terms of both politics and daily lives. It is not as simple as "I hate Dems so Repubs must win," or "I hate Repubs so Dems must win." The mainstream media also like to create a two-horse race and make people think that it's either one or the other. There are also very partisan people out there who believe that voting for any candidate outside of the Dem Party or the GOP is just throwing away a vote. That's asburd. Vote for whomever you feel best represents what you want or whom you want in the White House. There's so much more to the process than just selecting "the puppet on the right or the puppet on the left" (to paraphrase the Prophet Bill Hicks). The devil is in the details, and proper investigation of a lot of the information that's out there will open the eyes of many who walk our socio-political landscape fast asleep.
The sleeping people claim that they're too busy to dig into the details. Too much is going on to research non-mainstream publications or put some rigorous thought behind issues, philosophy, policy, and history. Like the stereotypical American lifestyle of consumption, better-faster-now, and jingoistic hubris, people just want sound-bites, argu-bites, quick fixes, immediate gratification, easy answers, "America First," celebrity, and non-challeging debate. "You can't tell me how to think." "I don't care what you say. I'm not changing my mind." "You're an idealistic, arm-chair philosopher, and I don't have time for this." Yes, I've heard all of those things when it comes to politics and, hell, life in general. Why? I believe that Americans have been lulled asleep, thanks to our standard of living, relative political stability, safety (yes, even after 9/11, we're still a VERY safe country compared to, for example, Brazil, Argentina, the UK, Spain, Israel, the Phillipines, and Russia) and the emphasis on consumption, religion, and the superficiality of wealth and celebrity. Americans love to glide through their days, wearing blinders, ignoring problems, consulting gods and preachers, and avoiding the rigor of criticial and analytical thinking. They want an easy choice to be made for them, instead of using our unique ability to reason and making difficult decisions in the face of opposition, resistance, confrontation, or unpopularity.
So, in the end, I'll wait to see what Nader does. He said that he's not totally ruling out an eventual run for the White House (see http://www.naderexplore04.org). His entrance will certainly make it interesting for Kerry, Edwards, Clark, Dean and their lot. In the mean time, I challenge everyone to read independent publications and websites to find out what independent "bastards" are thinking and doing. For starters, check out:
http://www.citizen.org/
http://www.publicintegrity.org/bop2004/
I've been spending a lot of time on both, but it won't end there. I continue to look at as many sources as I can, including conservative, liberal, centrist, and independent. Instead of going in whichever direction you've always gone, why not blaze your own trail and make up your own mind?
For many years, I've been a raging independent who won't vote for Dems or Repubs, especially for President. Both parties are beholden to special interest money, and both are whores to the mainstream media that elect them. Regarding my presidential voting history, in '96, I went to the polls and did not choose either Clinton or Dole. In 2000, I voted proudly for Nader, and, to this day, I don't have any regrets for that choice. I think it's funny how fast Dems say "You bastard!" and Repubs say "Thanks!" to all of the Nader voters. This behavior is an example of how most people are too dumb, lazy, or weak to research and analyze all of the information out there and make up their minds themselves.
Nader voters did not lose the election for Gore. Gore lost, stating only a few reasons, because 1.) He ran poorly 2.) The conservative media and the RNC did a good job of painting him as the Second Coming of Clinton 3.) The Florida Elections Commission and its Secretary of State were corrupt and racist 4.) The Supreme Court was partisan 5.) Gore rejected progressives and independents who might have voted for a Democrat 6.) An estimated one million members of the GLB community voted for Bush in 2000. Did some of these points siphon off votes from Gore and give them to Nader? I'm sure they did, but Nader voters are not accountable for ALL of the issues that prevented Prince Al from setting up shop in the White House.
Unfortunately, there is a large portion of this country that only thinks in black or white, in terms of both politics and daily lives. It is not as simple as "I hate Dems so Repubs must win," or "I hate Repubs so Dems must win." The mainstream media also like to create a two-horse race and make people think that it's either one or the other. There are also very partisan people out there who believe that voting for any candidate outside of the Dem Party or the GOP is just throwing away a vote. That's asburd. Vote for whomever you feel best represents what you want or whom you want in the White House. There's so much more to the process than just selecting "the puppet on the right or the puppet on the left" (to paraphrase the Prophet Bill Hicks). The devil is in the details, and proper investigation of a lot of the information that's out there will open the eyes of many who walk our socio-political landscape fast asleep.
The sleeping people claim that they're too busy to dig into the details. Too much is going on to research non-mainstream publications or put some rigorous thought behind issues, philosophy, policy, and history. Like the stereotypical American lifestyle of consumption, better-faster-now, and jingoistic hubris, people just want sound-bites, argu-bites, quick fixes, immediate gratification, easy answers, "America First," celebrity, and non-challeging debate. "You can't tell me how to think." "I don't care what you say. I'm not changing my mind." "You're an idealistic, arm-chair philosopher, and I don't have time for this." Yes, I've heard all of those things when it comes to politics and, hell, life in general. Why? I believe that Americans have been lulled asleep, thanks to our standard of living, relative political stability, safety (yes, even after 9/11, we're still a VERY safe country compared to, for example, Brazil, Argentina, the UK, Spain, Israel, the Phillipines, and Russia) and the emphasis on consumption, religion, and the superficiality of wealth and celebrity. Americans love to glide through their days, wearing blinders, ignoring problems, consulting gods and preachers, and avoiding the rigor of criticial and analytical thinking. They want an easy choice to be made for them, instead of using our unique ability to reason and making difficult decisions in the face of opposition, resistance, confrontation, or unpopularity.
So, in the end, I'll wait to see what Nader does. He said that he's not totally ruling out an eventual run for the White House (see http://www.naderexplore04.org). His entrance will certainly make it interesting for Kerry, Edwards, Clark, Dean and their lot. In the mean time, I challenge everyone to read independent publications and websites to find out what independent "bastards" are thinking and doing. For starters, check out:
http://www.citizen.org/
http://www.publicintegrity.org/bop2004/
I've been spending a lot of time on both, but it won't end there. I continue to look at as many sources as I can, including conservative, liberal, centrist, and independent. Instead of going in whichever direction you've always gone, why not blaze your own trail and make up your own mind?
posted by Brian at 3:05 PM
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