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syncope at 11:30am on 28/01/2008
syncope at 11:30am on 28/01/2008
There are 37 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
My love of Teddy Kennedy is pretty unconditional. He used to be a litmus test for me, when I heard people badmouthing him, I knew they were those sorts of people. The kind I wanted to avoid. Teddy Kennedy represents pretty much every bleeding heart liberal, pie in the sky political belief I also hold. Except I'm worse, leaning towards socialism and total restructuring the governmental structures.
You know, I don't usually give a CRAP about what politicians say about other politicians, because they're all fathead liars who have committees to decide where their opinions are going to fall. But. My lifelong love of Teddy Kennedy once again reared up today when I heard him endorsing Obama, and I realized I *cared*. I care what Teddy says, even in my cynical old age when I have given up believing in change or American ideals. Wow. That's kind of a shock to my system.
I knew when I voted for Nader that I had acknowledged I was giving up belief in the system at all. Sure, I was in a swing state, and yeah, hell yeah, I regret that I didn't support Gore. Hindsight is crystal. How he HELL we were supposed to know that it was all going to go to hell so swiftly? I mean, we went from the halcyon days of Fortress America and a laissez faire attitude towards the universe to THIS in under a decade. Being a child of the cold war, I honestly believed all the propaganda about America being unassailable, and my biggest issue when I was young was the quenching of leftest groups in Latin America. Remember when people *didn't believe* in Iran-Contra? Do you remember when we were that trusting and naive? Yeah, it's pretty hard to remember now considering how far we've fallen.
We're demoralized, self-loathing, and adrift. All I ever hear is how pointless politics are because the bad guys just rig everything and fuck us all over. Maybe if we all get a little angrier and less resigned, maybe we could do something about it. It does seem pretty daunting, though. Technically, we have a democratic republic. The idea there is that we're supposed to be able to change things. The republicans get out their base. Where the hell has OUR base gone? Are we all so resigned we think it doesn't matter who the Democratic nom is because we're going to vote for them anyway? I will admit that was my attitude. Until today.
I'm going to toast Shrub to night and say "Good riddance, motherfucker!" and hope that this is the first peel of the carillon of hope that we all need.
I feel a little less cynical today after listening to Teddy Kennedy say "we will close the book on the the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay" my heart actually leapt, and I thought "YEAH!"
I am not above being manipulated by rhetoric, and I sort of like being pandered to. It's about damned time. Teddy has a kick ass speech writer.
I'm in a swing state, I guess this is my year to door to door.
You know, I don't usually give a CRAP about what politicians say about other politicians, because they're all fathead liars who have committees to decide where their opinions are going to fall. But. My lifelong love of Teddy Kennedy once again reared up today when I heard him endorsing Obama, and I realized I *cared*. I care what Teddy says, even in my cynical old age when I have given up believing in change or American ideals. Wow. That's kind of a shock to my system.
I knew when I voted for Nader that I had acknowledged I was giving up belief in the system at all. Sure, I was in a swing state, and yeah, hell yeah, I regret that I didn't support Gore. Hindsight is crystal. How he HELL we were supposed to know that it was all going to go to hell so swiftly? I mean, we went from the halcyon days of Fortress America and a laissez faire attitude towards the universe to THIS in under a decade. Being a child of the cold war, I honestly believed all the propaganda about America being unassailable, and my biggest issue when I was young was the quenching of leftest groups in Latin America. Remember when people *didn't believe* in Iran-Contra? Do you remember when we were that trusting and naive? Yeah, it's pretty hard to remember now considering how far we've fallen.
We're demoralized, self-loathing, and adrift. All I ever hear is how pointless politics are because the bad guys just rig everything and fuck us all over. Maybe if we all get a little angrier and less resigned, maybe we could do something about it. It does seem pretty daunting, though. Technically, we have a democratic republic. The idea there is that we're supposed to be able to change things. The republicans get out their base. Where the hell has OUR base gone? Are we all so resigned we think it doesn't matter who the Democratic nom is because we're going to vote for them anyway? I will admit that was my attitude. Until today.
I'm going to toast Shrub to night and say "Good riddance, motherfucker!" and hope that this is the first peel of the carillon of hope that we all need.
I feel a little less cynical today after listening to Teddy Kennedy say "we will close the book on the the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay" my heart actually leapt, and I thought "YEAH!"
I am not above being manipulated by rhetoric, and I sort of like being pandered to. It's about damned time. Teddy has a kick ass speech writer.
I'm in a swing state, I guess this is my year to door to door.