What Now?
Submitted by Dinger on July 6, 2008 - 7:48am.
Wesley Clark
Wes has been crapped on enough, by his own party none the less. I want to support Wes, but I can't see supporting people who wouldn't support him. He is the best hope for this country, not our current crop of so-called candidates. So my question is, how can I support Wes Clark? Something tells me I'll be able to cast my vote for him in 2012, cuz the dems have this so screwed up, there ain't no way we're getting the White House back this November, no way. Draft Clark 2012!
We need people to be paying attention. We need to fight the fact that they're not paying attention. It's so tempting to take short cuts, to figure that if we could just get a leader like Wes (or some people, like Kos perhaps, thought "a leader like Obama") in there, then we didn't need to have people paying attention.
Well, as Wes's campaign song would have said "There ain't no easy way out."
If we want to fix this country, we have to start at the very bottom. We have to make people pay attention and think. We can have a leader, like Wes, who helps us bring that change about, but we can't just install him as President and forget about getting people to pay attention and think.
What happens if you take the shortcut? Well, either you try and fail with the shortcut, as we have with Wes, because without an electorate who thinks we can't get someone like Wes elected, and, even if we did get him elected, he'd still be subject to nonsense like what happened to Bill Clinton (no, Wes wouldn't do that, but don't kid yourselves, they'd find anything, as we've now seen). The other option is to put up someone who can get elected, but, then, they're so flawed, that we're screwed anyway.
Nope, if there's anything this last week has taught me, it's that we need a populace that pays attention and thinks. There ain't no easy way out.
Now, how do we go about doing this the hard way, the right way?
We learn. We change. That's progress. If we don't do that, well, we're GWB.
But a vital one.
I think it starts with early education and critical thinking skills (KathyB has more on this one- she taught this)
It can't be robustly done without without ground up Media reform which requires legislation and that in turn requires a Congress with balls... so therein lies part of the conundrum!
Additionally we would benefit from getting the nation off of drugs (Ritalyn, Prozak, Zanex, etc) and off of mindless electronic diversions that act like drugs. But that then would require a Congress that was not beholden to Big Pharma and abandoning President Bush's executive order for mandatory mental health screenings in our schools, with those not "passing" -- early trial's testing showed upwards of 70% didn't-- being required to take prescription drugs. Supplied by Eli Lily. Of Texas.
Somehow - I personally think it begins with the ability to get back to having REAL elections so that REAL representatives of the people are put into office. Combine that (meaningful election reform) with campaign finance reform and you've got a shot at getting some of this stuff drafted and passed legislatively. By ELECTED officials who represent their constituencies. (what an idea!) You've got a shot at having separate branches of government, hey! Kinda like the Constitution spelled out! And you've got a shot at having a Congress that serves as a watchdog for the other branches instead of a sick puppy that rolls over when it's belly is rubbed.
All that seems like it will take a lotta work that will take a lotta time -- and it would have to be spearheaded, directed and encouraged by a real... (sigh) World Class Leader.
Know any? :(
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/15998
The traditional way to support Wes. :)
and Wes told us to support him how ever we felt comfortable in doing so.......or something similar to that. For some, it meant no support, nada, nothing; some pledged their GE Vote (which should not be taken lightly) and for the remainder they donated dollars, worked their states, and worked directly for K. It was similar in the primaries when he endorsed Senator Clinton.
Only you can decide what's best for you. I presently plan on working the bottom of the ticket to help get and hold seats in the house and senate. We will also donate to WesPac to help Wes, if he chooses to support other dems in local elections.
We've given up on presidential politics. The only thing I can hope for is that no matter who wins, the house and senate will be strong enough to keep them in check. We've supported locals in the past only to discover they caved when it counted. So, one never knows when you cast your ballot if they will STICK with what was promised in the end, the will of the people.
We also plan on covering the General's back when need be by defending him with facts, tho in this day and age, it doesn't really matter what's in black and white. What seems to matter most is the soundbites heard on the MSM, whether true or not or in context.
My family and all who came before me were always democrats. As long as I can remember, as a child, the first question my grandfather would ask me was, "Are you a republican? or a democrat?. It was drummed into my head, to my entire being. I now will no longer to be able to answer that question without having my grandfather spin in his grave. I will now join the ranks of the Independents.