The electors of America put in George W Bush’s place someone promising greater social justice, more compassion, more intelligence and less war. There is great expectation that the corner has been turned.
Everyone in America who wants greater social justice should ask themselves whether they are able to use the opportunity of an Obama presidency to make America a fairer, more just country.
I came of age in the 60’s. There was real hope then and change did happen. But too much of it got smashed. For decades. Now hope has returned.
I was a hippie and sat on Yasgur’s hill for those three days at Woodstock. It was a peak experience of my life and a truly optimistic moment in time. There hasn’t been much optimism or hope around lately. Until now.
Let’s take this moment, use it, and do everything we can to insure there will be many more moments like it to come.
Hey lefties: We can come out of the bunkers now. Really.
What a nauseating puff piece by a supposed “socialist.” I’m afraid that for those on the far left Obama is simply the lesser evil.
I hope your right, Bob, but I don’t have that confidence. Check back with me in a hundred days.
Goodness, one should never have hope. You’re absolutely right. Instead, we should retreat into the usual more-left-than-thou enclaves and assume that change is impossible.
Then wonder why people ignore us.
To keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result is said to be one of the signs of insanity. You, like this country keep voting in a new leader and expect something different. The system stays the same, the name on the package has changed. Thatcherism, Blairism and so it goes on the power never shifts.
Do I expect radical change? Hardly. But as someone said about year six into Bush’s regime, does anyone now still think, like Ralph Nader said, that Al Gore as president would have been the same as George Bush?
[Sigh] Yes, Bob, I admit that Al Gore would have been a lesser evil than George Bush, but if you keep settling for lesser evil, than it’s still evil that you get stuck with.
And considering how much support Obama’s new cabinet had for Bush’s policies, I’m not sure that the difference is too obvious.
When choosing the lessor of evil, evil is never-the-less chosen.
But by refusing to participate, as some ultra-lefties are doing, not only do they not get a chance to influence the outcome, the decision will be made any way.
This is just another example of the endless debate of liberals vs. radicals, socialists vs. communists, realos vs. fundies (Green Party term) about whether it’s better to make a stand on a principle and avoid the possibility of being co-opted or get involved in the process, realizing that could happen.
“liberals vs. radicals, socialists vs. communists, realos vs. fundies” doesn’t work anymore.
I meant it in terms of that endless debate about whether to go for incremental gains or to organize for sudden, massive change.
What lefties need is someone who can restore honor and dignity to the office, a real uniter not a divider, somebody you just really want to have a beer with. I am of course referring to Vladimir Putin.
Given the choice between two evils you still choose evil and that makes the assumption that there is not another choice somewhere, however if we look for the alternative I’m sure we can find it and it doesn’t need to have evil as a component.