Moving past or obsession with politics...?

sweetpotatosweetpotato Posts: 1,278
edited November 2008 in A Moving Train
But, whatever will we DO with ourselves??


From a blog entry on DailyKos:

"This is an email Andrew Sullivan reprinted from a reader...:

'...one of the pleasures of the week is that it holds out the promise of not having to be obsessed with politics. It is unnatural, it seems to me, to have to care passionately every day about the workings of the central government: only in totalitarian societies, where a knock on the door may come at any time, or in authoritarian ones, where each sneeze of the King has to be analyzed for its potential consequence, does there exist a need to keep the government of the country forever in the forefront of your mind.

One of the blessings of liberal democracy, in theory, is that we delegate the common fate to the most able, intelligent and motivated people among us, and, though we keep an eye on them and make them subject to recall and revision, we can cede our trust to them to do a more or less decent and able job most of the time. We trust them. For the first time in years, we can say now: the government is in the hands of skillful people with a sense of the real; we can live the lives in front of our eyes without worrying that some horror is happening behind our backs. It would be a mistake, I think, for us all to carry on past the election and into the New Year with the same level of obsessive attention that this year, and the years before, have forced on us. Good government gives us back our lives.'

Except for wanting to pay close attention as Obama declares we will not torture, when he closes Gitmo and calls off renditions...except those hallmark moments I know are coming, I wouldn't mind being less obsessed and more trusting that someone competent and honest is finally in the White House."


Sounds good to me, but I know there'll be alot of bored, frustrated folks here on the ol' MT just making shit up, to remind themselves that they're still alive. Ah, well. Que sera, sera. :)
"Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Barack Obama."

"Obama's main opponent in this election on November 4th (was) not John McCain, it (was) ignorance."~Michael Moore

"i'm feeling kinda righteous right now. with my badass motherfuckin' ukulele!"
~ed, 8/7
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    But we don't delegate to the most able among us.

    We delegate to the most ambitious, most electable, best sales people.


    Being confident and hopeful... absolutely... Trust... never.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • Why is it that when people want to say the new administration is super happy wonderful, we should take them at their word and smile, but when people question Obama and co, we have to wait till they're in office to do so?
    Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
  • Why is it that when people want to say the new administration is super happy wonderful, we should take them at their word and smile, but when people question Obama and co, we have to wait till they're in office to do so?


    blind partisanship...

    there's some sheep factor in there as well. ;)
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

    http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

    (\__/)
    ( o.O)
    (")_(")
  • El_KabongEl_Kabong Posts: 4,141
    But, whatever will we DO with ourselves??


    From a blog entry on DailyKos:

    "This is an email Andrew Sullivan reprinted from a reader...:

    '...one of the pleasures of the week is that it holds out the promise of not having to be obsessed with politics. It is unnatural, it seems to me, to have to care passionately every day about the workings of the central government: only in totalitarian societies, where a knock on the door may come at any time, or in authoritarian ones, where each sneeze of the King has to be analyzed for its potential consequence, does there exist a need to keep the government of the country forever in the forefront of your mind.

    One of the blessings of liberal democracy, in theory, is that we delegate the common fate to the most able, intelligent and motivated people among us, and, though we keep an eye on them and make them subject to recall and revision, we can cede our trust to them to do a more or less decent and able job most of the time. We trust them. For the first time in years, we can say now: the government is in the hands of skillful people with a sense of the real; we can live the lives in front of our eyes without worrying that some horror is happening behind our backs. It would be a mistake, I think, for us all to carry on past the election and into the New Year with the same level of obsessive attention that this year, and the years before, have forced on us. Good government gives us back our lives.'

    Except for wanting to pay close attention as Obama declares we will not torture, when he closes Gitmo and calls off renditions...except those hallmark moments I know are coming, I wouldn't mind being less obsessed and more trusting that someone competent and honest is finally in the White House."


    Sounds good to me, but I know there'll be alot of bored, frustrated folks here on the ol' MT just making shit up, to remind themselves that they're still alive. Ah, well. Que sera, sera. :)


    so, in other words let's just ignore what goes on b/c a democrat is in office?
    standin above the crowd
    he had a voice that was strong and loud and
    i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
    eager to identify with
    someone above the crowd
    someone who seemed to feel the same
    someone prepared to lead the way
  • El_KabongEl_Kabong Posts: 4,141
    Why is it that when people want to say the new administration is super happy wonderful, we should take them at their word and smile, but when people question Obama and co, we have to wait till they're in office to do so?


    lmfao
    standin above the crowd
    he had a voice that was strong and loud and
    i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
    eager to identify with
    someone above the crowd
    someone who seemed to feel the same
    someone prepared to lead the way
  • MattyJoeMattyJoe Posts: 1,424
    The American public only cares about the government at election time, and in time of crisis. In this case, this election boasted both criteria so it was intense. At this point, people will stop caring again. This has always been the nature of our political culture, as observed by William Lippman.
    I pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely, its ability to act tempered by prudence, and its willingness to do good, balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
    -Reagan
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    MattyJoe wrote:
    The American public only cares about the government at election time, and in time of crisis. In this case, this election boasted both criteria so it was intense. At this point, people will stop caring again. This has always been the nature of our political culture, as observed by William Lippman.


    We'll see, I agree there will be a level of apathy, but it is sort of a seachange moment. I wonder if people who previously felt there was no point in voting that it didn't matter may now pay more attention. It's just kind of sad that people only seem to care about the presidency.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • Seems like now is exactly the time we should be paying the most attention.

    We haven't stopped being at war, the economy hasn't stopped falling apart, and so on and so forth...

    ...yet, of course, people will begin to withdraw from politics now that the election is done.
  • jeffbrjeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    Seems like now is exactly the time we should be paying the most attention.

    We haven't stopped being at war, the economy hasn't stopped falling apart, and so on and so forth...

    ...yet, of course, people will begin to withdraw from politics now that the election is done.

    I completely agree with you.

    And how strange that a blogger on the DailyKOS would write something like that. It is also strange that the OP, being a KOS, Huffingtonpost & alternet junkie would seem to think the idea had any merit.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
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