Don't run around blaming the voters or the machinations of evil Republican honcho's.
We lost.
Lets move on.
What will the results be?
New Supreme Court?
No more Abortions for anyone?
The Environment destroyed?
Old Growth Forests burned, chopped up, and sold?
Oil slicks lining most of Alaska's coast as oil money lines the pockets of the politicians?
The Ten Commandments enforced on the court house wall?
Prayer not allowed in school, but demanded, regulated, enforced?
The word Moderate becoming as evil as the word Liberal has become?
Wrong.
None of this will happen until we surrender, or run away, or insult those good people who voted differently from us.
Most people don't want those things to happen. Most people are sick of Haliburton's cheating ways and the Insurance Companies sacking of the medical industry. Most people want a more moderate path.
Now that Bush, who no longer is restrained by his need to be reelected, has total control, the country will see what he truly wants to do, and how moderate, or dangerous, he is.
We have learned much in this election.
We have learned tactics that we do not want to use, so we must disarm them by outting them.
A big enough lie told often enough and loud enough will eventually be believed. This is the cornerstone of Propaganda. This is the cornerstone of much of the political ads we heard.
It can be defeated by truth told loudly and big enough, as long as the truth is simple. "Kerry is not strong enough to fight the terror" can not be defeated by the scream "Yes I Am." It can only be defeated by the scream, "Bush is in charge and the terror thrives!" or "Strength is fine, brains are better."
Fear sells.
Not just fear of terror attacks, but fear of the different, the unusual, the gay or the black or the minority next door, the non-Christian, the stranger.
Laugh at the fear. Belittle the foe, and the idea that we need to cower from it.
Beware the Spin Lords.
Not Spin Doctors, but lords, kings, spin Emporers. In this information age, those who use Information the best are those who build empires. Find those people and expose them. Find their methods and counter them. Find their faults and expose them.
Factcheck.org and other sites, purely neutral, are a great asset in fighting thier ideas and thier lies.
There is more we have learned, but we must now fight harder than ever to put it in place.
We don't want to build a secret liberal world. We want a moderate, sane, American Democracy.
It is not impossible.
I am reminded about something RR Martin wrote, though I can't quote it exactly. It was a riddle.
A king, a General, a Merchant and a Bishop were sitting in a room, all unarmed. In the center stood one lone soldier with his sword.
The King said, "YOur country demands you slay the others."
The General said, "I order you to kill the others."
The Merchant said, "I have a ton of gold for you if you kill the others."
The Bishop said, "God commands you to kill the others."
Who does the soldier kill? Who has the power?
The answer is, whoever the soldier believes has the power, even if its just himself.
I look at this last election and I see a similar scenario. The politician is the one in the center. Surrounding him is the voter, but his power only comes with masses. There is the merchants with their cash. There are the special interest groups with their promises. There are the non-elected party planners with their schemes and dirty tricks.
Each demands total obiediance from the politician.
Each claim to have the true power.
The truth is, the only one with the power is whoever the politician believes has the power.
We have to make them believe that we, and our ideals, have that power.
Now wipe up those tears, quit your complaining and get to work.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Nice post, Dan
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Dan, I like you more and more daily. Thanks for the boost.
space opera
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Nice post, as usual..
Kwea
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
I liked the post, Dan. Very positive!
But a question:
quote:Who does the soldier kill? Who has the power?
The answer is, whoever the soldier believes has the power, even if its just himself.
(The soldier should maybe kill himself? I take it I have to be reading this wrong.)
Cheers!
Posted by Uhleeuh (Member # 6803) on :
Thank you, that was the most encouraging thing I've read/heard all day.
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
The alliances that mean something now are with people who may have voted for George Bush but who don't blindly accept whatever the Bush administration says. There are people who value what is good for this country over partisan loyalty. There are people who place principle over party.
If you focus on principle, if you focus on reason, these people will work with you. If you scream and threaten and complain like children, if spin and deception are your tools, these people will ignore you. No matter if the people in charge and many of the people who put them there don't want unity, there are many who do.
From the play Galileo
quote:-Pity the land that has no hero. -No. Pity the land that needs a hero.
American doesn't need a hero to preserve her. She's needs a bunch of people on both sides who are willing to act like adults.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
I must admit I was inspired by Edward's concession speach I heard while at lunch.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Great post Dan.
Haven't we tried to get you to run for office before?
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Sara - Dan means that the soldier might think he is the one with the power.
[ November 03, 2004, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: Leonide ]
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Isn't the soldier supposed to kill the one with the power? (I'm not familiar with the reference.)
Or wait -- is it that the soldier is supposed to kill whomever the person with the power tells him to kill? Which would mean that he should kill whomever he wants to, since he is the one with the power.
(Still doesn't sound like I'm reading this right. But regardless, a rousing sort of piece.)
[ November 03, 2004, 05:23 PM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I need a thread to post this and it has nothing to do with anything but I that "Demlicans" and "Republocrats" were funny names for a party.
Carry on...
Posted by Bean Counter (Member # 6001) on :
It seems to me that Dan is full of himself as are most on the left.
Cock-a-doddle-doo!!
It is the right which hunkered down beneath the long assault on character filled with wild accusations and shrill propaganda, they hunkered down and waited, then they voted.
Then you lost. BC
Posted by Sean (Member # 689) on :
Heh. I was so close to posting about how impressed I was with the restraint people were showing in victory too. Oh well.
Sara - Replace "Who does the soldier kill?" with "Who does the soldier obey?" in that story and the intended meaning is a bit clearer, I think.
Posted by Defenestraitor (Member # 6907) on :
Dan, you just made my day. Great philosophy. Thank you!
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Inspiring.
[Thanks, Sean. I think this was obvious to everyone but me -- it was a rough day. ]
[ November 03, 2004, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
Yep. There were no lies or attacks on characters from the Republicans, nor was there any propaganda from them, at all.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Well, you know, some things you just ignore.
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
quote:We don't want to build a secret liberal world. We want a moderate, sane, American Democracy.
Amen, Dan.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Bean, it seems to me you need to reconsider your argument.
I purposefully made my aqusations party neutral.
I did not say, "The Republican's did this and the Democrats did not."
You spun my thread in your own mind to make it seem as if I did.
Posted by Defenestraitor (Member # 6907) on :
Dan, you just topped yourself. Thank you.
Posted by Lost Ashes (Member # 6745) on :
Well said, and later, well-handled, Dan.
Better ways lead to better days.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Ahhhhh, Dan . . . you are so succinct. I was thinking similar thoughts, today - get over it and get on with life. Learn and work hard and move on - Posted by J T Stryker (Member # 6300) on :
Dan, you just took what i've been saying all day and made it sound a million times better. Thank you...
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
I'm a centrist, but I'm thinking about joining the Hatrack Secret Liberal Cabal...
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
I just love the title of this thread. Dan, you are a funny -- and wise -- man. Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Dan, have you seen the Flame Warriors site recently? I had somebody on Ornery accuse me of being a Godfather-type just last week, and I wasn't at all sure how to deny it without confirming it. So I had him whacked. j/k
[ November 03, 2004, 11:02 PM: Message edited by: TomDavidson ]
Posted by Princess Leah (Member # 6026) on :
Great post. Much more neutral and clear thinking than I'll ever be. And inspiring. Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
*presses nose with a finger, wink-wink
There is no Godfather. Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
In politics, perception is reality, and negative campaigning and spin work.
Posted by larisse (Member # 2221) on :
I am gonna ditto most of the comments in this thread and say, "Great post, Dan."
And about the godfather thing... I think someone is just hankering for a game of Mafia is all. Admit it.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Ask about my stint as mafia godfather. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Nice handling of BC, too.
Kwea
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
quote: So I had him whacked. j/k
Tom, the fact that you don't using the j/k much anymore and yet you used it here has me greatly concerned. Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
I agree about the j/k.
Tom, please don't dissappoint me again and use j/k.
I like to try to figure out for myself when you're serious and when you're joking. Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
quote: Dan for President!!
*votes*
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Want to do something positive?
Cut and paste what I said and e-mail it to a few friends.
But add this to it as well.
Normally I hate this kind of spam, but I want the word to go out. We ain't crying in our Wheaties this morning. We are smart and we will move on.
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I take it I have to be reading this wrong.)![[Frown]](frown.gif)
But regardless, a rousing sort of piece.)![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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]![[Hail]](graemlins/hail.gif)
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