Thursday, July 29, 2004
The More They Talk...
I'll admit it. I've been so glued to the TV in the past couple days, it's just disgusting. I blame it almost entirely on the the Democratic National Convention. If you listen or watch long enough, politics sucks you in and makes you miserably, willingly and so unwillingly, come back for more. This year, more than ever, I've deluded myself into falling into the trap that is politics. Maybe it's because I was in Iowa for the nation's first caucuses where I got see all the major candidates up close and personal, immerse myself in campaign-talk, and even shake good ol' Edwards' hand twice. Or maybe it's because, with age, I've become more aware of all this stuff. Or maybe I'm just so concerned about how this country seems to become more divided and the world a crazier place each day that I can't help but cling onto the sofa desperately and fix my eyes on the TV till the news announces some dramatic change of events for the better.
So I've been watching, a lot, and you'd think that I'd actually enjoy it, but it really hasn't been all that fun. I've always thought that something about politics didn't quite add up for me, and this convention seems to underscore all that. For a person who's so looking forward to some change, some optimism, and some genuinely good leadership in this country, you'd think that all the ra-ra-ra speeches at the convention would get my booty off that couch and cheering like a political cheerleader, but they haven't at all.
The one thing that keeps running through my mind is how fake everything in politics can be. Sure, I've heard wonderful speeches, full of wonderful ideas, but they're just words, words, words. Words can be so empty. Politicians talk too much. I want to see some action, dammit! You tell me you're going to fight for better healthcare and reduce socioeconomic and racial inequality in America? Well, come on, Kerry you've been in office for how many years?! Even Edwards spent some time in the senate -- but how much does he have to show for it? What I'm trying to say is, you don't need to be a President or Vice President to make a difference. Having the power of a Senator in the US Congress should give people a lot to work with, but I wonder how much it really has...?
I'm tired of all the talk. It's not easy to make a difference, but if there is a will there is a way. We all saw how a bombastic piece of legislation like the Patriot Act got through Congress in no time. Surely there was an urgency and timeliness to the issues it addressed. But what about healthcare, and poverty, unemployment, and equal opportunity? Aren't these issues pressing as well? How long have we been clamoring about them, and how long have politicians been making us empty promises about healthcare and jobs? Does the horror of millions of people living without money to buy food, medication, or necessary trips to the doctor in a country where you need big bucks to afford a decent quality of life not provide enough of an urgency to take decisive action on the matter? In my opinion, it provides more urgency than we should have ever waited for. Senators Kerry and Edwards, if this is important enough as you assert, then why not champion the cause in Congress? Raise hell! Pass that bill and those benefits like millions of people's lives depend on it... because they do.
So I'm tired of all the talk. I'm also tired of how politics seems like more of an overly-rehearsed show than the genuine high-flying passion that's supposed to underlie the democratic process of fighting for causes and changes. Ideas and messages are reduced to catchy little soundbytes. "Hope is on the way," "We can do better," "Stronger at home, respected in the world." They're nice, and they work, but to me they just reek of hours of polling, strategizing, researching, and calculated marketing. To hear Edwards say "hope is on the way" during his speech could have been inspiring. It is a great message. It would have been even better knowing it came from him--he came up with it, wrote it, and was presenting it as his own words. But that was not the case. When Edwards started to recite "hope is on the way" tonight, thousands of "hope is on the way" signs decorated the audience. *Sigh* it was all planned ahead of time. That line was inserted into his speech and coordinated with the event planners so they could create thousands of matching signs well in advance...
People, people, people, you might think this is silly and I'm totally over-reacting, but I don't... I saw this in Iowa on campaign trail, and I'm seeing this now again. Where's the charisma, the spontaneity, the uniqueness? They're taking our democracy and selling it to us like a cheap Wal-Mart product. Pre-planned ideas, consumer tested messaging, professionally stylized. I can't expect everyone to agree with me on this one, and I'll respect your opinion if you respect mine. But maybe you will also wake up one day and feel a little ripped off...
So I've been watching, a lot, and you'd think that I'd actually enjoy it, but it really hasn't been all that fun. I've always thought that something about politics didn't quite add up for me, and this convention seems to underscore all that. For a person who's so looking forward to some change, some optimism, and some genuinely good leadership in this country, you'd think that all the ra-ra-ra speeches at the convention would get my booty off that couch and cheering like a political cheerleader, but they haven't at all.
The one thing that keeps running through my mind is how fake everything in politics can be. Sure, I've heard wonderful speeches, full of wonderful ideas, but they're just words, words, words. Words can be so empty. Politicians talk too much. I want to see some action, dammit! You tell me you're going to fight for better healthcare and reduce socioeconomic and racial inequality in America? Well, come on, Kerry you've been in office for how many years?! Even Edwards spent some time in the senate -- but how much does he have to show for it? What I'm trying to say is, you don't need to be a President or Vice President to make a difference. Having the power of a Senator in the US Congress should give people a lot to work with, but I wonder how much it really has...?
I'm tired of all the talk. It's not easy to make a difference, but if there is a will there is a way. We all saw how a bombastic piece of legislation like the Patriot Act got through Congress in no time. Surely there was an urgency and timeliness to the issues it addressed. But what about healthcare, and poverty, unemployment, and equal opportunity? Aren't these issues pressing as well? How long have we been clamoring about them, and how long have politicians been making us empty promises about healthcare and jobs? Does the horror of millions of people living without money to buy food, medication, or necessary trips to the doctor in a country where you need big bucks to afford a decent quality of life not provide enough of an urgency to take decisive action on the matter? In my opinion, it provides more urgency than we should have ever waited for. Senators Kerry and Edwards, if this is important enough as you assert, then why not champion the cause in Congress? Raise hell! Pass that bill and those benefits like millions of people's lives depend on it... because they do.
So I'm tired of all the talk. I'm also tired of how politics seems like more of an overly-rehearsed show than the genuine high-flying passion that's supposed to underlie the democratic process of fighting for causes and changes. Ideas and messages are reduced to catchy little soundbytes. "Hope is on the way," "We can do better," "Stronger at home, respected in the world." They're nice, and they work, but to me they just reek of hours of polling, strategizing, researching, and calculated marketing. To hear Edwards say "hope is on the way" during his speech could have been inspiring. It is a great message. It would have been even better knowing it came from him--he came up with it, wrote it, and was presenting it as his own words. But that was not the case. When Edwards started to recite "hope is on the way" tonight, thousands of "hope is on the way" signs decorated the audience. *Sigh* it was all planned ahead of time. That line was inserted into his speech and coordinated with the event planners so they could create thousands of matching signs well in advance...
People, people, people, you might think this is silly and I'm totally over-reacting, but I don't... I saw this in Iowa on campaign trail, and I'm seeing this now again. Where's the charisma, the spontaneity, the uniqueness? They're taking our democracy and selling it to us like a cheap Wal-Mart product. Pre-planned ideas, consumer tested messaging, professionally stylized. I can't expect everyone to agree with me on this one, and I'll respect your opinion if you respect mine. But maybe you will also wake up one day and feel a little ripped off...
