Enough

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

Abraham Lincoln - The Gettysburg Address

The civil war this time is being fought on the political front. It has already gone on for eight years. And it is once again over the rights of black citizens. A whole group, the GOP, do not believe a black man has the right to be president. And step by step politicians have handicapped the country so nothing has gotten, or can ever, get done again for the good of the people.

Because the politicians involved do not care about the good of the people. They care only about continuing to hold office so they can get supported by lobbyists. Oh, some may care about turning our country into a theocracy.  And a few more want to legislate women back to the days of caves and slavery. The ideal of Hobby Lobby.

BUT nobody cares about the people of this country. No, it is not a democracy any more. I have doubts it ever was. It is now clearly a corporacy. All for the good of the corporations and 1% of the "citizens united" who have moved all their corporations to tax shelters in foreign countries.

I find myself on the eve of this latest election wondering how this country would have looked if we had lost the Civil war. Or if upon winning we had refused to let the south (home of the Tea Party GOP) re-entry into our fragile federation.

I, like so many of my friends, find myself wondering what would it be like if we broke the US (too big to fail?) into five smaller countries. And we all kept our resources and water and politics to ourselves.

Yes, I will vote Tuesday. But, I do not believe in this country any more. I think we are losing this test and this nation will not long endure unless we hold a constitutional convention and change all that is horridly wrong.

One citizen and one vote no longer counts for anything in this country.

Not just about us

One of the greatest things about the Internet and Blogland is the ability to be friends with people from around the world. Since posting my first blog I have gotten to know a lot of people in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

I have been amazed how involved they all are in our elections. And have gotten a chance to exchange opinions with them on world affairs.

Bill is one of my oldest and dearest blog friends and he wrote the following poem for me to post or use as I saw fit to give his view of our election. AND our need to vote. Some countries make voting mandatory and they don't understand our low voter turnout. I don't know that I do either.

Tuesday is our chance to say how we want things to be in the future or just how upset we are with how it is at the moment or has been for the last eight years. It isn't just about us in these times of global connections. I give you Bill from across the sea and his view.

Polling Day

So the choice is yours to select your man
You, just you, are the only one that can
With your vote.

You have shouted and hollered
No one interested, no one bothered
For your vote

You ve been push and pulled, lied to wooed
Cheered and booed.
For your vote

We need a change
We need to fight
With your vote

Right now you have the power
For most, this is your hour
For your vote

Ask not what your country can do for you
Ask what you can do for your country
With your vote

Long remember that man on Earth
Earn his respect and show your worth
As he did with your vote

The choice is yours, don’t cut it fine
Be patient as you wait in line
With your vote

You want a winner?
They don’t come thinner
For your vote

So what can you do for U.S.A.
For Europe and the World
You have the flag of freedom
So let it then unfurl
Look over that horizon
It is your very last chance
Come, join in the party
As to Freedom do we march
Vote Democrat
Vote Obama
We the World need you.
Your vote.

Super Delegates?

Chicago 1968 Democratic Convention

What's that wonderful line? If you can remember the sixties you didn't do them. Well, technically I didn't in that sense. I was this terribly serious student that got involved with the political issues of the time but not the sex, drugs, and rock and roll part. I came very late to that party. So I really remember the 1968 Democratic Convention. The party of inclusion blew it and called out the cops . . . or as we referred to them in those days . . . the pigs.

The end result was long lasting. The Democratic Party ended up deeply divided. Many of us young Democrats defected to the SDS, the Communist party, and later alternatives like the Green party. We are not easy to get back in the fold. I worked for Republican Senator Charles Goodall in the 70's because he was against the war in Vietnam. To this day my party registration depends upon the demographics of where I live. I like to vote in primaries so I register with whatever party gets me the best slate of candidates. Here in northern New Mexico that is Democratic.

But I vote my conscious. Which is a phrase I am sure both the Republicans and Democrats do not like hearing. And I align behind candidates because of issues I am deeply concerned about. Since McCain's stance on illegal immigration effectively nullifies that issue in the Presidential campaign I am in the Democratic camp because of Iraq and the economy and gas company profits.

But I digress. The subject of this blog was to be Super Delegates. After the disastrous 1968 convention and the subsequent lost White House to the Republicans the Democrats, to give them some credit, decided to mend their ways. And that was basically to oust the smoked filled room way of choosing a flag carrier and give more people a voice in picking standard bearer for the party. Ergo our current, and evolving, primary system. Mind you there is nothing in the constitution regarding primaries and they do not have to be democratic, small d. In 1982 the Democrats, capital D, came up with the super delegate concept but it has been largely under the radar until this election.

Last night I tried to explain this to a slightly younger friend of mine who did do the 60's. And is still endowed with that moral outrage that led to the fighting in the streets of Chicago. He wants this whole process to be transparent and democratic, small d. What are super delegates? Personally, I think they are the vestiges of those smoke filled rooms buffed and fluffed to be presentable. Will they ignore the popular vote, elected delegates, states carried, and will of the people? Only if they want 1968 all over again.

And the Democrats have been so great thus far this election. They conducted every primary with paper ballots or machines with a paper trail. The Republicans continued to use the electronic ones with no backup. They have let all the candidates play this out long after it would have once been called up short. And those voting in the primaries have turned out in record (and thus far peaceful) numbers. But as we near the end it is all going back to that smoked filled room of the party bosses - the Super Delegates. The ball is in your court. Are you going to play fair?

My non-political political analysis

The political pundits and talking heads are out in full force giving us their analysis of that the barely two-digit win by Hillary in Pennsylvania means. And blogland is full of finely tuned views too. This is not one of those. This is an artist's view of that this means, so it is very subjective.

One, clearly American Flag lapel pins do not matter (see previous blog), because Hillary has never worn one to my knowledge. Nor does dress for success. Throw that book out because I think she has horrid taste in pant suits. And a woman is suppose to wear a skirt for a job interview.

Two, there was a wide variance between the pre-primary polls which showed the gap being only 5% and the actual vote with 10%. (note: this was way down from the 30% Hillary started with.) But this difference seems to show that once we pull that curtain there are a huge group of white Democrats that are closet racists.

Three, the Hillary camp is probably going to use this little racial blip to say she is the one to go head to head with McCain. But don't buy that, because if the very White Male Democrat is closet racist he is probably also closet sexist (ask his wife and it probably is not that closeted). So when it is Hillary against McCain the white man with the military record will win every time. Just ask the KKK.

Four, and for me this is the really bad news, the old time dirty politics wins. That means the style of campaigns brought to you by Carl Rowe will be up and running in 2008. The Clintons are past masters. So this is the end of substance as we know it. It has been nice to debate some real issues for a change but the last debate proved in conjunction with the outcome of this primary that we are back to such clarifying terms as Flip Flopper.

Nothing is going to change. Hope is dead. Time to start meeting in back rooms and cellars and plan the revolution. Democracy was a nice experiment but it did not work. It can be purchased.

What we need is a new political party

And why do they call them parties? They aren't any fun. Political parties that is. I have been a registered Democrat since returning to the state of New Mexico. I did that because frankly that is the only way to have a choice during the primaries.

But I once worked for a Republican Senator. Senator Charles Goodall of New York. He and Senator Jacob Javits had sponsored the amendment to end the war in Vietnam. And the last election I voted for Democrats in hopes that it would get us closer to getting out of Iraq. So I was wrong. This election we are moving toward I rather like the Republican stance on illegal immigration (less the President's desires).

I am for the rule of law, against the illegal invasion of another country, for the environment, against "free" trade because it costs us too much, against the North American Union unless it is just Canada and the USA, against teaching for the test, for universal health care . . .

I could go on but basically I find myself split between two parties and not happy with either. I am considering changing my voter registration to independent but that opts me out of voting in the primary in this state. And besides there is no viable third party in this country.

I occurs to me that perhaps we have grown out of the need for parties. They only increase the graft and corruption. And maybe there ought to be a third option on every slate of candidates: None of the above. If someone does not get enough votes than obviously the public does not want them at all. And maybe the things congress does not pass within a set limit of time ought to be remanded to a public referendum. About the only way we will get campaign reform done and reduce the power of big lobbies. And I frankly like the parliamentary option of being able to call an election when the public has lost confidence in their leader. Bush would have been gone years ago.

Maybe it is not time for a new party but time for no parties. Let's get down to serious business and reform our democracy before it is completely stolen from us