Can We Change Politics in America?
As the presidential race unfolds, it seems more and more difficult for the corporate media, party bosses and special interests to allow a new kind of politic to take hold in America. The cynical and vicious attacks of the Clinton machine against Barack Obama are all around us. While Clinton runs the "3am phone call" television ad, questioning Obama's "readiness", Fox News and CNN show a sermon Obama's pastor gave in Chicago years ago as justification to question the sincerity of his unity message. Geraldine Ferraro (a key member of the Democratic Party establishment) states publicly that Obama wouldn't be leading the presidential race if he weren't African American. And a talk radio host provocatively calls Obama by his middle-name (Hussein) just minutes before introducing John McCain to speak at a Republican rally.
In spite of the venomous dialect we take for political discourse in America, Obama has remained true to his message. "This campaign is about bringing Americans together, not driving them apart." And the fact is, only by bringing America together can we move this country in a progressive direction. The divisive strategies of the last two presidencies have polarized our nation and allowed the agenda to move further and further to the right. While the masses of us without power are busy fighting with each other, the political elite triangulates, wages war and drives the American economy into recession.
Most Americans agree on ending the war in Iraq and supporting universal health care, (and many other major issues of the day), though we may have disagreements on how to get there. But disagreement, and our ability to work together despite our differences, is what made America such a progressive and democratic nation.
Partisan warfare -- which was cultivated as a tool of political statecraft under the Clinton administration and perfected into a full frontal assault on our democracy under the Bush presidency -- continues to engulf and paralyze our nation.
Clearly neither the Republicans nor the Republican-lites (Bill & Hillary Clinton) are interested in building a progressive society. Yet America cries out for unity and progress. Only a movement -- independent of the special interests and party establishments and built from the bottom up -- can move America forward by challenging the clever yet cynical strategy of hyper-partisanship and division.
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Jim Mangia is a founder of IndependentMovement.Org, the Chair of IndependentVoice.Org, and the CEO of St. John's Well Child and Family Center. Jim has been a leader in the independent movement for over 25 years, and served as the National Secretary of the Reform Party from 1994-2000.
In spite of the venomous dialect we take for political discourse in America, Obama has remained true to his message. "This campaign is about bringing Americans together, not driving them apart." And the fact is, only by bringing America together can we move this country in a progressive direction. The divisive strategies of the last two presidencies have polarized our nation and allowed the agenda to move further and further to the right. While the masses of us without power are busy fighting with each other, the political elite triangulates, wages war and drives the American economy into recession.
Most Americans agree on ending the war in Iraq and supporting universal health care, (and many other major issues of the day), though we may have disagreements on how to get there. But disagreement, and our ability to work together despite our differences, is what made America such a progressive and democratic nation.
Partisan warfare -- which was cultivated as a tool of political statecraft under the Clinton administration and perfected into a full frontal assault on our democracy under the Bush presidency -- continues to engulf and paralyze our nation.
Clearly neither the Republicans nor the Republican-lites (Bill & Hillary Clinton) are interested in building a progressive society. Yet America cries out for unity and progress. Only a movement -- independent of the special interests and party establishments and built from the bottom up -- can move America forward by challenging the clever yet cynical strategy of hyper-partisanship and division.
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Jim Mangia is a founder of IndependentMovement.Org, the Chair of IndependentVoice.Org, and the CEO of St. John's Well Child and Family Center. Jim has been a leader in the independent movement for over 25 years, and served as the National Secretary of the Reform Party from 1994-2000.
C'mon, "Republicans and Republican lites"? Clintons are so far from republican as is McCain. And certainly the Dems are as much to blame for disunity as anyone. Disagreements? Yes we will have them and they are good for the country, but the Party elites need to know that the people are in charge as they wrestle to take our liberties away from us. O'Bama is as divisional as the rest of them. His history is of elitism. His voting record is nearly non existent, His message is admittedly wonderful and inspiring, but idealistic.
There are very hard decisions to be made here to undo a gradual change which has occurred over a long period of time. We have strayed dramatically form the constitutional issues and allowed more power to the federal government. An independent candidate would be interested most in restoring the will of the people by moving the power back into the states hands and reducing the size of the federal government. This will take true leadership, and I don't see anyone right now who displays that level of character.
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Partisan entries don't lead us to the core of the independent movement. The discussion takes focus away from the real threat - special interests, lobbyists and corruption.
If we review voting records and campaign donations, it becomes crystal clear that very few in Congress are not controlled by lobbyists & special interests.
Barack Obama is no exception.
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When a single party controls all three branches of government, the Constitution is at risk. For the first years of the Bush administration there was no Congressional oversight, no checks and balances, and an imperial President who was above the law.
A good way to break the monopoly of the two party system would be to make Instant Runoff Voting a requirement for all elections. This would make a multi-party system allowable. Third parties would not be spoilers.
http://www.seconnecticut.com/elections.htm
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I might quibble with the tone of the statement that "the political elite triangulates, wages war and drives the American economy into recession.". I might call the ruling clique the "fincancial elitists". Who have no loyalty to any nation or constitution, only to Lord Dollar. The writer's implication is that "driving the US economy towards recession" is an intential design. I would hold it is merely the result of $-elitists' Midas mentality. That such consequences might affect others I would guess is no concern of theirs. They have the ill-gotten wherewithal to ride out such trivia as "costs of living". As well as an entire, spineless suck-up of a media to cover for them, blame the proper victims, obfuscate, generate fear & loathing for any who might question the deep sincerity of their black hearts. They do not "intentionally" inflict recessionary consequences, I would say, but rather they are borderline sociopaths, if on the far side of the border. --Well, ok, I said "Black Hearts", & probably it is only "Grey Hearts". Since finacial elitists are not responsible for items left in the constitution, it is of little importance whether they may have actual good intentions or ill. They are probably very nice people, in person. Just dangerously wrong people to trust for getting us out of their mega-messes, much less those resulting of our own less-than-adequately-rational understandings. With a media not in thrall to the thrilling promise of getting an invite to King George's court, regular Americans could have all the sense it takes to get policy choices right. ("Could have", because without actual true factal info, no mind can chose well.) I want to be proud of my countrymen & women like that again! The order is TALL, ---but, by dog, we're TALLER! We're AMERICANS!
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