For a short time – mostly during the primaries – I was under the sway of Obama’s rhetoric, and mostly ignored those instances where he moved towards the center. I justified things like his support of FISA and gun rights as his pandering to the right in order to get votes, under the assumption that he would show a leftist face behind a centrist mask once he was elected.
I acknowledge now that I cannot pin all my hopes on that expectation, nor on one man, since unlike Bush thinks, the POTUS is not an all-powerful dictator. Thus he alone does not have the power to institute the kind of “CHANGE” that he preaches. You’ll notice that in my endorsement of Obama, I recognize that I am voting more for an ideal than for a man. I have become skeptical of Obama in recent weeks, but I will still vote for him as the best viable option, since third party candidates – by virtue of their non-presence in the mass media – have no chance in hell.
It is my wish, though, to start some kind of accountability movement – a conceivable slogan being “We Voted For You, Now Listen To Us”. But how exactly does one go about starting such a movement? There are so many millions of people in this country, and most are predisposed to maintaining the status quo, even where it clearly is in their best interests to change things. I suspect most people don’t know the power we have as a citizenry, and those amongst us who do, are either too lazy or “don’t have time” to do anything substantial.
I subscribe to a fair amount of newsletters and blogs, like Taxpayers for Common Sense, Project on Government Oversight, Corpwatch, and others, but while they keep me apprised of what’s happening in government, they don’t really tell me what I can or am supposed to do about it, other than to donate and keep their sites running.
The internet has given even the average joe the unprecedented ability to mass-communicate, but at the same time it has lessened the impact of every message put out there for that same reason. Why should anyone listen to Average Joe? He might be just another “liberal” or “right-wing” crack-job.
So what’s to get anyone to listen to me or any organization I create? Those of us who have the desire to move, to hold an Obama (or god forbid McCain) Presidency accountable to all the campaign rhetoric and likely-empty promises are few and far between. What is their incentive to mobilize, aside from the infeasible prospect of actually having an impact? And how do we even go about doing so in any meaningful way?
I think this is the problem that a lot of would-be activists face – or maybe I’m just speaking for myself. I look at a guy like Dennis Kucinich, who aligns with me on nearly every issue, who is actually IN the House and thus should have their ears, but even he is mostly ineffectual in bringing about any real change. So what are the rest of us – who have much smaller voices – to do?
Andrew Gebhardt of Counterpunch, who in a recent post mentioned the same kind of progressive action I’d like to initiate, responded to my question personally by suggesting I get involved with any number of grassroots community groups particular to the issue or issues I care most about. While I think this would give me some sense of purpose or of making even a small difference, it is not a small difference that I wish to make.
Furthermore, while I recognize the differences made “on the ground” by various organizations, it is pushing for action by people “on the hill” that interests me. I can’t help but feel that no matter what actions we take on a local or smaller level, those efforts stand to be undermined by the sweeping policies of those in Washington. For example, joining a pro-choice group to help escort women safely across angry picket lines would instantly become meaningless if Roe v. Wade was overturned.
I want to do more. I know there are others like me out there, but I have no idea how to reach out to them, or how to get them to unite for this particular cause. For now I wait with bated breath for the outcome of tomorrow’s election. I am certain I will have more to say on Wednesday, pending the results.
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