America needs Hope. Pundits and voters are debating the validity of Hope and continue to underestimate the importance of inspiration and honesty.
The last eight years under this administration have piled up until the tension seems nearly unbearable. This diary attempts to explain why Hope is a powerful tool and not a naive delusion.
When Texas Governor Ann Richards was defeated by a privileged, squinty eyed, dummy, state Democrats were flabbergasted. And then the GOP-Bush-Rove machine rolled over what was left of our party and dream until we were completely deflated.
We tried to warn you in 2000 when Bush ran as the education president but frankly, this nation does not offer much credence to Texas Democrats. That's a real shame because we are a feisty bunch that tend to call it like it is.
And then we watched it happen to you. You got rolled over too. And then the world. And we realized it was not because we were weak. It was because they were strong. And organized. Very, very organized.
More below the fold.....
When Bush and Rove took over as Texas Governor they put a slash and burn set of policies in motion.
I call this The 3-D Strategy: Divide, Deceive, Dismay.
Divide: In a flurry of executive, legislative, and political actions they attack every single front of the progressive movement. Grant money is reorganized, budgets for social services are cut, environmental rules and judicial policies are bent, and every non-profit within striking distance is scrambling for support. It becomes impossible to pay close attention to multiple issues. Funds become more competitive. Activists are divided into fiercely defending a single cause. People are prone to become overwhelmed and check out.
Deceive: Completely, shamelessly tell the boldest, loudest lie to grab the headline. Tell that lie over and over until a majority of people have heard it. A tiny number of people will catch the correction, but they will appear to be wacko trying to get others to believe the truth. Add an additional layer of executive privilege, barriers to information, restrictions on what government employees can say, and make it almost impossible to document the facts until you have an amazing aura of deception.
Dismay: Having divided and deceived a majority of thoughtful people certainly leads to despair. Add the overall effect of their corporate friendly-consumer devastating policies and worrying becomes a the norm. It is easy to lose faith in seeking a solution, particularly if you are worried about your mortgage, lost your health care, and the cost of gas and food is rising.
For quite some time Texas Democrats have carried a shame in their hearts for losing first to this administration. We were slammed down with such force and lost in despair it's no wonder the national Democrats have such low expectations for Texas. We are still standing, but it was a stunning blow.
The opposite of the 3-D's of Doom are Unity, Honesty, and Hope.
With Hope we begin to expect transparency from our elected officials. Americans know we have been deceived, even if we do not agree on exactly how. Taking in the full frontal view of these incredible deceptions will take some time and courage. We must be honest with ourselves as well as others. Through this honesty and courage we will come together again. This is how we change the world and make things better.
There is Hope in both camps of the Democratic candidates.
I know a lot of Hillary supporters who hope to elect the first female US President. They have been waiting to do this for a very long time and they hope she wins the nomination. I do not think they hoped to be scrambling to gain delegates and positioning to take control of the national convention in order to win.
The Clinton campaign has failed miserably at transparency. They have failed over and over to be honest, even with themselves. Fragile hope and lack of honesty have little chance of creating unity. One has to wonder: What is the Clinton campaign hoping for now?
I see a much stronger sense of hope in the Obama camp. He has bolstered this with transparency and courage. Addressing race, religion, silly pictures, and releasing tax records have been bold changes in the way our political business has been done in recent years. The Obama campaign has built a dynamic field operation, redefined cyber campaigns, mobilized millions of voters, and is funded by a network of millions of micro-donors - all hopeful. Young, old, people of all races and religions, soldiers and mothers and librarians and former log cabin republicans and people from all corners of the nation are uniting around his campaign.
As the Democrats attempt to heal their party and this nation, we must find unity. We have been divided by fear and bureaucracy for too long. We can argue about why this is so or how unfair we can be, but we must accept the fact that Barack is moving more quickly toward reversing the 3-D strategy than Hillary. With the momentum and tools Obama has provided, the Democrats can finally break the GOP machine.
The feminists need to embrace the environmental movement, the GLBT coalition should partner with health care initiatives, the youth vote should mobilize the seniors. But first, the Democrats need to decide which hope we are going to cling to and how to do that together.
This is truly a battle for the hearts and minds of America. That's why hope is working. Let's just hope it doesn't get crushed in some machine.