I'm a diehard Deaniac, but if the last two weeks have taught me anything it is that for all the sound and fury from the Internet, the fundraising, the cheering, the door knocking, the letter writing, the precicnt organizing we have changed...
exactly nothing.
We're still going to get the hand-picked safe candidate that we were going to get a year ago. Clearly it isn't worth anyone's time to get involved with a presidential campaign until the eve of the Iowa caucuses. The insiders will continue to seek and destroy any candidate moved into prominence by grassroots activism and who threatens the status quo.
Sure, Dean's campaign had its share of missteps, but you can't write off the push polling, whispering campaigns, TV ads run by the RNC, the Club for Growth and other Democrats who used the image of Osama bin Laden to tar Dean as weak on security. Throw in the "enviromental racism" charges leveled in Iowa and the "bad Christian" charges in New Hampshire. Top that off with "the scream" on endless loop for five days - with the apologies coming too quiely and too late to have any effect.
I am now faced with the task of trying to hold on to all these great people who have become active in politics because of Howard Dean. How can I tell them that their efforts can really change anyhing in this country?
Please don't patronize me by telling me that Dean changed the debate. He changed the hollow language that the establishment candidates are using but I doubt they'd govern any differently if they manage to get themselves elected.
If you're rich enough to throw money around you might get some influence. If you know a lot of rich people and are willing to not upset the apple cart you might be able to get yourself elected to something. Direct grassroots activism seems to accomplish little.
So tell me, why should I bother with any of this? Right now I am on the verge of resigning my political posts. It seems like I should spending more time with my family and friends and accepting that there is little I can do to change my country so I'd better just join the ranks of the apolitical and not worry about this so much.