Sometimes we are weakest when things seem to be going well. I am not the first one here to express my nervousness about what we face until November. Being both an academic and a long tome political activist I have been dissapointed too many times. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is not good for anyone, especially the country. Everyone has an explanation for how we managed to do it in 2000 and again in 2004. My problem is that I have seen few explanations that make sense to me. Add to that the 2006 victory that went nowhere and I am really wanting answers that make sense for a change. In the spirit of being dedicated to winning the presidency and having a congress that allows the president to govern, I have been asking us to do a little self examination. The way I am doing this is by using the critique offered to us by George Lakoff in his newest book: The Political Mind : Why You Can't Understand 21st Century American politics with an 18th Century Brain. The comments and responses are not all encouraging. Self criticism is not a featured diary topic for some of us. That, I am very sure, is a mistake! Look below the break and I'll spell out the reasons why.
If he is really changing minds then we can really expect change in this country. Just what does it mean to change someone's mind in this way? The reason this is an important question goes back to George Lakoff's book The Political Mind : Why You Can't Understand 21st Century American politics with an 18th Century Brain. In a previous diary I introduced some of the ideas from this book. The comments and questions that diary generated make it clear to me that Lakoff is not easily understood. As I promised I will try to present his ideas in a more careful way in order that these important insights might become tools we can use to help attain our goal of turning our Nation around and electing a government that serves its people in the important roles of empowering its people as well as protecting them. That protection, as Lakoff points out:
is more than just the army, police, and fire department. It means social security, disease control,and public health, safe food, disaster relief, health care, consumer and worker protection, environmental protection.
We just returned from Wise County, VA where volunteers provided free medical care for people who had no means to "purchase" it like the rest of us, and are exhausted from the weekend. I have no official stats, but am quite sure we helped more people than ever before. I am also quite sure that we had to turn away more people than ever before. Our three Lions Mobile Sight and Hearing Vans got quite a workout. I became a patient myself when an ulcer on my foot broke open so I got to see it from both sides. The Doctor who looked at my foot was once a student I taught in the Medical School at Medical College of Virginia. She is now at UVA among a fine crew of volunteers from that school. Virginia Commonwealth University was well represented too. Let me tell you that this free medical care in tents is as good or better than some I pay through the nose for. These poor folk are getting some of the best if only one weekend a year. Look below the break for more.
The Left isn't really stupid. I just couldn't think of a catchy title that incorporated "ignorant" into it. The Left is just ignorant of the core of his progressivism. It's not in his policies. The core of his progressivism is in his empathic process. This process is unprecedented in American politics, and it's nearly unprecendented even in psychotherapy and ministry, which is where you might expect to find it. So it's no failing to be ignorant of the use of empathy in politics and governing. Obama has tried obliquely to explicate it with poor results. He hasn't helpfully enough defined his process. I can help.
I just returned from Michigan and I came back to a very full diary with comments and emails also.
Thank you again DK users you showed me yet again that although we might disagree policy-wise in the end we all care and need support in the same way.
My father's funeral was earlier in the week and when I mentioned to those family members who knew what a political blog was (i.e. those under 30) they were very thankful as well and wanted me to make sure that I took the time (thus this diary) to thank people on their behalf)
I at times try to live my life isolated, but as the words of Lisa Simpson at the end show, I realize this is not a good idea.
But folks, even with all of the above, we've got to stay motivated with a glint in our eyes and a brave spirit. We've got to carry each other across the finish line. It is our responsibility and there ain't no stopp'n us now!
I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and in particular the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever.
is not an apology.
Neither is this:
I want to put that in context. You know I am sorry if anyone was offended. It was certainly not meant in any way to be offensive.
I certainly do repudiate it and I regret deeply that it was said. Obviously she doesn’t speak for the campaign, she doesn’t speak for any of my positions, and she has resigned from being a member of my very large finance committee.
Listen up! sounds the coach as he reads off the batting order and positions. Anticipation grows as the players names and positions are read off down the order...an excited smile...a straight face...a sigh of disappointment.
Sitting the Bench again.
A wise coach of mine once said, "all kids, including my own, will take their turn on the bench."
Several weeks ago, DailyKos was in a tizzy, with Obama supporters trying to deal with Reverend Wright’s use of inflammatory language to make his arguments. Two snippets of larger sermons were blasted across the mainstream media, creating easy fodder for the talking heads.
To all the Americans who were offended by the comments "God DAMN America," we saw exhortations to listen to Wright’s entire sermon before passing judgment.
Those who were offended by the statement simply would have nothing to do with the content.
We saw widespread dismissal of people who refused to "actually do research" or "put things in context" by many people here at DK. We labeled them as "rednecks" and "Reichtwingers" and said that, in the end, they would never vote for Obama anyways, and so we shouldn’t waste time with them.
Sadly, we have seen a reaction similar to the "rednecks" by Kossacks themselves....
I am working on a documentary to answer the question, What are Progressive Values? I have interviewed over 100 progressives and have placed over 350 video clips on YouTube with the various replies.See ProgressiveSpirit.com
This interview is with Loni Hancock, California Assembly member representing the 14th Assembly District: Serving Berkeley, Richmond, Albany, San Pablo, El Cerrito, Kensington, Emeryville and Oakland. Loni says that empathy and caring are the most important progressive values to her. She tells a childhood story about empathy and her visit to the zoo.
(This is part of an ongoing series of interviews of progressives telling personal stories about their values for the "What are Progressive Values?" documentary project at ProgressiveSpirit.com.
I ran into Joe Brewer cleaning the streets of Oakland on Earth Day. Joe works as a fellow at the Rockridge Institute in Berkeley, California. He says empathy is the basic progressive value and tells a personal story about his experiences growing up in a small town and his visit to India.
Joe Brewer: When we talk about progressive values, we are really talking about is how we care and why we care. So I think the most important progressive value is empathy.
This election cycle we are going through has fostered pettiness, major immaturity, and major attitudes that are, if nothing else, counter-productive to the general discourse. So let's not forget our sense of humor in the process.
Michelle Obama says something in her stump speech that strikes me as being the central issue of this campaign. It is essentially THE issue that could define whether the United States survives as a major player in the world's affairs or slowly recedes into a long decay.
I have a Wall Street job. It is a place were Governor Spitzer is not very well liked. Many people, not including myself, feel he was over zealous in his prosecution of former AIG CEO Hank Greenberg, former NYSE head Richard Grasso, and others. All day today CNBC was in absolute glee pointing out his hypocrisy. To a certain extent they have a point, but even if they do, all the discussion of this episode should be done remembering that he said it was a "private matter." It is.
