… or not. I recently wrote a Diary, more of a frustrated rant, that I expected six people to read and comment on HERE, that being my previous record. To my surprise it received over a thousand comments and made the Rec List. What a mixed bag of emotions and thoughts that was as I read the comments. But, from that mess something clicked in my mind. Not that I have the answers, but maybe, just maybe, I have discovered part of the problem, and I am ashamed…
I DO support our president, and see those who criticize this by exampling how much damage Bush II did with all of his support as proving my own point about how much good could be done by our doing the same. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Crazies are the easiest people to get riled up. Get enough of them, like molecules vibrating, stirring up the masses and it has an effect on more stable molecules.
Those more stable people out there, not the rational left and not the crazy right are the most important people out there right now, they vote. The right realizes this and is approaching the problem aggressively. We may think of their target masses as ignorant, uninformed, unconscious, confused or just plain busy with their lives. It doesn't matter. They are our friends, relatives and acquaintances. Many of these people, on almost any issue, look to their left and right to see how the next guy is responding. They are uncomfortable swimming against the current. They just can't believe so many of those around them, otherwise good people, could be stupid, ignorant or wacko. If one does have doubts, he needs a helping hand, a handle to grab onto. Most people have a mortal fear of being alone on important issues.
My epiphany is that no President can turn this tide. It is WE who are not doing OUR jobs. While the minions on the right are being agitated, we sit and intellectualize the issues, waiting for our President to excite them somehow. What the hell is wrong with us? The confused middle are NOT being given a counter view to FOX and others in language they understand, strongly voiced opinions, signs, slogans, TOGETHERNESS and UNITY on those things central to the cause (like it or not, with an incumbent President, perfect or not, lining up behind him is at least part of the formula). That is what impresses, that is what wins VOTES. That and a FLOOD of excited, vibrating molecules (read fellow citizens).
The meat of my epiphany, and shame, is that few of us are doing anything about it beyond intellectualizing. I sure wasn't. I have only one suggestion, but we need more, many more ideas. We all need to do our part to elect rational people this Fall. Oddly enough, the Right can provide strong hints as to what can be done. But we need leaders, field leaders not the head of the country, who point out to us things that we can do, direct molecular exciting things.
I read Kos's column yesterday on his book, imported it to my iPad and began reading. Light bulb. The impressionables, for lack of a better word, cannot go into a book store without believing EVERYONE is reading the Right's literature. It is up front and personal. One thing I can do, and perhaps others, is go on Amazon and have twenty, thirty or more copies shipped to individuals who I believe could use to read this. Not that all would, but some. Put this damn thing EVERYWHERE. Tough love, hard truth. It's a way to put my money where my mouth is. Perhaps this will mitigate my own shame in hanging back and doing nothing more than reading Daily Kos while my counterpart on the Right is holding up a sign downtown protesting health care. How was that working for me?
I'm stuck on an Easter Island for the next few months. I do have a ballot being emailed to me that I can mail in, but that is not enough. I am making a list and will risk the wrath of more than a few friends and acquaintances by sending out copies of Kos's book, as "gifts". But that is not enough, other than to ease my conscience. Just giving money to campaigns is not enough. WE, the rational Left, need to have the strength of our convictions and act. The problem is, other than my one idea I have no watershed of knowledge as to what to actually do to create a counter action to the hyperactivity from the Right. We lack the ballsy mid-level leaders the Right has, people who will put themselves up front and suffer the consequences, insulating the President from being expected to lead where no President could or should.
How do we prevent disaster in the Fall? Maybe someone on Daily Kos can provide a guideline of ideas as to what we can DO, action. Possibly a competition and recording of reaction. I just do not know. Action breeds action, vibration of molecules incites vibration of molecules. We need to do this on many, many fronts, not just my little idea about flooding the country with Kos's book. WE could start the backfire.