Some people need to hit rock bottom before they finally look up and find god. That’s what I used to hear in church about generally good people who lived happy lives and who didn’t believe in god. Those people needed a serious health scare or to lose their job or have a death in the family. Something truly traumatic that would open their eyes to god.
Cause, you know, nothing makes people see clearly like life altering trauma.
I never really bought into that idea. I thought it was terrible, but it also didn’t make any sense to me. If something is true and good it shouldn’t require people who are good and happy to be terrified to see it. If people don’t need god because they are good and happy without god, then maybe they just simply don’t need god.
I think that’s true in politics as well. Maybe you have a good idea, but if the country has to hit rock bottom before anyone needs your good idea, maybe it’s because they simply don’t need your good idea.
Take national single payer healthcare. I think a national single payer health care system is a good idea. In fact, I hope it’s an idea that this country gives serious consideration in the near future. I know it might be a tough sell, but my hope is that the states that are pursuing a state wide single payer system will have successful implementations that provides a strong incentive for the rest of the country to give national single payer a serious consideration.
One of the things I was excited the most about Obamacare, besides ending pre-existing conditions, is that it allowed states to implement state wide single payer systems. I live in WA state just a bit north of the Seattle area and after marriage equality, legalized pot and $15 minimum wage, I am a true believer in blue states inspiring the rest of the country to adopt proven good ideas.
What I don’t believe in is shock doctrine progress. Letting a country hit rock bottom in some hope that trauma opens eyes to good ideas. Or even worse, just shoving your good ideas down the throats of a traumatized country for it’s own good.
I don’t care how good of an idea it is, I don’t ever want it realized by using trauma. I don’t want any idea realized by using a national Trauma. I mean, Jesus… we’re still living with the patriot act and 2 wars thanks to using a national trauma to advance political ideas.
And that is what usually happens when trauma is used to advance political ideas. Civil liberties are taken away. Countries are invaded. People are divided and turned against each other.
No. Either we make progress in a positive way or we don’t make it. If people are not open to a good idea then we just have to make a better case to win them over and that is that. I know it’s the American way to impatiently overreach for what we want even if it puts what we already have at great risk, but it’s our job as the party of adults in this country to pull our hands back when we have to in order to protect this country from losing ground. That doesn’t mean we never reach. We do. We just wait until we have taken the necessary steady steps forward, so that our reach doesn’t exeed our grasp.
I know it sucks being the party of adults in this country. Always cleaning up the mess that the right makes when it’s in power. Making progress only to be rewarded with losing power. It sucks and it’s not fair. But it’s what makes us the adults. We keep strong and look to the future, because if we don't nobody will.
What we don’t do is stand by and let the GOP win and this country hit rock bottom in the hope that somehow that will teach this country a lesson.
I would rather lose the White House for four years than have GOPers pointing to the leader of our party dismissing our own ideas as wild fantasies. Sometimes you have to take a step backwards in order to take two steps forward.
I mean, I understand the urgency, but maybe we need to hit rock bottom. Otherwise, we tolerate a corrupt political party.
No. We might have flawed candidates, but we’re are not the shock doctrine party. We will never be the shock doctrine party. And I know that Bernie is a new comer to the party, but I know with absolute certainty that he feels exactly the same way. Bernie is running to PREVENT this country from hitting rock bottom, not in hopes of taking advantage of it! If Hillary wins the nomination, Bernie will be on stage with her rallying his supporters to be the adults in this country. And vice versa if Bernie wins!