[Peace-discuss] More on election

[C. G. Estabrook]

I don't think we can conclude that the well over 80% of our 
fellow-citizens who didn't vote (actually more, when we add those 
eligible to vote but unregistered) were too lazy or stupid to do so. 
Instead, they concluded, at some level of reflection, that it didn't 
matter very much.  And I'm not sure they're wrong.  In our strongly 
business-run society, the difference made by elections is damped down to 
very little.  (In the annual township meeting we saw a recent example of 
how the more robust democratic forms of the 19th century have atrophied.)

The difference, say, between "progressive" Urbana and "conservative" 
Champaign strikes me as an example of what Freud called "the narcissism 
of small differences" (e.g. -- my wife, long resident in Boston, cannot 
admit any virtue in the New York Yankees).  The actual political results 
brought about by the self-proclaimed liberals of the Urbana council 
differ little from those in the neighboring city: e.g., there is still 
no police review board, and the council has apparently given up the 
possibility that any can be effective; similarly, they have acquiesced 
to Wal-Mart and given up any insistence on civil rights (speech, 
assembly) to mall developers.  The difference between the councils is 
that Champaign does this sort of thing willingly; Urbana does, too, but 
say they aren't.

Real democracy -- the sort of thing we see breaking through in many 
places in the global South today -- is thoroughly constrained in the US, 
from the national parties to local elections.  That's hardly surprising 
-- American elites had more than an uninterrupted century to perfect the 
process, and as a result we have the most sophisticated forms of 
political and social control found anywhere in the world (altho' we do 
have to imprison more of our fellow-citizens than any other country). 
So much so that it makes little difference if we go to the polls.

Of course in practice, it's always better to vote for the lesser evil, 
and we occasionally get an actually attractive candidate to vote for 
(more often locally than nationally).  But, in the midst of the greatest 
surge of opposition to a war in the better part of a century, we'll 
probably get to choose either Clinton-Obama or Giuliani-Romney (or 
McCain) next year.  Many will ask why bother. --CGE


Morton K.Brussel wrote:
> It strikes me that when so few, of those eligible, vote, no firm 
> conclusions can be made about the reasons for failure or success, except 
> that more effort has to be exercised to get more (favorable) voters out 
> to vote.  ---mkb
> 
> On Apr 18, 2007, at 10:54 AM, Linda Evans wrote:
> 
>> It is also backlash because of the perceived Urbana
>> influence on Champaign politics.  I grew up in
>> Champaign and there has always been a war between the
>> two cities.  It is insane.  The progressives in
>> Champaign need to stand up and be a force on their
>> own.  I appreciate all the Urbana people who come to
>> city council meetings and such, but I don't think it
>> helps for you to speak up if there are Champaign
>> residents who will do the speaking.  People in
>> Champaign will not listen to you, just because you are
>> one of "them".  I know it isn't right, but we have to
>> get more politically savvy.  Things run differently in
>> Champaign.  We can't use the same tactics.  We also
>> need to be careful about throwing the AWARE name
>> around.  There are a lot of people who came to the
>> last city council meeting who do not come to AWARE
>> meetings...AWARE is perceived as a splitter group
>> and/or "cult" (run by Carl Estabrook no less...when
>> will they blame some of the women in the group for
>> thinking for all the rest?).  We need to get organized
>> in Champaign, we need to get smart, and we need to
>> look NOW for someone to run against the mayor.
>>
>> I'm sure everyone saw this article and pay attention
>> to Bruno and Deb F-F's comments:
>>
>> http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2007/04/18/voting_trend_conservative_for_champaign_city_council 
>>
>>
>> Annette did very well for being an unknown.  I
>> personally think using your religion would help you in
>> future runs for office.  I don't mean for this to
>> sound crass, but we need to start strategizing and
>> playing the cards which work.
>>
>> Linda (who is sooo glad she couldn't find a house in
>> Urbana now...Champaign needs the votes!  I am equally
>> glad that my brother doesn't live in the city limits
>> and didn't vote yesterday because he is the exact
>> opposite politically from Karen/me.)
>>  ...