[Peace-discuss] Not voting
n.dahlheim at mchsi.com
n.dahlheim at mchsi.com
Tue Jan 29 04:23:52 CST 2008
I should qualify my remarks just a bit. I am not opposed to voting in every instance; in local elections
voting may actually do some good. At the federal level, and particularly for the office of President, the big
corporate powers have all the cards.... I don't even pretend to believe in such tomfoolery.
---------------------- Original Message: ---------------------
From: Stuart Levy <slevy at ncsa.uiuc.edu>
To: n.dahlheim at mchsi.com
Cc: Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Not voting
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:12:08 +0000
> On Mon, Jan 28, 2008 at 11:26:34PM +0000, n.dahlheim at mchsi.com wrote:
> > Once again, I really urge people not to vote. The quality of political
> discourse and the fakery posing as a
> > genuine political campaign offends my sensibility and my intelligence. I
> definitely do not plan on voting in
> > such a ridiculous American Idol campaign that displays none of the pretense of
> even appearing like a
> > genuine political contest. We can say that we want the lesser of the evils
> presented us, but we will get
> > nowhere with that as the elite can control whomever wins anyway like a
> marionette. Have a loud no vote
> > and speak against the process, not out of apathy but out of frustration and
> enlightened disgust!
> > Nick
>
> I really think that's foolish.
>
> If you're trying to make a public statement of disgust with the system,
> vote for someone who won't win but should (like Kucinich).
> Or vote in other races but not the national ones.
> Or write in Pogo for President.
>
> For heaven's sake, if you live in Champaign or Urbana, *do* vote
> on the referenda. Urge Champaign to fund its township General Assistance
> to at least the miserly level set by state guidelines. Say you want the
> Military Commissions Act repealed and Habeas Corpus restored.
> Say you want us out of Iraq and Iran. Will saying those things make them
> happen?
> No. But not saying them, being silent, gives consent.
>
> Just staying away is indistinguishable from apathy.
> Apathy is what shows the System that it's winning. Fight it.
>
> Now -- if you are also speaking against the point of view that says,
> "by going to the polls and voting, I have properly exercised my
> democratic voice, and owe no further obligation to our society
> until the next election" -- if you are saying that too, I'd heartily
> agree with you. Voting is not remotely sufficient. But it is important.
>
> Stuart
>
> > ---------------------- Original Message: ---------------------
> > From: Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>
> > To: peace discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
> > Subject: [Peace-discuss] the primaries before Iowa
> > Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:11:31 +0000
> >
> > > Somewhat along the lines of the article Mort just shared, the latest issue
> of Z
> > > has an article
> > > with some telling data on the "elite's hidden primary." It's not even all
> that
> > > hidden, the
> > > sources being readily available (and it's not a new story, but updates are
> > > important for telling
> > > the story).
> > >
> > > For example, over 80 percent of all presidential campaign donations as of
> fall
> > > '07 went to six
> > > candidates: Clinton, Obama, Romney, Giuliani, McCain and Edwards (in that
> > > order). Almost 70
> > > percent were over $1000 (meaning: not from you or me or probably anybody we
> > > know). The author
> > > goes into great detail, and it's fascinating, breaking out groups of big
> donors.
> > > "Big Capital"
> > > (finance, real estate, insurance) favors Clinton, then Giuliani, Romney and
> > > Obama. The big law
> > > firms favor Clinton, Edwards then Obama. Etc.
> > >
> > > But it's not just donations. Carl had earlier raised the grim point that
> the
> > > evil Zbigniew
> > > Brzezinski is working for Obama (apparently, as in one of the articles Mort
> > > shared, because he is
> > > supposed to have the best grasp of the "historical moment", a sort of
> > > Machiavellian term as I
> > > understand it, meaning he'll do the most to advance nasty US ruling class
> > > interests 'at this
> > > juncture' as Bush Sr used to say.
> > >
> > > But all six of these top money getters also have high-powered advisers from
> the
> > > notorious Council
> > > on Foreign Relations: McCain's list including Henry Kissinger, Lawrence
> > > Eagleburger, Alexander
> > > Haig, George Schultz and Colin Powell. Clinton of course has Bill and
> Madeleine
> > > Albright, who've
> > > been sharing the stage with her, but also Richard Holbrooke (ugh!) and Bush
> Jr's
> > > "surge" plan
> > > co-author John M Keane. Not that the one with the most CFR members
> necessarily
> > > wins, but the four
> > > with the most CFR help seem to be the front runners, and those without ...
> well,
> > > they're starting
> > > to drop out even before we in Ill. can pretend to vote for them.
> > >
> > > I think it's especially important for us here in Ill., and for us who know
> so
> > > many in the
> > > "professional" class that strongly supports Obama, to keep on Obama's tail.
> But
> > > the jist of the
> > > article is more important, altho it's no shock to most of us, or (I think)
> to
> > > most people: the
> > > ruling class has narrowed the field so severely based on its interests and
> its
> > > estimations that
> > > whoever wins will suit them just fine. (CFR is just one big way, a sort of
> > > "peer review" for the
> > > ruling class, and a fair amount of donations will naturally accrue to
> whoever
> > > donors believe is
> > > the likely choice - notice I don't say whose choice.)
> > >
> > > And the corollary, for us activist types or just anyone harbors a democratic
> > > hope, is the most
> > > important of all, tho the author has to cram it in quickly at the end,
> > > presumably for reasons of
> > > space: none of the "serious" (i.e. elite, and therefore non-snowball)
> candidates
> > > will do what the
> > > majority of people really need done unless we make them do it. The author
> calls
> > > it "people's
> > > movements" and "direct struggle", which seems to just about cover it.
> > >
> > > Keep it up, folks, groups like AWARE are the closest thing we have to a real
> > > vote.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> ________________________________________________________________________________
> > > ____
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> > >
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