Howard Zinn - Election Madness

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022108B.shtml

This whole article is worth reading, but I think the heart of it is this:

This seizes the country every four years because we have all been brought up to believe that voting is crucial in determining our destiny, that the most important act a citizen can engage in is to go to the polls and choose one of the two mediocrities who have already been chosen for us. It is a multiple choice test so narrow, so specious, that no self-respecting teacher would give it to students.

*snip*

I'm talking about a sense of proportion that gets lost in the election madness. Would I support one candidate against another? Yes, for two minutes-the amount of time it takes to pull the lever down in the voting booth.

But before and after those two minutes, our time, our energy, should be spent in educating, agitating, organizing our fellow citizens in the workplace, in the neighborhood, in the schools. Our objective should be to build, painstakingly, patiently but energetically, a movement that, when it reaches a certain critical mass, would shake whoever is in the White House, in Congress, into changing national policy on matters of war and social justice.

Let's remember that even when there is a "better" candidate (yes, better Roosevelt than Hoover, better anyone than George Bush), that difference will not mean anything unless the power of the people asserts itself in ways that the occupant of the White House will find it dangerous to ignore.

****

more at the link above --

[petgoat]

1. Laugh about it, shout about it, when you've got to choose

Every way you look at things, you lose


Paul Simon

[trthnd4jstc]

2. I agree with Dr. Zinn about the slow change.

We need to get people into office who care about sustainability, justice, truth, and democracy. I am not trying to Dis on the Democrats. I have placed my allegiance to the Democratic Party. Yet, I will not abide by their injustice either. There are Democrats, as well as Republicans, who have, and are abusing their power. I was not happy with what I considered an abuse of Power by the Democrats. I am a Democratic Socialist. I do not believe in 100% Capitalism, I believe in a mixed economy. Even though during the 70's and 80's there were other Democratic Socialists in the House and Senate, never did any of them ever fight to protect the ideals of socialism: Social Justice, Equal treatment before the law, an economic system that gives opportunity to everyone, not just the connected, the sharing of wealth to include the poor as weel as the rich. Not all Socialism is State Socialism. Socialsim can be about Democracy, and allowing the People to control the influence of the Government in the economy. Other Democrats support this, but does anyone ever hear them supporting the left, or the word Liberal, or, god forbid, the word socialist. Never. No, we use the euphemism, Progressive. I find this excessive. If we do not support the bases of our ideas, how can we defend our ideas to the People? Howard Zinn in this article, http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022108B.shtml , seems to be suppporting our efforts to get leftist into the Democratic Party, to support our policies. I believe we need to be brave enough to call a duck a duck, and call socialism, socialism. The Right Wing has so terrified everyone, that us leftist cannot even call ourselves what we are, socialist, communist, or anarchist. Not all of us are satisfied by the word progressive. Some of us want a world with economic justice and room for our ideas, not just the world of progressive. Sen. Clinton, and Sen. Obama are centrists. They are not as left, as some members of the Democratic Party, but the Democratic Party has never collectively gotten the ba((s to support us. It needs to. The Democratic Party needs to be the big tent of Democracy for the People. Not wanting to support propaganda, nor demagoguery, but I even think it would be cool if the Democratic Party could call itself the Party of the People, or POP, the Republicans have GOP, and as of yet, I have not seen anything Grand about their Party. Our Party could be grand. A political Party that truly supports the People. Anyway, this is a bit of what I get from Dr. Zinn's article.

[DCKit]

4. Geez dude, try a new paragraph every 500 or so words!

Welcome to DU.

[tavalon]

6. He's fired up

Let him be.

[tavalon]

7. I've figured out of recent that I am a Socialist

I continue to ally myself with the Democratic party because we continue to be a two party system and we're too close to the precipice to force the necessary change right now. I hope that time will come in my lifetime. We'll see.

I suspected my socialist leanings before this anarchist friend came into my life but he pushed me to really figure it out. He got me to read a fictional book that really helped me flesh out my personal beliefs and to understand why it's important that I know my core beliefs. The book is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein.

The thing I loved about this article is that he didn't say, don't vote, but he did say that voting is the thing you do in between the really important work. I started as just a voter, moved to being an activist voter and now I'm moving to the next step and Dr. Zinn seems to be speaking to the next place I'm going.

Welcome to DU. Try to ignore GDP. People here will return to their senses.

[tavalon]

3. I've been meaning to read Howard Zinn

Now, I understand that I must.

We must, we MUST take the power away from them. We the people must take charge. We are the people we are waiting for.

I went into GDP once today on purpose, to ask a question and once, accidentally. Overall, I am done with this. I will vote for the Democratic candidate in November. I was done before I read this, this just crystalized how I feel.

About a month ago, I volunteered to be my unit's union rep and as we are going to the table to negotiate a new contract, I have also volunteered to be on the negotiating team. I have had the sad recognition that our union is very weak and prefers the DLC format. It is driving me crazy but that is beside the point. My point is that I decided after Edwards dropped out, I decided to focus locally and will continue to do so. I don't watch TV so that part of the game is not happening for me.

That said, I know there are two things I must do nationally following the election. First, I must watch the back of our President. Second, I must hold his or her feet to the fire, consistently and forcefully.

[stephinrome]

5. Also, see the film "You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train"

Great documentary about Zinn.

[trthnd4jstc]

11. I love it!

I seem to piss people off. I guess I could have broken the reply into paragraghs. Some people are critical of details. Some people care more about overalls, and results. Thanks for the Defense, and thanks for your words. I liked that Hopi message, "We are the People we are waiting for" also.

Peace!

[L0oniX]

8. Howard Zinn is a gold mine of thought.

[BridgeTheGap]

9. Right on, Howard! Back to the grassroots and organizing at the most basic level.

I spent most of my adult life as an issue advocate - lobbying, etc. But after Bush was selected & 9/11 happened, I got more involved in party politics, pushing for candidates like Kucinich and other locals while trying to get the Patriot Act repealed.
How bad do things have to get before we reach critical mass and people demonstrate, in mass, that we're ready to take action to turn this situation around? I don't know but I'm not giving up. And I still vote!

[katty]

10. yeah, the orgasm of voting just not enough - luv Zinn

Zinn:

Historically, government, whether in the hands of Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals, has failed its responsibilities, until forced to by direct action: sit-ins and Freedom Rides for the rights of black people, strikes and boycotts for the rights of workers, mutinies and desertions of soldiers in order to stop a war. Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens.