The Politics of Courage

[Baconfoot]

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about Obama's message of hope and how it contrasts with the soon-to-be previous administrations politics of fear.

The politics of fear was about inaction. It was about citizens being cowed into not asserting their rights or standing up for truth and human dignity.

The opposite of the politics of fear isn't the politics of hope. Hoping isn't doing. And hope doesn't eliminate fear. You can hope and fear at the same time. No, the opposite of fear in the political context is courage. Citizens and elected representatives alike need to be able to act from courage and not fear, regardless of what they "hope."

To do this, corporate influence on the media and government must be drastically reduced. At the same time, ordinary, working Americans need to be empowered.

For me, that means John Edwards.

When I look at the details of his vision for campaign finance reform, same-day election registration, lobbyist transparency regulation, health care, increased enforcement and expansion of union rights, and so on, what I'm seeing is not just someone committed to correcting the injustices of the previous administration. It's someone committed to correcting the underlying causes and enabling conditions which created a situation where those injustices could flourish in the first place. It's about having the courage to fundamentally change the system and people's lives in a positive way and through these changes imparting that courage to the citizenry.

[waiting for hope]

1. Hear Hear!

And Amen!

K&R!

[waiting for hope]

2. Kick!