[ Saturday, January 17, 2004 ]
Just for grins, I'd like to lay a few lines down for posterity, sort-of expand on an "independent voter" rant I did earlier.
In rooms full of hippies, I'm always dismissed as a redneck. In rooms full of rednecks, I'll be dismissed as a hippie. My so-called credentials regarding working and voting for liberal and progressive candidates, national, state and local are as solid as anyones.
Like I did in when working and voting for Clinton, I will, indeed work joyfully for the nominee, whoever he or she happens to be. BushCo is the enemy, and I never forget that for one minute.
Regarding Dean. Unlike most in the debate, I lived a few years in Vermont under three different governors, the last of which was Dean. I saw how he took over after Snelling's demise, and transitioned into his own admin, then went on to run the state pretty well for awile. It was during the first years of his administration that we left Vermont for Maryland, where we live and bitch at present.
When Dean started the presidential candidate gig, I sort-of mentally jumped on board as much for nostalgia as anything else. Though not a registered worker or activist, I keep up my reading on the news and his blog and sites. Keeping up with one candidate, of course sort of obligates you to keep up with the others, which I've done to a limited extent; I probably read as much about Kerry, Clark and Lieberman as I do about Dean, and try not to be an ignoramus about the rest of them.
I favor Dean. After a modicum of research, I've come to believe little of what is spurted here about the man. Both in experience and in following his campaign, I've found him to be an intensly intelligent man, very "yankee" in demeanor and politics, and easy to like. I wouldn't want him as a next door neighbor, particularly, but I don't think I'd mind him being either my doctor or president.
I can say much the same thing about Clark, except for the New England thing. As a Viet-era vet, I appreciate more than many what his military experience will mean to the ultimate campaign, and I respect the man greatly. I'd be honored to work for his election.
Regarding the Clintons. As I've said before, I didn't like the way Hillary and her law-firm lobbyists dominated the national health care debate until all that remained was health insurance. In spite of supporting Clinton's election, I remained part of the electorate that felt he didn't properly use opportunities to broaden the party to the left. I never thought it incongruous that I both supported and criticized the Clinton administration.
I do not share some's trust of Hillary. Yes I KNOW what she's said, and all that. But, as I've said earlier, my hackles have been up as events have unfolded and I still struggle to understand.
I want to believe Hillary is quietly waiting to throw her weight behind the nominee. I want to believe the common wisdom that Hillary is patiently awaiting her turn at the wheel in '08, I want to believe that the crap about "the Hillary Bomb" is just that; crap. I want to believe this because I want Dean to be president, and I think that he can unify the party quite nicely, thank you, once he has the whole of the progressive electorate behind him. I believe the party would unify in a more progressive and electable fashion under Dean than under Clark or Hillary.
I've led crews up mountains building wind generators, built timber houses and stone walls and fireplaces. I've owned three small business, built and paid crews and contractors. And what REALLY set me straight on what's real or not, I've raised two headstrong children that are now challenging teenagers. And if there's a line of shit or bullshit that I haven't heard yet, well lay it out, mister, 'cause I've heard 'em all at least twice. There ain't nothin' new under the sun, it's all just a repeat of what's come before. Lines of shit just have a certain SMELL to them. It's how the phrases are shaped and words are chosen; it's how meanings are used and syntax twisted.
The way shit has been flying around the internet lately has changed. To me, I think I can place New Years as the beginning. "Freeping" for Clark and flash mobs for Dean seemed to be "suddenly" popping up on boards nationwide simultaneously. Lieberman and Kerry went balistic, and the national alphabet whores (abc,cbs, nbc, cnn, faux, etc) followed suit in spades. So strident have the attacks on Dean been that the attacks themselves have become news. And all these attacks coincidentally coincided with Clark's entrance and subsequent rise. Add that to my mistrust of Hillary and paranoia about LeHane and voila'!, Hillary bomb. Brokered convention for Hillary, with Clark, Kerry and Lieberman jumping on board with endorsements.
Maybe tomorrow, I'll try to figure out whether that would be a good thing, or a bad thing.
gonzoliberal [7:27 PM]
