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As Democrats that is The Question ....just One Question...as a nurse who believes in Healing.... I have this question banging in my head.....Daily. I have No Answers.... What do you think ?
There is alot of tension and anger....and it is spilling out all over Blogatopia...and it is indeed concerning.
We can not fight the McSame if this not healed....
**{Music: Click the Title Natalie Merchant " Break Your Heart".....perfect song about Heartache and Damage and how do we heal}**
33 comments:
A broomstick will be able to win over McCain.
okay I am confused....but I am tired- have been up with heartburn..
....but I hope that we can beat him...he is frankly scary....It is like watching Granpa Simpson when he is on stage giving a speech....he wanders back and forth and loses his train of thought....it is really something...
McBush is scary....so that I guess will unite us...I hope..
Not really into labels, but a good song nevertheless. I still remember Natalie's hand from 1987. But Big Money and Big Egos apparently taint, without remorse, all they touch.
She is a really amazing artist- solo or with the band....about the Egos and Big Money...I think you are right.....
natalie merchant, or how do we heal? i think, for now, we will look to obama and clinton as models for healing. can a concession be made gracefuly and accepted.......
Weezie I hope so.,...I really do...I admit my manners are not good...but I am ready to do something...I actually want more than anything to see us united against McBush....and you are right it will be how Obama and Hillary set the path on this ( well Bill too- I guess)...
and Weezie than yes- it also will be up to all of us...to help the process...
Maybe taking the focus off of the present distraction and centering it on the real enemy would help.
i am ever the pessimist. there won't be a healing. we can want it all we want- but the neo cons will simply be voted out of office. it means that they will continue to do what they have always done-- behind the scenes. we will still have 25% of the congress making profits from the wars in the middle east- and the only bright spot in this whole debacle is- many on the right voted left. after the ink dries on the ballots- they will go right back to criticizing the left because they are settling for a candidate that isn't bushian. i hate to sound negative- but it's human nature.
Heal? When Obama campaign workers are confronted by this?
From the Washington Post:
The contrast between the large, adoring crowds Obama draws at public events and the gritty street-level work to win votes is stark. The candidate is largely insulated from the mean-spiritedness that some of his foot soldiers deal with away from the media spotlight.
Documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy, the daughter of the late Robert Kennedy, said she, too, came across “a lot of racism” when campaigning for Obama in Pennsylvania. One Pittsburgh union organizer told her he would not vote for Obama because he is black, and a white voter, she said, offered this frank reason for not backing Obama: “White people look out for white people, and black people look out for black people.”
A Clinton volunteer said, “He’s a half-breed and he’s a Muslim. How can you trust that?”
But remember, if you point this out, you're labeled an "Obama shill." In other words, it's perfectly OK for the Hillbots to play the race card if it helps her win the nomination.
Christopher raises a very important point: racism is the ugly 600 pound gorilla in the room. A good friend of mine told me flat out that if Obama is the nominee, she will vote for McCain - she's NEVER voted for a Republican. EVER. She said this in response to my Obama hoodie.
On the other hand, three friends of mine who have been staunch white-bread Republicans are Obama supporters.
If we listen to the media (who are far from unbiased - they are not about reporting the news, they are very much about creating the news) then we are doomed. The media has a vested interest in creating strife.
If we listen to what people are saying, they want change. People are quite tired of the same-old same-old. The Democrats cannot stand a floor-fight at the DNC, but if Hillary does not drop out, we are in for a floor-fight, and more of the same-old same-old.
Counterintuitive as it may seem I truly believe that healing never ends and is sustained by vibrant memory. Grief is the other side of wisdom. Peace M
Mandt:::
I think that you are right on many levels...( and I have blogged it alot)....
Diva:
I think there are two issues that are problematic- and Chris mentioned the 600 pound gorilla, that is Racism- and that is part one...and Hill seems determined to take it to the floor-that is a problem too...Really interesting that you got the response from the hoodie....
Chris:
I just read the article about racism that talks about Rory Kennedy and what you wrote about....I think we should talk about it- because it is real- and when you phone bank for him you do hit it- the half breed- the muslim part and the I can 't vote for him part..and I think Hillary and Bill have been feeding that with their Unelectable talk....It feeds something ugly in this country...and I don't know how we move past that, but I think West Virginia was a messege about it- the Media paints it as "oh, he has a problem with Blue Collar Voters" , yet never acknowledging that he was voted for by many Blue collar workers already...
Edwards got 7% in West Virginia- that says to me there were people there that would not vote for a Black man or a woman...
BETMO:
I think you are right- the neoconal undermining will continue....they have done it for a long time.. and about the Bushians...I dont know if we will ever be rid of them....( I dont think you are a pessimist- I think you are being real).
Larry:
I think you saying we should focus on McCain...I think that is a good idea....right?
I just can't, and I won't, sign onto some efforts at party unity, however well meaning, at this juncture.
Over at Les Enrages, the most recent thread puts forth the notion that Obama must ask Hillary to be his vice president. The underlying message is she's somehow owed this, that Obama must ask her because he's run a better campaign and threw water on her fire, and this act will somehow unify the Democratic party and placate angry Hillbots who've basically threatened to burn down the city of Denver this summer because like spoiled children, they didn't get their way.
Of course, I disagreed and said so, based solely on Clinton's voting record and policy positions.
Consider:
1. Hillary Clinton voted for Bush’s Iraq war
2. Hillary Clinton for Bush’s USA Patriot Act
3. Hillary Clinton voted to reauthorize Bush’s USA Patriot Act
4. Hillary Clinton opposed the international treaty to ban land mines
5. Hillary Clinton is one of the Senate’s most outspoken critics of the United Nations
6. Hillary Clinton voted against the Feinstein-Leahy amendment restricting U.S. exports of cluster bombs to countries that use them against civilian-populated areas
7. Hillary Clinton is one of the most prominent critics of the International Court of Justice for its landmark 2004 advisory ruling that the Fourth Geneva Conventions on the Laws of War is legally binding on all signatory nations
8. Hillary Clinton supported Israel’s massive military assault on the civilian infrastructure of Lebanon and the Gaza Strip which took the lives of over 1,000 civilians, half of whom were children
9. Hillary Clinton opposes the complete repeal of DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act)
10. Hillary Clinton couldn’t be bothered to read the NIE before casting her pro-Iraq war vote
11. Hillary Clinton has consistently played the race card against Obama to manipulate her base
12. Bill Clinton
Party unity by putting Hillary Clinton on the ticket would mean we have to ignore her voting record and policy positions and her racism and I am not prepared to do this under any circumstances.
I don't think Unity means Hillary for VP. I cannot imagine VP even being offered to her. I think some people are putting that fwd to make it look like she is the reasoned conciliatory one. I think she would LOVE to have it offered, just so she could refuse it. She would refuse it, I absolutely believe that. These are my opinions & not those of any TV-pundit campaign supporters.
But how do we as a party achieve UNITY? I hate to say it, because I hate the whole superdelegate system and everything that it stands for (it is anti-democratic and should be disbanded ASAP), but the supers could've ended this some time ago. They could do it today. The fact that they aren't does NOT mean to me that they haven't made up their minds. I think they are doing exactly what Clinton is doing ... they are running out the clock waiting to for something to surface that will make Obama unelectable. This seems completely disingenuous to me. We, the actual voters, had to vote based on conditions as they existed on our primary date. We will do the same in November. I am still working on my state's superdelegates, neither of which have declared themselves even though Obama won my state's primary.
Just one thought about race ... why haven't more non-white people expressed offense at Hill's remark? Where is the hispanic outrage, the asian outrage? Cuz I got news from them if they think they blend into this white mosaic that Hillary is creating from redneckville.
Democrats are a BIG TENT party. We need to remember that. A Big Tent implies many different races, backgrounds, religions, etc/etc. We are not about disenfranchising different points of view. That is republican turf & they are welcome to it. The path toward unity involves recognizing that we have common goals which can only achieved together.
Once again, these are my opinions, and I for one, feel very happy that Enigma has given us a place to express those opinions.
BIG NEWS
There's a rumor that Edwards will be endorsing Obama tonight at 7p.m. EST.
Stay tuned.
Christopher, I hope so, that will make my day/week/month/whatever! I was wondering if his 7% showing in WVA was a portent of something. Since both candidates are now down to talking which swing states they could bring in November, I think Edwards offers a real chance at some southern ones. Of course, so does Sam Nunn from Georgia. But Edwards in particular grew up in my era when ingrained racism was being challenged at every level. He saw it up close & personal. His endorsement means something to me.
CHristopher:
I am talking Unity about Fighting McSame.. ((.NOT about a Ticket with Hill as VEEP....I hope I did not give that impression)...I have no idea WHO the VEEP should be ( I have some secret wishes obviously....but that is all they are wishes..dreams at this point)...
( But as always I love your list and do belive in it too)
I am talking about US- as a people...as DEMS...Progressives...Liberals....People who are done with DC as business as usual.....how to heal some of the Rifts that have been created...
So please know that I was in NO way trying to shove a Ticket on anyone...far from it....
( NOW back to the Edwards news...geez - that would be nice- I have watched ALL of Edwards Interviews this past week Hoping....But....it has not come....)
DK:
I love that you re-explained the Big Tent Party idea..I think that has indeed gotten lost a long the way....and Hillary has been dividing this party left and right...There are also the Young People that are showing up in record Numbers, and the People under 30 who Twice had Bush shoved down their throat....I am kind of concerned that college educated and even Black voters as a part of this have been been set aside as Non Issue.... ALL People should be embraced and those that read and learn the issues should be embraced...and welcomed..I think 6-6 brought up a Real Issue- People that are technologically Disenfranchised- who have limited Cable and Limited Internet- I think that has made the Learning Curve on this Election really limited....
I think that the Media has not a clue how to handle this and I also think that People of Color- including Hispanics are very much worried- and that if they say something it will be Like South Carolina was early on- Obama has done much better with Hispanics than Most Media or Hillary want to admit ( and that includes Island Peoples too)...
We do need Someone that is opening the door to ALL, and yes that includes the Bitter Heartbroken Repugs ( I know people will knock me for this)..But when I lived in California I met alot of Repugs that were furious with Bush- and even some that voted for Keey Desperate for Change ( and they mostly were pissed about the WAR)....that is the ONE thing that Unites US- this damn war....and we should not forget that....
OBAMA/EDWARDS 2008
Works for moi!
omg if there was a Ticket there in the works I would the be happiest woman in Ohio.....
Chris:
wow..it would be nice to see a ticket with those two...Nothing could be better ( okay there are some other tickets that rock....BUT that one really has Something Special).....I would love to see Edwards...
DK:
I grew up during the Kennedy MLK Era and yes, Edwards is from a different time and also he understands Southern Politics- esp in NC, SC and West Virginia and Kentucky- there are differances there ...and they need to be faced....by Someone like him....( to be honest Edwards really Helped Kerry in those states in 2004....)
Bush's 82 % Dissapproval Rating - that should unite us ;-)
Christopher said...
What a telling summation.
DrKnow:::
Christopher 's Summation is the Best Dozen that you can name....all true..
whelp at 6PM ONE thing happened to start the healing that is for sure....thank you John Edwards...
I may be overly optimistic. Probably am. I think that maybe, just maybe, Clinton is going to spend the end of her campaign working on the healing herself. She's speaking differently now. If so, I say let her carry on. She'll be most effective talking about supporting the eventual nominee while she's still campaigning.
If she speak differently that would be fine...and I hope she is ...but I am not so sure...and her phone callers are STILL playing the Race Card...which is far from a Healing thing to do..sadly.....
And what does she say about Obama on the trail...that is the question...and Bill too...
( on another note did you see Chelsea was denied access to the site in Puerto Rico she wanted for her mom's event.....WHY anyone would want to hold a rally on a Contaminated Dump site is beyond me....)
(BTW Zen Yenta - do check the blogroll and see ENIGMA CAFE....it is my other blog- it is a Zen spot- I think you might like too...it is my non politic blog...for the most part...)
thanks for being optimistic....
Thursday :
I moved this to the top..because I think it is still an issue..and we need to think on it and look at ideas...
I think we will be okay. Edwards coming out for Obama will go a long way as he championed health care and blue collar workers Hillary's 2 "strong points" Gore will finish the coming together!
I have been keeping track of China wondering about the Olympics and Myanmar knowing we're feeding the Junta and the dying will be much worse than they think. reality, I'll shut up. Thanks for coming by!
I am all for party unity except for putting Hillary on the ticket. She burned her bridges on that road a few miles back. However, it will be Hillary's duty - if she wants any kind of leadership role in the future- to implore her supporters to stop their rancor and back Barack Obama this November. As we saw from several video reports from West Virginia, this will never happen among the staunch racists in the country, but even the most rancorous Hillary supporter will come around when it comes time to deciding between John "Dubya" McLame and Barack Obama. If you get the chance, take a look at the video from my latest post. I'm still amazed that people like this still exist - even though I grew up around a lot of similar people in Kentucky.
Robert:
Hillary has pretty Much totally Blown ANY CHANCE for VEEP ( definently in my book)....
Hillary has sadly caused some real damage( and Bill too)......She does need to set an Example and Show some grace and dignity...and she and SHE ALONE needs to Speak to Her Supporters and SHOW Leadership and Implore her Supporters to Stop Attacking Obama and his supporters...
Racism is another WHOLE Problem...BUT Hillary setting an example to people that are racist and Behind the Times ( ie West Virginia) would go far to heal wounds....and damage..
Edwards was definently sending a messege to Hillary last night and showing her how to speak postively about ANOTHER Candidate...HOW she responds to this Challenge will say alot...BUT if she keeps attacking and acting like THIS IS HERS...then we do indeed have a BIG problem....
Each of us can do our parts too...I do keep on Spotlight and the faults of her campaign, BUT I do not ever say anything negative about her supporters because I know that her supporters have worked hard and endured 8 years of Hell too....
The Only Big Blogger that has been honest about her Campaign is Huffpost...I admire Arianna for taking a Stand...
I hope and pray that Hillary comes to her Senses and realizes the damage she is causing....when she could show real Leadership and Grace..
Robert:
if you don't mind I am going to link to the Video too..to spread the concern of this issue....thanks for finding this video...
On MSNBC they did show the Vandalism that his Headquarters have recieved and the racial slurs and Hate Speech .....( mind you they reported it- NOW , but actual Damage and events happened in Indiana- weeks ago)......
Please do link to the video. People need to see that this kind of learned and passed on behavior is still prevalent in this country and specifically in parts of Appalachia.
Thanks Robert...will do, am working on the new post now.....thank you....
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