Worryin', Watchin' and Worryin some more

I would not be surprised if some of the Democratic backroom boys and girls do not really want to win this election. I mean, the Democrats already had their VietNam. Being at war with religion is a lot messier than being at war with material ideology. It is probably more important to them to win back at least one of the two houses of Congress over the next two cycles.

Thinking historically... Hitler won because the German middle class was troubled by a lack of homeland security. And today all the pundits have been saying that former pro-Gore soccer moms have become pro-Bush 'security moms'. If war is the extension of politics, then politics is war without physical violence (to a point). Therefore, in politics, like in war, truth is the first casualty, and critical thinking must die necessarily as a consequence of that.

When the Germans retreated from Russia, Goebbels said that the German armies were just 'straightening out the frontlines'. When the Russians penetrated into Germany, he said that "it is much easier to beat them on home soil'. And the German soldiers kept fighting and dying. Bush's BS is not all that different from Goebbels' BS. Since everything repeats itself so nicely,
we humans (not just Americans) are either immensely stupid (because we have choices), or human nature rectricts us from smartening up (because we are less able to make true choices than we are willing to acknowledge).

But then, as I have learend to accept, the two candidates do not
represent as much of a choice as I would like. The less the difference, the louder they have to get. But while Kerry may be much better on several fronts (the supreme court, gay and lesbian rights, health care), is he really fundamentally different?

Well, maybe. But my concern isn't about telling people to not vote for Kerry. My problem with this situation is that real change does come from struggle in the streets, work places, and schools, and the building of a mass movements of people who care about people and not winning an election or fattening the bottomline can easily be undermined by people having all this faith and energy invested in Kerry.

Recall that the Clinton-Kerry supported the embargo against Iraq that killed more people each month than have died each month under Bush's folly of a war. Of course, Bush supported the embargo also--I'm obviously not defending him. I am just concerned that if Kerry wins, people will heave a sigh of relief, when they/we should be just as concerned and committed to struggle in either case.

The level of discussion about the election for all the crap thrown at the wall is so very low.

Kerry supporters do try, sometimes, to talk about issues, though they sometimes degenerate into a "if you disagree with me, you want women to die from illegal abortions in order to protect your philosophical purity" types of arguments, which is the same type of "bullying/isolating/ganging up" type of argument that Bush supporters use.

Bush supporters, on the other hand, seem to ONLY use that type of argument. I had someone tell me that he really likes Bush. I asked "why?" He said, "I just do. I really do." And this person could not explain why they felt this way.

Perhaps that is the scariest point of all.