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kangeroo
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Posted: Tue Feb 5th, 2008 11:20 am |
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Choosing Wisely
“How many times do we have to feel betrayed and surprised at the disconnect between people's words and their actions before we learn to pay more attention to the latter than the former?" (pp. 7-8)
"It is hard to let go of a comforting illusion, but harder still to construct a happy life out of perceptions and beliefs that do not correspond to the world around us." (p. 60)
[size=--Dr. Gordon Livingston, Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart]
This is our chance, folks.
If the last 7 years have taught us anything, they've taught us that substance matters. Policy details matter. The truth matters. Wisdom matters. Common sense matters. Actions matter.
Let's learn from our past mistakes of falling for style over substance. Let's learn from our mistake of voting for Bush, Jr. the first time because he was more charming and personable than Gore. And then the second time because Bush, Jr. was more fun than Kerry. Let's learn from our mistake of ignoring those who protested in 2000 that Bush, Jr. had no foreign affairs experience. You might recall the retorts at that time, that Bush, Jr.’s staff would more than compensate. And we all know how well that turned out.
Although we all ignored it in 2000, we know now in retrospect that Gore would obviously have been the better president. If we learned anything from 2000, it’s that the way we vote matters—that it’s our duty to ourselves and to the world to be brave, to do the right thing, to vote responsibly, and to use our heads as well as our hearts.
We should know by now that saying you’ll be “compassionate” and promising to be a “uniter” is nowhere near enough. We need someone we can depend on to defend our party’s and America’s principles when the cameras are off and when our backs are turned.
Let's learn from our mistake of letting the media decide our primary election with Dean in 2004. I think we all realize now in hindsight that Dean would have been the better nominee than Kerry, and certainly a better president than Bush, Jr. Wishy-washiness and flip-flopping just won’t do. Courage, truth, and conviction matter.
Let's remember what Democrats stand for, and why a lukewarm Dem is not enough. We believe in putting the betterment of our country over individual greed. We stand for the right bread-and-butter principles—including the core belief that we lift all of us up by ensuring that every single one of us is lifted up. And to top it all off, we know how to do it while stimulating the economy and balancing the budget. 
So in my mind, once we start saying, “well, we don't reeeeaally have to take care of everyone, do we?”—by, for instance, cutting 20+ million people out of a basic human need like health care—we're on an all-too-familiar slippery slope, sliding back again toward selfishness, greed, elitism, and a fractured and dysfunctional country.
In our heart of hearts, we know that Americans are an amazingly generous people. But we can also easily be led astray by those who appeal to the selfish tendencies in all of us. (Example: Tax cuts will solve all of our problems!)
When our country's prosperity, security, happiness, and well-being depend on the Democratic party’s ability to deliver on everything Republicans can’t, this is surely not the time to compromise on the best that we have to offer.
Let's make the smart decision this time. This is our chance to put our mistakes behind us, and to redeem ourselves as a nation. Because in case you haven't noticed, the world is watching. Let’s show them that we’ve learned from our mistakes and that we are the wiser for it, by electing the person who represents everything that we want America to stand for again: truth, courage, ingenuity, wisdom, generosity, hard work, and an indomitable spirit.
It’s our duty to put the interests of our country ahead of our individual or selfish impulses. For goodness’ sake, just imagine the future we can look forward to with Hillary as our president: an America that is safe, strong, prosperous, kind, intelligent, resilient, generous, and esteemed again. Let's vote for that better future for all of us, and especially for our kids, by putting the betterment of our country ahead of our impulses of the moment.
And as for the Hillary critics, you know what they remind me of? The same kind of silly madness spawned by the “martian invasion” from War of the Worlds, or the so-called grave communist threats raised by Senator McCarthy. You know, the kind of illogic that makes normally intelligent, sensible, good-hearted people morph into an irrational, hysterical mob.
But don’t worry, Hillary will win them over the same way that she won New Yorkers over. And in case you've missed it, there is a counter-movement growing daily of thoughtful and intelligent Hillary supporters courageously calling for truth and the kind of integrity befitting our country's leader. Yep, they’re an audacious bunch, daring to demand more than a certain candidate's contradictions between his words and his actions--like here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. (And to think, that's even with the media in his pocket!)
This latest pro-Hillary movement makes sense if you think about it. Democrats and progressives have always been the ones fighting for truth and reason over blind prejudice. Which, in turn, has always gone hand in hand with fighting the misinformation of the corporate media and certain rabid Republicans. And now even, dare I say, quasi-Republicans in Democrats' clothing?
Some might protest that people like me are trampling on hope and on unity. Well, I gotta tell ya, that doesn't make much sense to me. Because if I’m anything like other Dems in this country, we all have a tremendous amount of hope in our hearts right now—and that’s exactly as it should be. We know, unlike most Republicans, that real hope stands first and foremost on a foundation of truth and justice. We know that real change depends first on our being honest with ourselves and being brave enough to do the right thing, even when it’s hard. And that, my friend, is where I choose to entrust my hopes.
To read some initially undecided voters' accounts of why they chose Hillary--some of which demonstrate just how dramatically people's preferences can change very quickly--see here, here, here, here, here, and here. And for some good closing arguments for Hillary, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
I hope you’ll join me, and elect the woman who I and so many others trust to make us proud of our country again.
Make us all proud today, and let’s take America back!!!!!
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