[Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Re: Some jarring stats

[Eric A Meece]

I think we also need to be a pressure group and do lobbying. We already represent thousands of people. We need to give them a voice.
Serving on commissions and running candidates is fine, but the present political system does not give us a chance to actually win state and federal offices in this county, but at most an opportunity to temporarily help knock out or pressure a bad Democrat. So we need to do other services as well that will accomplish some of our goals, as well as hold a long term vision of a powerful electoral party.

Eric M
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Caroline Yacoub 
  To: Eric A Meece 
  Cc: sosfbay-discuss 
  Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 5:52 PM
  Subject: Re: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Re: Some jarring stats


        At the Green Party meeting last Wednesday, Peter pushed the idea that we need to have more candidates for offices at all levels of government and challenged the members present to bring in names of people willing to run at the next meeting. Merriam (I think) also brought up the idea of serving on commissions, thereby getting our feet in the door of local politics. We need to DO things like this if we are ever going to be heard.
        Caroline

        --- On Tue, 11/11/08, Eric A Meece <eameece at california.com> wrote:

          From: Eric A Meece <eameece at california.com>
          Subject: Re: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Re: Some jarring stats
          To: "sosfbay-discuss" <sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org>
          Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 5:30 PM



            From: Wes Rolley 


             "Maybe we should do something similar within GPCA / Santa Clara County ...."

            Indeed; for all the issues we have with our politicians.

            I disagree with Phillips and I disagree with the idea that Washington will become less contentious because of the election of Obama.  His choice of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff shows that he needs an enforcer and intends to use one.  The most recent statements from Congressman John Boehner, House Minority Leader, indicate that he is going to fall back on the failed Newt Gingrich tactic of bringing government to a halt to make a point.  He will talk one way, but act the other.  Washington will become more divisive than ever if we, the citizens allow that to happen. 

                I'm more concerned that Obama will give in and be too bipartisan. I agree as well that Washington will not be less contentious; but I'm not so concerned about that, but rather that the right decisions be made and the right things done. I hope Obama will be able to persuade the right people. The Republicans have been ruthless, extreme and uncompromising; the problem is that Democrats have not had any spine and have given in. Witness their utter and willful failure to stop the war in Iraq, their giving in on extreme right supreme court appointments, etc. etc.

            So, Obama will need to find the right balance. I don't know if he will. If Obama thinks he will have an easy time convincing the opposition to support him, or even all of his own party, he has a revelation coming. Entrenched power does not give in easily. Or maybe he does know this, and that's why he hired an enforcer or whatever you call him; somebody who knows how to confront powerful opponents and deal with them. His problem seems likely to be in the Senate though; the House minority has little power to stop the majority. I'm not sure what Boehner can really do.
            The point though is that people will now feel safer voting for Greens, because disaster is less likely if they do, now that the country and government has moved back from extreme right (Republicans) to center (Democrats).

            What Phillips said is hope for Greens. If the 2 party system continues to frustrate the people, they will start to ask for a multiparty system. That was his point. If the Democrats and a few moderate Republicans can't get something done now, things will either go back to the extreme right, or will open up to the left and other parties like ours.

            Unfortunately, we live in an era where Rush Limbaugh has ~20 million listeners and Bill Moyers may have 200,000.  It is an era where image, soundbite, and simplistic narrative have replaced contemplation or reflection, where Obama,  speaking to the public with a 9th grade vocabulary is a great improvement over W whose public utterances require only a 6th grade level of comprehension. 

            Indeed; I think the people are poorly educated and informed, so politicians have to talk in that way even to be understood; and perhaps to pander to the generally conservative opinion in this country.

            I am of the opinion that we need not more demonstrations but rather active engagement with the political process at all level: city, county, state, federal.  

            I agree!
            Eric 

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