Would you play a chess game with someone who played by a different set of rules than you? That really wouldn't make sense would it? Especially if your set of rules put you at a disadvantage. Yet, this is exactly what some critics would expect of Democrats. Critics want Democrats to pass some kind of purity test that says they shouldn't take campaign monies from Wall Street or corporations while their opponents continue to rake in the big bucks.
When Barack Obama was first running for president in 2008, he promised to pursue with his opponent the course of using only public financing for their campaigns. When he saw how primary opponents were gaming the system using 527 groups (now called Super PACs) he reversed course. The linked article explains his reasoning. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/19/AR2008061900914.html.
As is everything in politics, it's complicated. We now have many critics of the Democratic party who want us to play by a different set of rules than our opponents. Democrats are expected to win races, but are asked to follow rules that would hinder their chances of winning.
It would be great if we had a system where presidential candidates could only use public financing and that prohibited outside groups from collecting monies or holding fundraisers for candidates. But, we don't have that. Our Supreme Court has ruled that corporations also have free speech rights under our Constitution. Their money is their speech. So, we have a system that allows PACs and Super PACs and we cannot require Democrats to play by a different set of rules than their opponents. If Democrats don't win elections, they don't have much opportunity to enact laws to change the system or to implement their platform.
Right now winning is vital. Be wary of any critic who wants to improve the Democratic Party by requiring Democrats to play by a different set of rules than their opponents.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Saturday, April 8, 2017
"A Vision of Mutuality"
Wouldn't it be great if we lived in a world where all people respected and valued each other? In such a world, there would be no domination of one set of people over another. We'd all be seen as having equal value and potential. Do you believe that such a world is possible? Are all created equal but some are just more equal than others? This simply cannot be.
A long time ago, some very patriotic and wise men got together and came up with this: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Do you recognize it? Yes, it's from the Declaration of Independence. Look back, it says "all men are created equal". Did they really mean that? All - men - ??
The Founding Fathers eventually framed a constitution that said slaves were 3/5th a person and women could not vote. So, it appears what they really meant to say was that ALL WHITE AND FREE MEN (who were landowners) are created equal. Since that time Blacks and women have had to fight to be treated equally by this Constitution. We've had to amend that Constitution several times and we've had to take issues to the Supreme Court to ensure that ALL are created and treated equally. And we aren't done yet!
Perhaps you've heard this quote, "Women's rights are human rights." It's from a speech given by Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1995. You can read the whole things here:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hillaryclintonbeijingspeech.htm
That's over 20 years ago! Are we closer to a world where all people respect and value each other? Or do we still have work to do? If you believe we may have come a long way baby, but, we still have work to do, you might just be a feminist.
There, I said it. A feminist. Do you want to be labeled a feminist? Some think it's a dirty word describing a man-hating woman who wishes she'd been born a man. Nothing could be further from the truth.
According to Bell Hooks, who is one of our most eminent feminist leaders, feminism is, "a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression." Anyone can be a feminist then. I am a feminist and I raised my three sons to be feminists. I'm proud they value equality for all. Feminism is for Everybody is the title of a book by Hooks published in 2000. Grab a copy. It's small, but, powerful.
I believe feminists need to be political. I believe ignoring politics is not an option. We need awareness of what's happening at every level in our political system. We cannot afford to ignore it. Not if we want to keep the rights we have. There are plenty who would love to see our political system return to the way it was when the Constitution was framed.
Are you interested? Are you willing to get involved? If you are new to political activism, start with Ballotpedia. It is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan collaborative encyclopedia designed to connect people to politics and elections at the local,state and federal level." https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page
There is carefully researched information available on the site. According to wikipedia, Ballotpedia was "Founded in 2007, it covers American federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy." Everything is referenced and it is free of partisan opinion.
Here are some things you can do to make a difference: write a letter-to-the editor, attend a town hall, go to a city council meeting, volunteer for a candidate or organization you support; you get the idea. Act.
Join me and others who want to make this world a place where mutual respect is the norm and all people are considered to have inherent value. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has." https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/margaretme100502.html
A long time ago, some very patriotic and wise men got together and came up with this: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Do you recognize it? Yes, it's from the Declaration of Independence. Look back, it says "all men are created equal". Did they really mean that? All - men - ??
The Founding Fathers eventually framed a constitution that said slaves were 3/5th a person and women could not vote. So, it appears what they really meant to say was that ALL WHITE AND FREE MEN (who were landowners) are created equal. Since that time Blacks and women have had to fight to be treated equally by this Constitution. We've had to amend that Constitution several times and we've had to take issues to the Supreme Court to ensure that ALL are created and treated equally. And we aren't done yet!
Perhaps you've heard this quote, "Women's rights are human rights." It's from a speech given by Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1995. You can read the whole things here:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hillaryclintonbeijingspeech.htm
That's over 20 years ago! Are we closer to a world where all people respect and value each other? Or do we still have work to do? If you believe we may have come a long way baby, but, we still have work to do, you might just be a feminist.
There, I said it. A feminist. Do you want to be labeled a feminist? Some think it's a dirty word describing a man-hating woman who wishes she'd been born a man. Nothing could be further from the truth.
According to Bell Hooks, who is one of our most eminent feminist leaders, feminism is, "a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression." Anyone can be a feminist then. I am a feminist and I raised my three sons to be feminists. I'm proud they value equality for all. Feminism is for Everybody is the title of a book by Hooks published in 2000. Grab a copy. It's small, but, powerful.
I believe feminists need to be political. I believe ignoring politics is not an option. We need awareness of what's happening at every level in our political system. We cannot afford to ignore it. Not if we want to keep the rights we have. There are plenty who would love to see our political system return to the way it was when the Constitution was framed.
Are you interested? Are you willing to get involved? If you are new to political activism, start with Ballotpedia. It is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan collaborative encyclopedia designed to connect people to politics and elections at the local,state and federal level." https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page
There is carefully researched information available on the site. According to wikipedia, Ballotpedia was "Founded in 2007, it covers American federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy." Everything is referenced and it is free of partisan opinion.
Here are some things you can do to make a difference: write a letter-to-the editor, attend a town hall, go to a city council meeting, volunteer for a candidate or organization you support; you get the idea. Act.
Join me and others who want to make this world a place where mutual respect is the norm and all people are considered to have inherent value. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has." https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/margaretme100502.html
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
The First Hundred Days
I am thoroughly exhausted by the chaos that is Trump's presidency. He has gathered a cadre of people about him who all seem to have some connections to Russia and are willing to lie about it. In just 70+ days at least 3 have resigned or been fired. Now, we have a president who's campaign staff are under FBI investigation for their ties to Russia and possible collusion with Russia to influence the outcome of the November election. How on earth did we get here? Many pundits far wiser than I have been trying to figure it out. Some blame the victim of this Russian interference by saying Hillary Clinton was an awful candidate. Some blame the DNC and the head at the time, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. Others blame the media for not doing their investigative duty and informing voters of the extent of Donald Trump's ties to Russia and his vast businesses that would present many opportunities for conflicts of interest.
I think there's plenty of blame to go around but let's now stop looking for someone to blame. Now is the time to figure out what to do with an amateur administration that doesn't know how to function effectively in DC or in world affairs. Not knowing is one thing. (No one expects them to know everything.) The most troubling aspect in my opinion is their willful ignorance. From my view, it looks like they don't even care to know. That's just sad.
We can only hope this administration begins to accept the extent of their ignorance and tries to remedy it by getting expert advice. Having a former media president with no experience in government advise Trump is no way to govern. The apprentice president needs experts in the room, not his children nor his in-laws. If we make it to day 100, it will be because wiser heads than his prevailed.
I think there's plenty of blame to go around but let's now stop looking for someone to blame. Now is the time to figure out what to do with an amateur administration that doesn't know how to function effectively in DC or in world affairs. Not knowing is one thing. (No one expects them to know everything.) The most troubling aspect in my opinion is their willful ignorance. From my view, it looks like they don't even care to know. That's just sad.
We can only hope this administration begins to accept the extent of their ignorance and tries to remedy it by getting expert advice. Having a former media president with no experience in government advise Trump is no way to govern. The apprentice president needs experts in the room, not his children nor his in-laws. If we make it to day 100, it will be because wiser heads than his prevailed.
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