Welcome Back to the Politik

Politics is a fickle beast. One minute it has you reveling in the possibilities of collective human action, then next it has you furious at its capability for corruption. The beltway can burn mainstreet as the mainstream media trumpets the charge while half-way across the country a group gathers in a garage and founds an organization that changes the very landscape of our discussion.

Needless to say, with such ups and downs, it becomes difficult at times to stay in the fight. Even as a spectator, I find myself occasionally needing a break from the head-spin. However, I, and our conversation, are back.

It's been a long sabatical, but it hasn't been without toil. One cannot simply unplug from the Tea Party, the debate blunders, the hidden and not-so-hidden racism of mainstream white fear, the rise and fall of Democratic hopes, the constant mistrust, misunderstanding, and mystery of our enigmatic president, and the ever tilting Earth on which we stand. Thanks to a constant ear to the ground and one eye prised firmly open at the 24 hour news cycle, I have gleaned, and gleaned, and gleaned.

What have we learned over the past however-long-its-been? We've learned that money can indeed bring "grassroots" organizations to the polls. We've learned that Democrats do in fact learn their lessons. We've learned that NPR, much like the Progressive ideology, is equally susceptible to the ignorant vilification of a movement clinging to life. And, most importantly, we've learned that Christine O'Donnell has never actually read the Constitution.

This year has revealed the character of our country and our politics and if one could write a thesis describing the findings it would be this: we need serious work. Our opinions are exposed to the winds of change and our values maleable if not thoughtfully defined. Evidence is a nebulous concept in a world of FOX news special reports and our sensibilities are equally as nebulous when fear is our compass.

Ultimately, it is because of this very thesis that, despite nearly nixing this blog on three seperate occasions due to perceived low readership and a personal insecurity in my ability to preserve it, I feel as though this is not my project to abandon. The symphony of our Democracy requires not one conductor, but many skilled instrumentalists guided by their passion for beauty and enlightenment. Should one instrument be silenced, the entire ensemble suffers. Should our goal fade in importance, the beauty of our music is cheapened.

So, without further ado, it is with great enthusiasm that I invite you to gather your art, be it conversation, speaking, thinking, writing, doing, or leading, and raise it to your lips with me. We have a lot of work to do, but together, we too can will our melody above the din of hate and suffering, and brighten the lives of our fellow man.

Welcome back to the politik.

Life is Obnoxiously Unpredictable.

Good evening everybody (or at least those of you who still check the blog after an extended period of no updates)!

Alright, here's the news. I got a job! That's right, after completing my minor in unemployment I am back to work making sandwiches for the good customers of Panera. It isn't glorious, but it is money.

With that in mind, things have gotten a little chaotic. I'm hoping that in the ensuing weeks things will start to slow down (or at least develop into a routine) and I'll be back to read the news and post more. In the mean time however, I'd like to take the opportunity to talk to you guys.

My question is simple: what do you want to see on the blog? I tend to comment on trending topics (and I've missed several good ones in the past couple weeks) but I'm wondering what's important to you? What issues would you prefer to see? Would you rather see links to posts from other sites or unique editorial from myself?

Like I said when I formed the site and invited all of you, this place is yours. That's why it's called "The Polis". Let me know what it is you want to see in your community and I guarantee we can make this place a daily oasis of thought and conversation.

So! Leave your suggestions, interests, dreams in the comments section while you're here and let's keep this train rolling!

Good News on a Friday (An Ascent From Pundit Purgatory)

It's been sneaking in again. That crushing feeling of helplessness that accompanies spending several hours a day on news blogs and political commentary sites. If you listen to the Right, we're going to hell in a handbasket. If you listen to the Left, Obama is a do-nothing, accomplish-nothing corporate puppet.

Needless to say, when no one's happy and it's sometimes difficult to disagree with the enthusiastic logic of some of those on the left, reality becomes a bit nebulous. For example, I've found myself wondering why Obama hasn't already fixed illegal immigration, gay marriage, special interest influence in politics, and solved world hunger in his first two years as president. I've wondered how the man I voted for could so quickly bow to Republicans in order to shoe-horn a half-complete health insurance reform bill through. I've wondered why he hasn't railroaded climate legislation through with his Congressional super-majority.

I'll stop there. You can see where this is headed.

The Ascent

I've been frustrated that none of the pragmatic policies I once believed in have resonated with the public and therefore compromises have been made and progress has been slow. According to those news blogs I mentioned, America hates Obama, all demographics have gone off their rocker into one fringe corner of the political spectrum or the other, crippling progressive legislation in the process.

Then I spent some time on the Huffington Post.

If one take's the country's political temperature there, then one finds many people still support the Obama administration, regularly recognizing the mountain of achievements he's already piled up. What resonated with me most of all though was the temperate, intelligent expectations these same people have regarding the slow progress of progressive legislation and the necessarily slow undoing of the political culture in Washington.

And The Good News

Shortly after rediscovering this message (which I recognized as my own more rational stance before it was blown about by the wild winds of internet political blogging), and consequently rediscovering my optimism, I also happened upon this information:

Deficits and Economic Recovery

View more webinars from ourfuture.

It's a study by a group called the Campaign for America's Future and it possesses some rather telling facts about the state of the midterm electorate. Some highlights include:

"68 percent said they would oppose making major spending cuts in Social Security and Medicare to reduce the deficit, while 28 percent said they would favor cutting those programs. That included 61 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of independents.

"Strong majorities also oppose common conservative proposals for addressing the budget deficit: 65 percent oppose raising the Social Security retirement age to 70; 65 percent oppose replacing Medicare with a private sector voucher; 62 percent oppose a 3 percent federal sales tax; 60 percent oppose raising the Medicare age from 65 to 67.

"60 percent of those surveyed responded positively to an economic message that said that “we have a budget deficit, but … we also have a massive public investment deficit” that requires us to “rebuild the infrastructure that is vital to our economy” and to the economic growth that will “generate revenues to help pay down the budget deficit.” This message tests better than any other progressive message on investment as well as more conservative messages focused on spending cuts."

In summary, this study too finds that the American public is not as irrational as the media and GOP would have us believe. A resounding majority understands that cuts to social programs in order to trim the deficit are undesirable and that public investment should be a priority before deficit reduction, therefore heading off the "strangle the beast" tactic of the Right before it finds a foothold. In other words, the Democratic message of public investment, continued support of social services, and a long-term strategy of economic development bolstered by short-term deficits is quite popular with likely voters.


Going Forward


The truth remains that Democrats will likely lose seats in the coming midterms, but I personally find peace with this now. After discovering that not only is the American public not as crazy as advertised but that the Democratic message is still a popular one, I can confidently remove my hands from my eyes knowing that progress isn't as unlikely as perceived. 


The moral of this story, if any, is that you should form your opinions for yourself. Use facts, but be sure to identify what information from what sources qualify as facts. Obama approval ratings by Rasmussen are not facts, CBO estimates are. Huffington Post editorials are not facts, and neither is anything Fox News puts on the air.


Finally, shut off the computer and walk away for a while. Perspective is a powerful thing and so is optimism. If one begets the other, then it's easy to see how a trip down the political rabbit hole can stifle both simultaneously.


Have a good Friday folks. I certainly will.

Globalization and the GOP's "Response"

Glenn Beck, John Boehnert, Mitch McConnell, Bill O'Reilly, Texas, Tennessee, and the Teabaggers are arguably some of the most influential entities in the Republican party as they gear up for the coming midterm elections. They tout the same message: limited government, less taxes, privatized social services, and a decreased deficit. However, one message rises above all the others in terms of its repetitive, frequently out of context, boiler plate usage: “states’ rights”.

But why this message now?

Conservatives, by definition, are champions of the status quo, yet one can hardly argue that states have had reign over political decisions in the past few years. The largest expansion of the Federal government in history came under George W. Bush after all.

Furthermore, simply making themselves the anti-Obama (and inherently anti-liberal government) party doesn’t seem like a marketable platform to me. Despite the obvious benefit of the message for conservatives, the “states’ rights” message still has to resonate with the Republican demographic in order to gain any traction (even in the face of a massive media manipulation).

Liberal/Progressive misgivings to their policies help clarify the picture. The most poignant complaints are that Republican policies ignore the little guy, take advantage of the defenseless, ignore the collective well-being of society for the betterment of a few privileged nobles, and impose niche "morality" and religion on all people without exception. What it boils down to is this: “states’ rights”, limited government, less taxes, and privatized social services all point in one obvious direction.

Leave me alone.

So the question is where does this come from? What external force evinces this fingers-in-ears reaction that so pervades the GOP these days? Furthermore, what is the basis of liberal/progressive concerns with conservative policies?

If we read between the lines, the answer becomes clear. The Internet has allowed ideas to cross borders, forums have allowed the masses to critique these ideas, pushing some to the fringe and others to the forefront, and 24 hour news networks and blogs have shed light on atrocities previously unseen and unnoticed by the public. In addition, the globalization of business has raised the question: what are the borders of esoteric, religiously defined morality? Where do religious mandates end and legal protections begin?

The shuffle is as prominent as it is pervasive. Old ideas, once hidden in the shadows, are being thrust onto the examination table: racism, working conditions, religion, environmentalism, welfare, and the boundaries of responsibility are no longer confined to geographic borders, but are instead being redefined as we analyze them as a global community. Old, hackneyed ideas are under duress as European multiculturalism and social responsibility rise above the fray.

In other words, the Right’s southern, racist fringe, aloof elite, religiously petulant, and overall ignorant carefree are falling, kicking and screaming, in the face of redefined global standards for humanity. In response, the Left's, more compassionate, more collective, and more human concept of the state gains traction with Liberal/Progressive voters.

So, in fact, nothing has changed about the Conservative movement. They’re still vehemently defending the status quo. The problem, for them at least, is that the status quo no longer defends them. States’ rights, as it turns out, is the only possible Conservative message.

So the obvious question then is what happens next? Can a party, fighting against the forces of globalization of business and culture possibly survive? How long before the Republican party is forced to morph into a Progressive party with alternative solutions to our country’s obvious issues? When will the old guard die enough to allow the greater majority of the Republican party to make their own decisions? come to their senses? Stop obstructing the inevitable?

I'll be in Germany when it does.

A Beautiful (If Fleeting) Decision

I would be remiss if I did not blog after last night's California court ruling on the infamous Proposition 8.

For those of you not aware of Prop 8, as it is more commonly called, here is a little history: Prop 8 was an amendment to the California constitution banning gay marriage. From what I understand, this measure was largely a reaction to a previous act that allowed gays the right to marry in the state. The lead up to the vote was marred by controversy and the measure ultimately won out, garnering 52% of the vote.

What this amounts to is that a majority of citizens were able to take rights away from a minority. If that sounds bad, that's because one of the pillars of this country is protection for the minority from persecution by the majority; an especially important consideration in a system where decisions are made by majority vote. Needless to say, this was seen as discriminatory and a handful of gay couples (who had been married under the previous act) took the measure to court.

The court case was heated and featured star lawyers, including Theodore Olson, a conservative and former US solicitor general, and David Boies, who represented Al Gore during the infamous 2000 election dispute. Both sides argued their cases and, yesterday evening, George H.W. Bush installed Chief Justice Vaughn R. Walker found Prop 8 unconstitutional on the grounds that it, "unconstitutionally burdens the exercise of the fundamental right to marry and creates and irrational classification on the basis of sexual orientation." (source)


This is an important victory for LGBT marriage, especially in a state with a prominent LGBT community. Frankly I am floored that the decision came through the way it did. Congratulations brothers and sisters, may this add fuel to our fire as we strive for the equality you so justly deserve.


Additional insight and analysis below:

• truthout: Federal Judge Rules California Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
• MediaMatters: Right-wingers falsely portray judge in Prop 8 trial as out of mainstream
• AlterNet: Judge Rules Against Prop 8: Huge Win Against Bigotry, But the Fight Is Far From Over
• Salon.com: Proposition 8 ruling: Don't pick the caterer just yet
• Salon.com: The anti-gay right responds to the Prop 8 ruling

As with most political victories, this is more of a call-to-arms than a cathartic signal to lay them down, but there's nothing wrong with basking in the afterglow for a few beautiful moments.

Cheers!

P.S. I hope everyone likes the new layout! I felt that the old-new setup didn't exactly capture the spirit of the blog. I think the new layout is both easier to digest and more representative of the intellectual nature of our dialogue.

In the Name of Pure Nepotism

Good (late) evening everybody!

I'm proud to announce the newest addition to the "Just for Funsies" section of the links: "All Hopped Up", a fantastic beer blog manned by my close friend Brian Fox.

Brian's newest project is sincerely top-notch, with topics ranging from tastings to gear to brewing. His recent attempts at beer ice cream in particular have left me wondering if, perhaps, like the far reaches of outer space, sugary concoctions based on malted grain beverages will ever be reachable. Needless to say, whenever I need a break from the rough-and-tumble of politics, AHU is a great escape. If you too enjoy beer as much as I do, feel free to take a look (frankly we could both probably use the site traffic...)

In addition, I'm a guest blogger! That's right, despite Brian's actually having read my writing, he decided to invite me to author some pieces on home brewing. My intro to homebrew was up this week and, should it lead to violent hate mail and death threats, don't say I didn't tell you so Brian.

Happy hunting everybody.

Sometimes the Moment Arises

Press conferences and ribbon cuttings are designed to trick us into thinking that something monumental has happened. When a corporation opens a new hotel, we are made to believe that it is something really special, which it is not. We are made to believe that such an "event" is an event in the purest form of the word: a spontaneous intersection of events that results in the manifestation of real action.

Late Thursday afternoon, however, the House of Representatives witnessed something of a true event.

According to the Huffington Post article, House Republicans managed to summon enough votes to halt a $7.4 billion dollar bill that would've provided free medical care to those sickened by the events of 9/11. What Republicans took argument with was a procedural maneuver by Democrats that prevented the addition of amendments to the bill. This was appropriate, considering that Democrats were concerned that Republicans would tack on overly partisan amendments to a widely popular bill in order to sneak the measure in.

When the measure finally fell, Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) did what I believe Democrats should have been doing for quite some time. Video follows:




The remarks of observing procedural order were directed at Republican Representatives attempting to interject in the middle of Rep. Weiner's time (which is a violation of parliamentary procedure).

My 2 cents: while the GOP consistently touts "political correctness run amok" when discussing Democratic opposition to discriminatory legislation, I believe that the true meaning of the term has already reared its ugly head. The continued politeness and kowtowing to blatant, petulant, destructive, and Machiavellian obstructionism has done a great deal of damage to financial reform, health insurance reform, and public progress in general.

For my money, Anthony Weiner's speech was the first motivating thing the Democratic party has done in the past several months. Thank goodness C-SPAN's cameras were running when a true political event arose.

The Root of the Problem

I stumbled across an article from Crooks and Liars on Current.com this morning that I found very poignant.

What's fact got to do with it?

Go ahead, read up.

Okay, if you decided not to read then I'll give you the bullet points (in a bulleted list of course):

• In the age of information, one could reasonably believe that information and fact should undo erroneous beliefs
• However, new studies show that instead of undoing such beliefs, it actually strengthens them
• Furthermore, scientific studies show that fear and the perception of threat also prevents people from accepting fact as, well, fact
• C&L's solution then is to bring the hammer down on news corporations, since the bias that fuels this phenomenon is built into our psychology
• Another solution they present is to tap into findings showing that those with higher self-esteem are more comfortable changing their minds

I think they did a fantastic job of articulating a subject that I've always sort of merely circled. Day-to-day I find myself more frustrated than inspired that people consistently believe in lies. Sarah Palin has found fame in it, Republican attacks against health insurance reform relied on it, and the 2010 midterm elections will likely be affected by it.

My problem, though, is with their proposed solutions. There really is no public accountability for news organizations, since any attempt to regulate them finds one lambasted in "1st amendment" arguments, there really is no natural, commercial way to regulate them, since the sensationalist, fear based reporting is what brings in the big bucks, and there is no natural psychological way to moderate them since, as C&L mentioned, the bias is built into us.

So I'm asking you guys, what can we do? As intelligent individuals, its not as difficult for us to question and re-shape our beliefs when presented with legitimate facts contrary to our already-held beliefs. But what about those mired a little deeper in the information quagmire with less tools to escape? Frankly, I think that improving self-esteem has already failed miserably, since it has created the most narcissistic generation of all time (extreme narcissists are even less likely to accept facts that contradict their subjective reality).

For my money, I think a cultural shift is required. The "information age" was supposed to bring about this utopia of enlightened minds but it has instead brought people's attention spans to their knees. According to recent studies (mentioned here for example) our attention span has actually regressed to the point that it resembles that of our primitive ancestors; analyzing every rustle and movement in search for predators. In order to counter-act the fast-paced news cycle, scanning of information, and deleterious effects of shallow conversation and thought, our culture must shift back from a rapid-fire information fueled one to a more pensive, more thoughtful, more deliberate one. That way people might instead analyze information more thoroughly as it comes to them, perhaps diffusing the hegemony of errant opinions based on flimsy facts in the first place.

Unfortunately, this one could be pretty hard to legislate.

But hell, what do you think? I believe we have enough intelligent people reading this blog to come up with a real solution. Just put your fingers on the keys and fire away.

Oh Hey Guys!

Ladies and Gentlemen, after a brief hiatus from the blogging game I am proud to announce that I am back, like an employee opening the door to his office after a long vacation only to find an avalanche of papers and assignments.

In the time that I took off, I missed the Kagan confirmation, the Shirley Sherrod story, the progression of Financial Reform, the erection of a billboard in northern Iowa comparing Obama to Stalin and Hitler, and a gaffe by Jim Cornyn and Jeff Sessions revealing the RNC's intentions to maintain Bush era policies if Republicans find themselves in power within the next four to five years.

Like I said, stack of papers.

But my "vacation" wasn't without cause. To be quite honest, after several weeks of burying my face in political coverage and philosophy, I found myself disenchanted with the political game. My outlook was bleak, my expectations were low, and personally I had become quite depressed. Blogging, discussing, and reading about politics no longer summoned the enthusiasm it once had and I thought it was time to step back and gain some persepective.

So, I dedicated myself to more creative work, starting with music and film, eventually discovering a passion for photography and graphic design, and culminating in a willing return to politics. The fruits of my labor you ask?

1. The discovery of probably a dozen incredible albums (listed here)
2. The addition of several new sites (under "Just for Funsies" on the homepage)
3. The aforementioned discovery of photography (Flickr)
4. The viewing of several Rifftrax (makers of Mystery Science Theater 3000)
5. The viewing of Wim Wenders "Alice in den Städten" (I do not get film noir...)
6. The realization that without a computer, I am an absolutely hopeless mess

 All in all it was an extremely productive break and I'm chomping at the bit to get some work done here. As always, keep the comments coming and let me know if you'd like to write a piece yourself! I'd love to have some guest writing done and it's a really easy way for you to get published in a public forum.

Hope everyone is having a great summer and I look forward to seeing most of you very soon.

A Hiatus (On Purpose This Time)

Good morning patient readers!

I write this morning to inform you that, like the Daily Show and Colbert Report, I am going on a two week hiatus, effectively putting my talent and social status on par with Jon Stewart.

After a month and a half or so of polarizing political reading (as reflected by some of my recent "Marxism" posts...) I've decided to step outside the news blogs and gain some perspective. The world can seem like a pretty bleak place when you face this stuff head-on, day after day so I'm using material such as the following to regain my optimism and enthusiasm:




If you want to follow my journey, feel free to follow my music listenings at last.fm and posts on facebook (which have recently been overtaken by Farmville and Café World). I won't be incommunicado, simply a-political.

Stay classy everybody and, when the world appears on the brink of Armageddon, step outside for a sec. It's already done me a lot of good.