19.1.07
Smoke, mirrors and poppets
Or mirages, as Glen Ford might say. Ford's newest piece on Obama should - but almost certainly won't - inject a little bit of common sense into the debate around and hopes for his presidential run and the new "ascendency" of the Democrats in general.
In at least one important respect, Ford's article is like Comrade Max's recent post that started the whole tempest-in-a-teacup among the "Internet Left": there's an underlying admonition to these "leftists" to remove your head from your ass. You're happy that the Dems won? That's great - but keep some perspective on matters. Actually, try a lot of perspective.
Effective is not the same thing as empowered. The Democratic party was there a long, long time before any of these clearinghouse websites were even gleams in the eyes of their comfortable middle-class founders, it has its own history, and that history only overlaps a tiny, tiny bit with yours.
Most important: what are you actually getting from your elected "servants"?
Or mirages, as Glen Ford might say. Ford's newest piece on Obama should - but almost certainly won't - inject a little bit of common sense into the debate around and hopes for his presidential run and the new "ascendency" of the Democrats in general.
In at least one important respect, Ford's article is like Comrade Max's recent post that started the whole tempest-in-a-teacup among the "Internet Left": there's an underlying admonition to these "leftists" to remove your head from your ass. You're happy that the Dems won? That's great - but keep some perspective on matters. Actually, try a lot of perspective.
Effective is not the same thing as empowered. The Democratic party was there a long, long time before any of these clearinghouse websites were even gleams in the eyes of their comfortable middle-class founders, it has its own history, and that history only overlaps a tiny, tiny bit with yours.
Most important: what are you actually getting from your elected "servants"?
