implicit art

<rant>
Like many Americans, I’d like the US to again start acting like a democracy, instead
of propagating the idea of one as a justification for war. I love my country,
which is why I hate seeing it go to the Bushes. What can we do? VOTE. I’m
going to be sure to send my votes in from South Africa. How hard is it to get
to the polls in the US?
Here
is a great article on the democratic hopefuls for the 2004 presidential election
(LA Times, need a free subscription). You should also keep an eye the The
Note, daily, for news on the primaries.
IMO, for the first time since Carter, we’re beginning to see some real
democrats, who stand a chance in the primaries, running in the next election.
Perhaps this is one good thing to come out of the Bush administration – a response
to it. This does not go for Joseph
Lieberman, who I believe is a twit.
I am, admittedly, a Nader
supporter, and was hopeful of getting that 5% vote to disrupt the US 2-party system
in the last election (parties that get 5% of the national vote can apply for government
funding, and the Green Party accepts no corporate sponsorships, as opposed to
the Demublicans and Republocrats). Short of getting Michael
Moore to run for president, however (doubt that would ever happen),
we stand no chance of that happening in the near future. So what’s left? Well,
there are some great Dem hopefuls that "want their country back" in
the news these days.
Dean is my choice fave.
Check him. He’s super
smart, very progressive, even though a bit dim on race issues. He got his fame
by blatantly taking an anti-war stance on Iraq, and is up there with Bradley
(site now down, as he was a 2000 hopeful) on my list of cool, living Dems. The
progressive candidate with the best chance in the election is likely Edwards.
He’s got limited experience, but has great ideas, and hails from the south,, which
usually garners more conservative support. Kucinich,
who calls himself "The Peace Candidate," is another decent choice with
progressive ideas, but I think his pro-life stance will be his downfall. Kerry
seems like the "safe" candidate; he’s not that exciting, and keeps swaying
on major issues, but better than A Gore. And lastly is Gephardt,
looking at some great policies for health care and economic equity. Take some
time to look at these sites. It is the least we can do to as responsible
world citizens – the US president effects the entire globe.
As a registered Democrat, it’s sad that my voting for Nader,
a third party Green, marked the first time I left a voting booth feeling proud
of my selection. Get to the primaries and see a real Democrat (as opposed
to Lieberman) on our
bill for 2004. Then get to the polls again on election day, and make sure we have
a president who wishes to lead a Democracy (or even a Republic – since that’s
what we’ve really got!), instead of a Consumption Machine.
</rant>