2008 Woodie Awards
Hope and change for a third party
Eli Gottlieb, Collegian columnist
Issue date: 5/9/08 Section: Editorial / Opinion
And yeah, that's exactly what our country needs right now, especially Democrats. We need another extremely rich president (because who wants to elect a Republican after eight years of Bush?) unelected by the people, from a family one of whose members has already held the office. These eight years have been so darn joyful we're on our hands and knees begging for more.
Well, we're definitely on our hands and knees.
Yet these bitter primary fights have brought more young people and independents into the political process than ever before, particularly as Obama supporters. Our potential first black president has a groundswell of real support beneath him. Thus, I can dimly see a path forward, a way that the nation as a whole can benefit even if Hilary loses the nomination and manages to press the button on her metaphorical bomb belt.
If he loses the nomination of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama should take his supporters and found a new political party. Now, before anyone reminds me how pathetically third parties usually fare in our electoral process (thank you first-past-the-post voting system), remember that Abraham Lincoln ran on the ticket of what was, at the time, a third party: the fledgling Republican Party. Third parties can win a place for themselves by displacing a dying major party.
And I do see the Democratic Party dying. In 2004 they decided to run John Kerry on the basis that he was "electable." As Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert only noticed this year (my whole family of Kucinich supporters knew it when it happened), "electability" actually meant nothing more than being the most boring, middle-of-the-road candidate available.
That's right, they knowingly (if with extreme rationalization) ran the most boring candidate they could find for president of the United States rather than throw their collective support behind someone who actually took positions.
Lo and behold, after four years of George W. Bush, they managed to take a candidate who, thanks to his lack of distinguishable features of any kind, had no distinguishable faults, and lose. They have grown fat on campaign donations, and have utterly ceased even trying to mount serious ideological opposition to the outright fascist elements of our country.
They have, in short, become the worst kind of conservatives, despite their reputation for liberalism. I cannot remember the last time the Democratic Party ran a really liberal candidate for any office higher than district attorney.
But Barack Obama draws in support by simple force of personality and intelligence. His rhetoric of hope makes people feel that it can be done, whatever it may be.
If it weren't the specific national anthem of the Jewish State (Happy Israeli Independence Day, by the way), I would even recommend that Obama invent and sing "Ha'Tikvah" (translation: "The Hope").
If the time has come to desert a party structure that has failed its supporters, failed the American people, and now stands poised to destroy itself in a fit of aristocratic pique, then I think Obama is the one to lead us somewhere new.
Eli Gottlieb is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at egottlie@student.umass.edu.
Well, we're definitely on our hands and knees.
Yet these bitter primary fights have brought more young people and independents into the political process than ever before, particularly as Obama supporters. Our potential first black president has a groundswell of real support beneath him. Thus, I can dimly see a path forward, a way that the nation as a whole can benefit even if Hilary loses the nomination and manages to press the button on her metaphorical bomb belt.
If he loses the nomination of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama should take his supporters and found a new political party. Now, before anyone reminds me how pathetically third parties usually fare in our electoral process (thank you first-past-the-post voting system), remember that Abraham Lincoln ran on the ticket of what was, at the time, a third party: the fledgling Republican Party. Third parties can win a place for themselves by displacing a dying major party.
And I do see the Democratic Party dying. In 2004 they decided to run John Kerry on the basis that he was "electable." As Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert only noticed this year (my whole family of Kucinich supporters knew it when it happened), "electability" actually meant nothing more than being the most boring, middle-of-the-road candidate available.
That's right, they knowingly (if with extreme rationalization) ran the most boring candidate they could find for president of the United States rather than throw their collective support behind someone who actually took positions.
Lo and behold, after four years of George W. Bush, they managed to take a candidate who, thanks to his lack of distinguishable features of any kind, had no distinguishable faults, and lose. They have grown fat on campaign donations, and have utterly ceased even trying to mount serious ideological opposition to the outright fascist elements of our country.
They have, in short, become the worst kind of conservatives, despite their reputation for liberalism. I cannot remember the last time the Democratic Party ran a really liberal candidate for any office higher than district attorney.
But Barack Obama draws in support by simple force of personality and intelligence. His rhetoric of hope makes people feel that it can be done, whatever it may be.
If it weren't the specific national anthem of the Jewish State (Happy Israeli Independence Day, by the way), I would even recommend that Obama invent and sing "Ha'Tikvah" (translation: "The Hope").
If the time has come to desert a party structure that has failed its supporters, failed the American people, and now stands poised to destroy itself in a fit of aristocratic pique, then I think Obama is the one to lead us somewhere new.
Eli Gottlieb is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at egottlie@student.umass.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Democrats Rock
posted 5/10/08 @ 3:40 PM EST
John Kerry is the man!
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