THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY....
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY....
Make this not about the romance of a lifetime nor the one who, sadly, you were never able to well, you know.......
I'm talkin' politics. (We'll clean up the waxy buildup from candles and old flames long since extinquished along with the crushed roses and residual romantic regrets later.)
With all our angst over and under the happenings of the big election this past year, the fearful demise of the economy and now the perilous plight of our long awaited and sorely needed healthcare reform...
Well, it got me wonderin' about the rocky path too oft traveled by so many. Come to think of it, there are similarities much like grieving a lover lost and passions unfulfilled.
Consider the...
Unanswered communiques, anxious moments waiting for the phone to ring that never does and the quickening of your pulse as you gaze upon the objective of your attention. Of course, instead of unrequited love/lust for a comely lady or gent, these are the calls and messages sent to politicos and others about the legislation and candidates you supported emotionally and tirelessly.
Our tears and wails for the candidates who were runner-ups instead of victors and for the laws/bills never enacted are also of unrequited fervor and the perceived loss of what might have been.
Anyway, to the point of this post...
Have you worked vigorously for legislation not realized? Or a candidate who lost the election? (Local, state or national.)
If so, what do you believe would be different today if the legislation was enacted? Or if your candidate had won?
And how did this endeavor impact your life? lessons learned? Discouraging or encouraging? In retrospect, was it a positive or negative experience?
I believe in the value of experience. I hope you will share yours and maybe, just maybe, it will help all here who care so passionately about our homeland and constitution to achieve a better future for us and ours.
C'mon, I've got a boxful of tissues, sublime chocolates and a bit of the grape to get us thru the saga. We're listening, so please tell us your story - 'Cuz we haven't lost that lovin' feelin' for our sense of each other or our country's field of dreams rife with red, white and blue blooms.
(Whenever or Wherever I hear our National Anthem - it still makes me tingle. Sigh.)
Some time ago, I was the photographer for a site for a Presidential candidate. It was a great time. We (two people overall generating content for the site - me on pix and one other guy doing everything else) had a great time. Press passes (now autographed!) to all candidate events, we beat the papers to the web with our stuff more than once, met the guy twice, have a nice political photojournalism portfolio and some good memories. And we still lost.
I'm not going to speculate on what might have been. There's no point - it didn't happen.
I made or refreshed some acquaintances with local and national media people, really sharpened my event photography skills - and elbows - and got very good at making editorial choices when sifting through dozens to hundreds of digital photos, often late at night, in a big hurry.
I straddled the fence between campaign work and the media pack, and had a great time. Would I do it again? Maybe. Maybe not. Ask me in 2016.
August 12, 2009 6:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey grouch.....you have the most interesting experiences. No kidding.
And yes, we can work on things and lose and still come out ahead. Or have some fine memories. Or even pix
August 12, 2009 8:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
dd, hopefully we'll discover even more surprises about some of our cohorts and past political issues and candidates. I'm finding this very interesting.
August 12, 2009 10:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Check your mail, DD...
August 13, 2009 2:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since you spent so much time with the candidate - I'm interested if you became more or less supportive of him/her. Sometimes, the behind the scenes behaviours changes peoples minds.
Thanks for this.
August 12, 2009 9:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I still hold the guy in pretty high regard. He would've made a very good President.
It pointed out for me something I already knew, just really clarified it beyond all doubt: There is a difference between being a good candidate and being a good campaigner.
August 13, 2009 10:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ack!
Lamont who ran against Lieberman and won the primary, fair and square. I dropped my level of involvement after that sweet victory, as I was having my own rather serious issues at the time, and I truly didn't think Lieberman, running as the "party of Joe" would do anything but disgust the generally intelligent voters of CT.
How do I think things would be different? We'd be up one anti-war progressive instead of back-stabbing Joe, and I do think that would have had some impact.
If I could do it again, I'd fight harder after the primary.
(sobs)
(grabs tissues)
(blows beak loudly)
It should have been Lamont. The thing that really KILLED me was the Dem leadershp then kissing Joe's butt.
Thy shoulda cut him off at the knees.
August 12, 2009 8:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
So agree - but kudos for going for the 'change'!
Would you become that involved again do you think?
Appreciate.
August 12, 2009 10:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I backed Ross Perot. But all the Republicans in my family talked me out of it. In fact, all the Republicans talked him out of it too.
August 12, 2009 8:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Geez, I can remember initially being somewhat enamored with his candidacy. As I recall I basically was so taken by his bluntness and lack of concern for political speak.
He was certainly interesting.
Hmmm, now I'm gonna have to go look up some of the specifics on him.
August 12, 2009 10:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pie charts. Lots and lots of pie charts.
Big ears.
But then again.....
He was the wedge between Clinton and good ole Herbie Walker Bush, aka Poppy.
He was the one that spoke plain English to us folk.
He was a rich man from somewhere down south, who somehow managed to get on TV in the debates longer than Kucinich did, and I give him a hell of a lot of credit for sticking in there as long as he could.
If my fawlty towers memory serves me correctly, he ended up backing out over threats to his family or his daughter's wedding, or both.
August 12, 2009 10:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, we were Perot supporters, too. I have often wondered what would have happened if the country had been run like a real business for awhile. Of course, that was before I realized how awful (and perhaps even evil) big business was (or can be)...
But, beyond voting for him, we never actually worked for him.
The last time I actually WORKED for someone was Bobby Kennedy, and we all know how that worked out.
August 13, 2009 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
I suspect it would be a disaster to run government like a business. The natures of the two are different enough to make the approaches incompatible.
That's why the mantra itself is false. Government is not there to make a profit or out-sell the competition, it is there to make the lives of the people it serves better. Provide basic public services, basic protections, and provide something of a buffer between ourselves and some of the worst misfortunes life smacks us with on occasion.
To state it in shorter terms, business is there to reach for the stars, and government is there to ensure that the floor beneath us holds.
We do need both, we just need business kept out of government. I'm not so sure about the reverse, as business left to its own gets far too chaotic and destructive when unchecked.
August 13, 2009 10:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hey Still -
Seriously, like I told LisB, I really am going to look up Perot and remind myself of his platform. Was his hook that he was the first 'rebel with a cause'? Hmmm.
I know I have some Jerry Brown campaign buttons (?) from his primary try too.
Have a chocolate or a dozen!
August 13, 2009 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Without looking it up, Sam, I am trying to remember what it was that attracted me, and I think it was that he wanted to trim the fat, stop the fraud, find the waste and delete it, streamline it, so it was more efficient, make people more accountable...sounded like good ideas to me, and we STILL haven't done it.
Grouch, I like very much what you said about business reaching for the stars and the government makes sure the floor holds. But I think there are some good business practices that the government needs to embrace (although more of the small business ethic, rather than the large)...learning to live on a budget, eliminating waste and fraud, rewarding innovation, setting goals and demanding accountability, caring for your people...it goes on and on...
August 13, 2009 2:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
The two aims are so fundamentally different that I think they may be irreconcilable.
I used to work in (municipal) government. Did maybe 12 years there, in technical positions.
I worked my way to where I was writing bid specs for capital purchases that got sent out for sealed bids. We watched every penny. There was no waste from our operating unit.
And we were fine on looking out for our people until Quimby became mayor. Then, the workplace became adversarial - to a very great degree.
Then I left - went independent.
I still know people there. They are down and dispirited even years later. because Quimby bought into that "run it like a business" mentality.
Government and business, again, are two fundamentally different things. Their one commonality is that they are both creations of human endeavor. Their one great mutual trouble is that we humans are all fallible. Government seeks (or ought to seek to) ameliorate those fallibilities. Business often seeks to profit by them. This alone makes them incompatible models.
Given that distinction, which do you want seeing to basic needs?
August 13, 2009 5:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
John Edwards. I believed in his "two Americas" idea. He was my first choice in the 2008 election cycle.
August 12, 2009 8:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Initially, for me, it was a toss up between Obama and Edwards. I liked his proferred ideas and ideals, but even before he quit there was something about him that struck me as disingenuous. And I was coming to like Elizabeth more and him less.
Thanks.
August 12, 2009 10:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good point, but even knowing what we know about his, um, whatever....
Edwards was for the populace in a way that Hillary and Barack were not. For that, I truly liked hearing what he had to say on our behalf, and it was my hope that his voice would carry on even now.
That being said, I wanted him GONE when I was pushing for Obama, LOL....and many here know it.
Um, I don't mean GONE as in...you know, like....
Yeah.
August 12, 2009 10:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I think he is really 'gone' now - will be quite awhile before he is able to have a safe journey 'back'......if ever.
But, yes, I too liked his platform.
August 13, 2009 12:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Edwards is gone from being the contender for #1, but he will have his days ahead. Unions need him and he still has a burning hatred for inhumane business practices. Too much talent there to waste because his sex drive got the best of him.
August 13, 2009 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey GZ!
Sex drive? I think that's oversimplifying!
Nice to see ya!
August 13, 2009 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe yes, maybe no. I think it may be that simple, but it's simplicity does not diminish that it is serious.
August 13, 2009 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
My experience is that most of the time I lose. I supported Kucinich - both runs.
I've voted against prisons and jails - every time they come up.
I've backed public (clean) campaign financing - still losing.
I bugged the hell out of my reps on welfare reform (also known as the war on the poor).
I've been a "tree hugger" for most of my life. A few gains, and mostly losses.
I marched in the streets for the Equal Rights Amendment - still a loser. I helped support Wounded Knee - lost that one too. Marched and boycotted for the grape pickers (partial win).
I fought against NAFTA, and against the invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq.
I'm used to losing, but I keep hoping that more folks will join "my" side.
Where do I think we'd be if the things I work for had come to pass? Well, I guess I biasedly think we'd be in a lot better space than we are.
I have been losing long enough to hope that people are starting to move in what I believe is the right direction. I decided long ago that losing an engagement was not losing the war. That each struggle plants seeds and expands the dialog. Sometimes that even seems to be the case and not a fantasy on my part. After all, I believe that we have finally mostly acknowledged that polluting the environment is not a good idea and that global warming is not a conspiracy theory. Progress!
August 13, 2009 1:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Rowan -
I too was an activist for ERA but for a decade mainly was involved in state and local issues, usually for causes to do with social issues such as legislation for the improvement of foster care, schools, employment laws, environment, et al.
Lost some, won some - more oft outraged than satisfied with the processes of course.
Worked with Hatfield and Packwood (shudder) on a couple of issues and picketed Multnomah County's boards and Mayors a few times.
I can attest that local and state politics are just as vicious and ugly as national!
Took me awhile to learn the truth about the so called public servant agendas and the in depth involvement of private interests in the candidates and the processes.
Thanks for this and all your efforts for all!
August 13, 2009 11:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
After years of sideline sitting I became a Deaniac. I sat on the floor of an Irish bar in Providence handwriting letters to people in Iowa, for goodness sakes, and later did the same thing at another bar in Newport. (Tell the truth--I sat at a table in Newport and the bar wasn't Irish). I lost largely because a media I've never trusted since took a yell in a gym and made it into the Dean Scream. (I remember this is the second time I lost faith in the media--the first was when it pulled the plug on Ed Muskie by accusing him of crying over a slur on his wife--but like I said, I took a vacation from politics and one forgets a lot on a vacation).
I said I lost, not Dean lost--it turned out not too bad for him, and through him, for the country. He became Democratic Chair, invented the fifty state program, turned Congress blue--even if a bit doggish, and paved the way for Barack Obama's victory. Not too shabby. He also wrote a book which may help turn the tide on Health Care, got called a bloodsucker by Limpbough (rhyme that with cow) which is rather a compliment in itself.
So I guess I won after all. Can I have a chocolate anyhow?
August 13, 2009 6:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nike, from a semi-insider in a rival camp, Dean was finished before "the scream" in Iowa. He'd (under Joe Trippi's "management") burned through most of his money in the state, and his orange-hatted "Deaniacs" really alienated the Iowans. (I live in a neighboring state.)
The way a campaign is run has a great effect on the candidacy. And I would not hire Joe Trippi to wash my car. (We may also note he ran the 2008 Edwards campaign.)
Wow - three parentheticals in two grafs...
August 13, 2009 10:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
(If there was a way to write a parenthetical without writing a sentence to be parenthetical to...) Nope, just doesn't work. I loves them, I do, I do.
My Brother is an Iowan (if someone living in Iowa City can really be called an Iowan, and I went to Dean for America workshops out there too. They held them in a neat bar, the name of which I can't remember...Dean may have lost the primaries, but he had the best bar workshops.
August 13, 2009 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
I believe that Dean's positive contributions have been much more than too many acknowledge (to be gracious, I should probably use the term realize).
Had many 'debates' with others because I too attributed the media with ad nauseum hyping the whole incident with his so called outburst that ensured his demise as a viable candidate. I also wrote letters and made calls.
Thanks amike and yes, of course, you can have all the chocolates you want! (I rec. the dark chocolate truffles!)
August 13, 2009 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
DFA is probably our best vehicle to advance healthcare reform. We, the people, should grow that organization as a sign to the Congress Critters that we ARE seriously expecting them to reform healthcare by the end of the year, and by reform we mean there be a public option, but only if we cannot get Single Payer. I would remain optimistic Single Payer would follow eventually from a public option.
August 13, 2009 1:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
RFK. When Bobby was shot a piece of me died too...
August 13, 2009 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was up late that night, watching some forgettable movie on a local station, when they broke in and made the announcement.
I went and woke up my family and told them.
1968 was a bad, bad year.
I felt the same way about Obama as I'd felt about RFK, and have the same anxieties. And the fears are not only for the individual, they are for the nation. If we keep doing things like this, what will we become? How long will we last?
August 13, 2009 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
For me, whether it was age or awakening, it had a profound impact on my sense of the world beyond my shallow comfort zone.
I was very young and just beginning to be interested in our electoral and government processes.
Sadly, both his and his brother's murders left us a legacy of forever pondering what might have been.
August 13, 2009 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink