I just finished reading an article I had stumbled across in my Twitter feed; it's from a recent issue of Vanity Fair.
Its author, a seasoned journalist named Kurt Eichenwald has illustrated the abject cruelty of many right-wing legislators from a very personal perspective --- in a manner which I never could. (Just google [or "bing", if you prefer], My Family, Our Cancer to read the article. It's well worth it!).
I often wonder whether many of the folks who cast their votes for these uncompromising, uninformed legislators --- not only in Texas --- ever fully realize the consequences of their ballot choices.
Recalling my experiences as a volunteer canvasser, primarily in metro Chicago, southern Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana, I can readily recall hundreds of folks I've met in my travels, who seemed to be very nice, decent people --- the kind of folks who'd immediately rush to help someone in distress. Yet without missing a beat, they declare their allegiance to candidates with agendas that betray a spirit of meanness.
I often think to myself, "How can we get through to these people? They're not evil beings." Yet, who has the time to read Vanity Fair? So many wage-earners are working multiple part-time jobs these days, just trying to cobble together a survival-level income. And they're working damned hard, too! With whatever free time they have, they just wanna kick back and relax. Who can blame them?
Really, about all we can do is keep after the folks who flocked to the polls in 2008 and 2012, but sat out 2010: the young voters especially. Next year's midterm elections will be vital. The Rick Perrys and Scott Walkers do not reflect our true values either as a society or as individuals. Nor does Congress. (Issue-oriented polls prove it).
We can and must do better in 2014.
My kids read Vanity Fair. It's a good pub, but there are others even better, as you know.
ReplyDeleteI read it at times when I'm visiting there.
--As to our "true values"? I'm not sure what those are, considering the current preoccupation with sex, fun and many mindless pleasures. Network TV is one proof of this--if I were wrong, the stupid shows demeaning one's dignity and intelligence couldn't survive--but they do, and it gets worse every season. (Cable TV is no better.)
The "truth" seems to be that only a relatively modest percentage of American adults pay attention to these serious matters--never mind pinning the problem on the young, the oldsters are just as bad.
--Would that it were not so!
Preoccupation with sex and mindless pleasures aside, reputable polling organizations do take surveys which indicate popular support for policies that help people, not hurt them.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned the young only in the context of historic voter turnout. If 18-to-29-year-olds had showed up in 2010 in numbers comparable to 2008 and 2012, we might not have elected quite as many goons.