Anger

[Anonymous]

Some things that anger me...

We can't stick to what is important. When Obama or Mcain is in office, what are they going to do to better our country and our world? How are they going to fix our growing deficit? How are they going to make sure all americans have health care? How are they going to fix our dependency on oil? How are they going to fix the mortage crisis? How will they help the less fortunate? And I want to know how and when these "changes" will be implemented. I don't want to wait 4 years, have to go through another election to hear more about the changes that are a comin. I want marked improvements within a year of them being in office. Don't we all have the right to demand this of our head of state? Isn’t that we are voting them into office for and isn’t that why they are running?

We argue about nonsense and trivia and can’t man up to BS. My favorite is Palin’s internationally experience based on Alaska is close to Russia. Give me a break. That totally asinine! By that accord, I way out rank her international experience because I studied abroad in London in college and I use the word study lightly. Or as John Stewart says she must know Santa based on Alaska’s close proximity to the North Pole. Just say, Palin’s international experience is lacking, but she brings XYZ to the table. And it angers me that Republican news pundits keep talking about this great international experience because Alaska is close to Russia. I would think to educated independent voters out there, it makes you party look like a bunch of dumbasses that haven’t looked at a world map since 7th grade geography.

Dems and Reps die as Dem and Reps. If someone is unqualified or has shady dealings, it is death by media storm for the opposing party and suddenly no big deal for your own party. This ties back to lets be accountable for our actions and Man Up. I can’t think of other references other then Palin right now because it has been so prevalent, but if as a Republican you have been staunch in your support for, say, stay at home moms, you aren’t all of a sudden on board with a woman vice president just because she is part of your party and to say so without even apologizing for past statements angers me. We all make mistakes and change our minds, but say you did and why.

Americans personalize the president. Someone just like you; likes beer and Nascar. I don’t want a guy just like me, because that means that I could be president and I know I have no business running a country. Let’s stop thinking about who is the cool guy or where they went to school and what frat they were in. Start thinking about who the smartest, most equipped, best able to handle and run the country and will actually make changed happen.

And lastly, crappy political tv ads.

[Anonymous]

TOTALLY agree. My issues with her have absolutely nothing to do with her gender, her family life, her appearance, or, frankly, even her pro-life views. My issues are her qualifications (or lack thereof) and her already proven dishonesties.

Obviously I don't know you, but still, I just don't believe this, at least not for most people. Pro-lifers are not nitpicking about her dishonesty, and in general are supportive of her despite her short tenure as an elected official. People who are staunchly pro-choice have a never-ending array of insults and concerns about her. People are so afraid of being a simplton "one-issue" voter that they refuse to look in the mirror to recognize their own motivations. Abortion - or more acceptably "reproductive rights" is one of those core, emotional issues that transcend many other things and provide us a base for how we view all the other things about a particular candidate.

[Anonymous]

Obviously I don't know you, but still, I just don't believe this, at least not for most people. Pro-lifers are not nitpicking about her dishonesty, and in general are supportive of her despite her short tenure as an elected official. People who are staunchly pro-choice have a never-ending array of insults and concerns about her. People are so afraid of being a simplton "one-issue" voter that they refuse to look in the mirror to recognize their own motivations. Abortion - or more acceptably "reproductive rights" is one of those core, emotional issues that transcend many other things and provide us a base for how we view all the other things about a particular candidate.

You're right -- you don't know me, and I can assure that you although I am pro-choice, it's not one of my passionate issues. I have a lot of respect and understanding of the pro-life view, and frankly, I think Palin's "no abortion even in the case of rape or incest" is a more intellectually tenable position than pro-lifers who claim abortion is murder but then will make exceptions. If you believe an embryo or a fetus is already an unborn child, that child is innocent even in cases of rape, after all.

I expected McCain to pick a running mate who was pro-life. I did not expect him to pick one who is so unqualified and negative. It's not her abortion stance that incites me, I promise.

[Anonymous]

I find it curious that McCain's campaign is able to get attention by turning Obama's pig/lipstick comment into an insult to Palin, but Obama's folks did not seem to get any traction out of pointing out that the community organizer remark is an insult to thousands of Americans doing what McCain himself exhorted us to do when he spoke one night later.

My reaction includes some anger, but I'm not sure at whom it is derected, McCain, the press, or the voters who swallow what they (i.e., we) are fed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if I can explain it to someone that hasn't ever felt powerless

That's it right there. You nailed it.

I'm the former organizer poster. Getting back to the OP's intent, this is one of those things that just flat out triggers my anger. Sometimes I feel like so many folks here (self included sometimes) are oblivious to our privilege.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a former community organizer, from Chicago no less, who made dirt then and still makes dirt compared to a lot of folks in DC and on this board because I have spent my entire working life in the non-profit sector trying to make the world a better place and trying to fix messes that folks in positions of inherent power leave behind, the arrogant dismissal of community organizing absolutely. Made. My. Blood. Boil.

How arrogant. How priviledged. How repulsive.


So that's been the root of a lot of my recent anger. And lots of folks get what organizing is. Unfortunately, their voices are too often buried.

Thank you. You are absolutely right. Why would anyone mock a person who is trying to make their community a better place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a former community organizer, from Chicago no less, who made dirt then and still makes dirt compared to a lot of folks in DC and on this board because I have spent my entire working life in the non-profit sector trying to make the world a better place and trying to fix messes that folks in positions of inherent power leave behind, the arrogant dismissal of community organizing absolutely. Made. My. Blood. Boil.

How arrogant. How priviledged. How repulsive.

So that's been the root of a lot of my recent anger. And lots of folks get what organizing is. Unfortunately, their voices are too often buried.

Thank you. You are absolutely right. Why would anyone mock a person who is trying to make their community a better place?

OP once more. This is what I was hoping for. I think (or at least hope) that even the most conservative among us can understand that anger. On the other hand (as one who has never been a community worker, but nevertheless felt a similar reaction), I can turn it around and imagine that Palin felt a similar emotion about having her experience as a mayor belittled, and felt she had a perfect right to strike back.

And so the anger spirals until we get to the "dumb f*ck" stage.

New motto: if I claim to love my country, I should at least tolerate its people.

[Does it make you feel like puking when someone gets this preachy? ]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You are correct. Television has created a new domain for politics and politicians. Images are far stronger and stay in people's minds longer than just hearing something on the radio.

FDR sitting in his wheelchair would not make it as president. JFK made it through his debates with his dark jacket & striking good looks when countering a pale/washed out Nixon who was wearing a gray suit in front of a gray background. Nixon was recovering from an illness so his palor did not help his ratings juxtaposed with vibrant, handsome JFK on national tv.

Yes, I heard that people who listened to the debate on the radio thought Nixon won. People who watched it on tv thought JFK won. As I noted on the "Pretty Girls" thread, research shows that people generally think beautiful people are smarter and more talented.

[Anonymous]

I think "anger" is sometimes just passionate frustration, whether we realize it or not. It is frustrating when one's perception of common sense is not shared by a large group of people ... and since this country is divided almost evenly down the middle in terms of how we vote ... half of us are frustrated from the result of each recent election.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
[Does it make you feel like puking when someone gets this preachy? ]

I get frustrated that everyone appears to be shouting and demonizing instead of putting our differences to the side and working on the things we can agree on (energy prices, jobs, peace, opportunity, health)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get frustrated that everyone appears to be shouting and demonizing instead of putting our differences to the side and working on the things we can agree on (energy prices, jobs, peace, opportunity, health)

You mean something like a Republican on the list saying:

I know you Dems have a lot of disagreements with JM, but if he could work with Feingold and Kennedy, surely he will be able to have reasonable negotiations with a Dem Congress and come to some agreement that will improve the health care system, even if it does not get to where Hillary would like to be, and will improve some of the problems with the economy, even if it won't be exactly the Dem solution, and so forth.

Or if I, as an Obama supporter were to say:

I know you guys say he's the most liberal member of the Senate, but you know that vote counts can be misleading. This is a guy who supports faith-based initiatives, disagreed with the Supreme Court saying no to the death penalty for child rape, says the 2nd amendment protects an individual right to bear arms. He has pissed a lot of us liberals off to get some support from you guys, and he probably won't turn his back on you if he wins. I think he really meant that stuff about no red states, no blue states, just United States.

If our friend from NPR reads us to find women who have switched from HRC to JM, perhaps she'll read our explorations of common ground and do a piece on the blog that switched from name-calling to a productive dialog. Perhaps that dialog could spread, maybe even to the candidates.

Sisters, I have a dream!!!!