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zeegoeshere at 11:04pm on 02/10/2008 under how to write a political poem
zeegoeshere at 11:04pm on 02/10/2008 under how to write a political poemI've been thinking about this stuff for a while, but the debate tonight--both Palin's obvious strategies and some of the reactions I've seen already--really brought it into sharp focus.
I am so tired of and angered by this country's culture war. I'm sick of it from both sides, honestly. I'd welcome a VP candidate from Alaska who spoke in a folksy manner if she didn't have policies I find utterly abhorrant; it's so frustrating when I feel that other liberals' hatred for her stems from a place of deep resentment of 'hicks'.
If it weren't for the culture war, McCain and Palin wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Tonight's debate would have looked so different. The whole political landscape would be different. I'm so sick of the democratic party letting itself be constantly defined as elitist when our policies are better for the working and middle class and their policies are better for rich corporate businessmen. And I'm sick of us blaming that redefining on the conservative spin machine or on the middle-America populace that we're so quick to dismiss as stupid--for fuck's sake, are we so powerless that we can barely fight back against accusations of being too rich and snobby? I'm tired of people whining about anti-intellectuallism and why-is-elitist-a-bad-word-anyway. I *hate* it when liberals buy into the culture clashes and lash out against regular Joe six-packs because we feel attacked. It's fucking classist, and it's stupid politics.
I feel like the guys at the top of everything have manufactured this culture war to a large extent, and I'm just--I want an entirely new political discourse. Obama's just another politician, yeah, but I do think he's in a good position to shift things and break down cultural barriers. I think people in this country are beginning to get past these divides, considering Obama's numbers in a lot of Western states and in Virginia and North Carolina, and hopefully the Rovian politics surrounding Palin is the last gasp of this wedge strategy. The last thing we need right now is for the Left to stay stubbornly closed off to the possibility of bridging culture gaps.
I am so tired of and angered by this country's culture war. I'm sick of it from both sides, honestly. I'd welcome a VP candidate from Alaska who spoke in a folksy manner if she didn't have policies I find utterly abhorrant; it's so frustrating when I feel that other liberals' hatred for her stems from a place of deep resentment of 'hicks'.
If it weren't for the culture war, McCain and Palin wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Tonight's debate would have looked so different. The whole political landscape would be different. I'm so sick of the democratic party letting itself be constantly defined as elitist when our policies are better for the working and middle class and their policies are better for rich corporate businessmen. And I'm sick of us blaming that redefining on the conservative spin machine or on the middle-America populace that we're so quick to dismiss as stupid--for fuck's sake, are we so powerless that we can barely fight back against accusations of being too rich and snobby? I'm tired of people whining about anti-intellectuallism and why-is-elitist-a-bad-word-anyway. I *hate* it when liberals buy into the culture clashes and lash out against regular Joe six-packs because we feel attacked. It's fucking classist, and it's stupid politics.
I feel like the guys at the top of everything have manufactured this culture war to a large extent, and I'm just--I want an entirely new political discourse. Obama's just another politician, yeah, but I do think he's in a good position to shift things and break down cultural barriers. I think people in this country are beginning to get past these divides, considering Obama's numbers in a lot of Western states and in Virginia and North Carolina, and hopefully the Rovian politics surrounding Palin is the last gasp of this wedge strategy. The last thing we need right now is for the Left to stay stubbornly closed off to the possibility of bridging culture gaps.
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