Thirty years ago, I watched helplessly as friends and neighbors fell for the amiable Republican candidate, Ronald Reagan, and his back-to-the-good-old-days message. I was five-months too young to vote. And I knew I would pay an economic price based on his policy proposals. That price? Two percentage points more on my student loans, disqualification for Pell grants, and lower starting wages when I entered the workforce. And I’m still paying as this country labors to shake off the myths of Reaganomics.
I saw it all coming again in 2000 when George W. Bush campaigned for office. It didn’t help that I had 20 more years of experience as a political observer, not to mention experience crafting messages and developing images as a communication and PR practitioner.
Again just as I predicted, W bankrupted our country as he had almost every business he’d run. He had a record, but the press reported on personality instead.
So as we approach the 2012 election, I’m going to make another prediction. With the Republican field currently in disarray, their fundraising numbers abysmal, and a total lack of accomplishment upon which to run, Jeb Bush will swoop in late to save the Republican Party.
Too soon for another Bush you say? Perhaps, but with our current economic crisis and voters’ tendency to blame the incumbent, the Bushes will see an opening. And their old money and corporate ties will line up behind their man. Traditional Conservatives to Tea Partiers will converge to support Jeb in a desperate bid to regain the White House. Like Republicans always do, they will fall in line and award him the nomination.
And Jeb Bush has a real record to run on. He is the one hope for the Republican Party and a real threat to President Obama’s incumbency. But if he wins, average Americans will be left in the cold again. His allegiance will be to the wealth he comes from and to the corporate moguls who fund his campaign.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Why I’m “obsessed” with politics
If you’re on my Facebook Friends list, you know I’m a serious political junkie. And even if you’re not, you probably know it’s a vice I admit to freely. But you may not understand why.
I grew up with a quiet father who observed the world closely. He didn’t say a lot, but he didn’t miss much. And he read constantly. I spent evenings in his lap as he read the paper and a host of magazines. He read a variety of sources, and he never took any of them as the gospel truth. He asked a lot of questions, and he never assumed he had all the answers. But he worked diligently to inform himself. I’d venture he was one of the best read men in the neighborhood.
That’s how I was raised. And like my father, I read – a lot. Why?
I learned from my father that it mattered. The political decisions we make – not individually but as a society – set our course. So if we choose poorly, we all pay. That is the tyranny of the majority. That’s our democracy.
So for 30 years I’ve been tracking our political record, and it sucks. I’ve paid more in student loan interest, earned less and am now watching my kids (and yours too) struggle even harder than I did because my generation and succeeding ones have made poor choices based on misinformation we’ve been fed by corporate media.
How do I know this? I’m part of the system.
I was trained as an artist to create illusion, and I work in business communication and public relations. I know how word choice affects perception, and I know how color, perspective and design play on emotions. I can spot the frame almost before the words are out.
Additionally, I care about the people I live with. I’ve spent 30 years watching family, friends and neighbors get hoodwinked by politicians bought and paid for by corporate interests. Election after election I watch them vote based on emotional reactions to ads and mangled rhetoric, rather than facts, then wonder what happened when they get screwed later.
Consequently, I get a little frustrated when people assume I’ve just “drunk the Kool-Aid.” As I did in drawing class, I try to walk around situations and see them from as many sides as possible. I came very late to choosing a political party, and I’m not terribly comfortable there yet.
So instead of assuming I’m an ideologue, maybe you need to join me in the search for real information and solutions. Maybe you need to start asking questions and looking beyond the morning radio broadcast and the evening TV news for information. (And trash the e-mails – please!) Maybe we need to talk.
Because democracy begins with dialogue; tell that to your congress people as they play chicken with the debt ceiling.
Happy Independence Day.
I grew up with a quiet father who observed the world closely. He didn’t say a lot, but he didn’t miss much. And he read constantly. I spent evenings in his lap as he read the paper and a host of magazines. He read a variety of sources, and he never took any of them as the gospel truth. He asked a lot of questions, and he never assumed he had all the answers. But he worked diligently to inform himself. I’d venture he was one of the best read men in the neighborhood.
That’s how I was raised. And like my father, I read – a lot. Why?
I learned from my father that it mattered. The political decisions we make – not individually but as a society – set our course. So if we choose poorly, we all pay. That is the tyranny of the majority. That’s our democracy.
So for 30 years I’ve been tracking our political record, and it sucks. I’ve paid more in student loan interest, earned less and am now watching my kids (and yours too) struggle even harder than I did because my generation and succeeding ones have made poor choices based on misinformation we’ve been fed by corporate media.
How do I know this? I’m part of the system.
I was trained as an artist to create illusion, and I work in business communication and public relations. I know how word choice affects perception, and I know how color, perspective and design play on emotions. I can spot the frame almost before the words are out.
Additionally, I care about the people I live with. I’ve spent 30 years watching family, friends and neighbors get hoodwinked by politicians bought and paid for by corporate interests. Election after election I watch them vote based on emotional reactions to ads and mangled rhetoric, rather than facts, then wonder what happened when they get screwed later.
Consequently, I get a little frustrated when people assume I’ve just “drunk the Kool-Aid.” As I did in drawing class, I try to walk around situations and see them from as many sides as possible. I came very late to choosing a political party, and I’m not terribly comfortable there yet.
So instead of assuming I’m an ideologue, maybe you need to join me in the search for real information and solutions. Maybe you need to start asking questions and looking beyond the morning radio broadcast and the evening TV news for information. (And trash the e-mails – please!) Maybe we need to talk.
Because democracy begins with dialogue; tell that to your congress people as they play chicken with the debt ceiling.
Happy Independence Day.
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