I know many of you are apolitical. And the rest of you are so jaded, you expect more from a potted plant than you do from your government. What if I told you that there was a way to vote this November and:
A. you didn’t need to care about the issues at hand.
B. You could vote in such a way so that your government would be better suited to listen than ever before.
Full disclosure: I am slightly liberal. Just to the left of Mao Tse Tung.
A gay couple’s right to a happy life together? check
A woman’s right to choose? check
An effort to stem the tide of Global Climate Change? check
Ending the Iraq War sooner rather than later? check
I’ve never voted for a Republican in my life. In fact, my very first vote, cast in a 1984 democratic primary was for Jesse Jackson.
I always vote with my heart. And I’ve been wrong for over 20 years now.
In case you are not familiar with the Change Congress movement, take 20 minutes out of your life and become educated.
Now that we are all up to speed, let me tell you a story. I was at a breakfast the other morning and met Jacob Turk. Jacob is running for Congress as a Republican in the 5th district of Missouri against Emmanuel Cleaver. He represents almost the polar opposite of how I feel. Don’t believe me? Check out his stance on the issues.
He’s for “traditional” family values (which are what exactly?), against Embryonic Stem-cell research, securing of the borders, and is for the Iraq War.
And I feel it is too bad I don’t live in the 5th district because if I did, I would absolutely vote for Jacob Turk. Why? He took the Change Congress Pledge.
He pledges to:
Money has corrupted the legislative branch. Our congress people are professional money earners and use us to line their wallets with cash. Emmanuel Cleaver’s political coffers are 50% stacked with money from lobbyists and Politcal Action Committees.
Your voice is useless against those who place money above the will of the people. A candidate, even one who feels opposite of the way you do, that doesn’t rely on money from special interests, in theory, should be willing to listen. What other options do they have to stay in office?
So in this election, ignore the issues. Vote on how reliant the candidates are on money and their mission to be re-elected. Vote for someone who is more likely to listen to your voice. That’s the only way you’ll have one.
And once we have a Congress that will listen, maybe then the issues will matter once again. To you and everyone.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Yes everyone, I sponsored the breakfast in my dance studio and witnessed this discussion between Banky and Jacob Turk. I had invited Banky to come and be my official greeter to the Chamber of Commerce breakfast. With it being an election year all of the poltical celebrities show up to this kind of event, including a State Rep…two running against each other for a State Senate position…judges …etc.
I personally know all of these people but, I wanted to give Banky an opportunity to experience a room full of friendly politicians. I was standing beside Banky for some of his conversation with Jacob Turk. They exchanged business cards… Jacob Turk reads the BankyforPresident business card. Jacob Turk’s outloud comment “Your running for president?” LOL I had to leave the room.
Nicely written dear…I gotta agree with you.
The Dancer
August 26th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Alas, I do feel like a potted palm, a withering one. They gave us rights and they are slowly taking them away. You can’t smoke a cigar at The Cigar Box. It is absurd!
August 26th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
The Donger say: “Hubba Hubba.”
August 26th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Donger also say: The following is a paid advertisement of Insane Clown Libbys International and is not paid for or supported by any particular looney group or commie pinko radicals:
Those of you with delicate constitutions when it comes to reality may want to skip this post. No, seriously…..just move along….nothing to see here…..don’t make me pepper spray your ass….
**************
The real test of the Jacobmeister is going to be 2 or 4 years down the road, if he’s even elected at all. The sick truth is that those who don’t accept money from lobbyists, PACs, and trade associations stand almost no chance of being elected, much less being re-elected. You can keep your head in the clouds and not believe it’s so, but that doesn’t make it any less true. There are certainly examples of 1st-time reps who pound the pavement and earn their election the hard way, but trust me, they do NOT want to have to RE-earn it in like manner. Money is THE name of the game in politics, and nothing else matters. Once in office, the primary goal of any representative who will actually be honest with you is to get re-elected. (BTW, the Jacobmeister already knows this….ask him about it). Which means raising money, and lots of it. 2 year terms are part of the problem, because it puts them in an almost constant state of money-raising. And, if a Rep. decides he wants to spend his brief 5 months a year in the state legislature doing more than pandering for support and bucks, he will quickly see the light of accepting large sums from groups wishing him to “see things their way” about this one little legislative issue, or that little addendum. And then, in the dark of night, nice and neat pledges get gently tossed out the window and into the bushes where they compost nicely, never to be heard from again. It happens every time, folks. Yet you keep falling for it. Coffee. Smelling. Waking. You.
I think it would be great if he can stick to his pledges and still get elected, and even more of a miracle if he could do so and get RE-elected. But my friends, that is not how the system is set up, and there are very large and powerful forces planted firmly in place to keep it the way it is.
So what is the solution? There is not one that is simple, or single-faceted. Change Congress certainly has a worthy agenda, and I hope they are phenomenally successful. But let me ask you: What is Change Congress going to do if (when) the people they support and who accept their pledges toss them out the window? Are they going to march into capitols across the nation and drag these people out by their hair? Or, are they going to pound their fists on their collective desks and breathlessly cry, “How COULD they?” As wonderful and positive their efforts are (and I do applaud them), Change Congress is but a bucket trying to bail out the ocean. Oh yes, we can share more cliches about how a small bucket can grow into a gigantic moon-sized shovel someday, but that is just mental masturbation and simply isn’t going to come to pass.
No my friends, something more is going to be needed. Not until there is enough strife and the near complete evisceration of the middle class is there going to be more than a murmur for real change. It is going to take something like a nationwide labor strike on the order of what the French people do when they are really pissed off. Nothing less is going to make much of a difference.
Need an example? One look at the Ron Paul campaign should do the trick. He espouses most of the platform that most Americans believe in, yet he has been almost completely neutered by the political powers running the country, the mainstream media, and an overall slothful and ignoramous-laden citizenry. Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty is holding it’s own convention in St. Paul the same week as the Republican convention. How many of you even knew that? How many of you even know what the convention is for? See what I mean? Even really smart, organized campaigns funded with millions of dollars of independent donations are actively minimized, shoved aside, or outright ignored by the status-quo-loving power mongers (we all know who they are) and their starry-eyed media stenographers.
No my friends, something more is going to be needed to turn the direction of this country around. When our Congress is so corrupt they won’t even honestly investigate, much less impeach, the current administration for the ruination they’ve caused this country via their blatant and willful lawbreaking, then working within a system like that is just the gerbil running in his wheel–he ain’t never gonna get nowhere.
Most of your 4th Amendment rights disappeared last month, did you know that? Do you even care? For most of you, sadly, the answer is a meek and quiet “No” on both counts (present long-time Banky fans excepted).
Massive, long-term, all-encompassing protest is the only thing that is going to bring any kind of change. “Power to the people” is only going to come when those people collectively just sit down and say, “Fuck you, we’re not going to help you ruin this country anymore.” Notice I didn’t say “stand up and say…..” That’s because standing up is not effective. Sitting down just might be.
Literally, the vast majority of the citizenry from all walks of life would have to become unified, organized, and determined…..at the same time….about the same issue…..to the same degree. The entire country would have to come to a screeching halt for at least 30 days for things to change, or there would have to be a forceful overthrow of the gov’t, both of which we know are almost impossible possibilities. The police state is nearing completion. You think you are free, but you are most definitely not.
Sorry to break it to you.
Why bother ranting like this? Because, someone needs to wake you up from your Matrix. Why not me? If you ever wake up, please wipe off the goo before exiting your pod. I don’t have a mop handy.
End transmission. We now return you to the delusion of a democratic republic already in progress.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers.GovernorJesseVenturaGovernor Jesse Ventura, Playboy, November 1999
August 26th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I hope there’s something to this “Change Congress Pledge.” But it does feel like election year lip service, sort of Contract-with-America-ish.
I guess I’ll have to adopt the Missouri motto on this one. I’ll believe it when (if) I see it.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:17 am
It may be lip service, and as Doug-a-long says, he may forsake his pledge down the road. But if he gets elected WITHOUT PAC money, why would he then spend the lion’s share time raising money? If that’s the case, we vote his ass out.
And Doug-a-long, thanks for making a long and belabored point that something must change. Voting the way you always have won’t enact the kind of change you want to see. Ron Paul may be a maverick for the executive branch but he is exactly the kind of person we need in the legislative branch. I’m just asking you to apply the same reasoning to the legislative branch as you have to the executive.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:21 am
“It may be lip service, and as Doug-a-long says, he may forsake his pledge down the road. But if he gets elected WITHOUT PAC money, why would he then spend the lion’s share time raising money? If that’s the case, we vote his ass out.” –Banky
First of all, let’s be real. Emanuel Cleaver has several somethings the Jacobmeister does not have: Previous experience as Mayor, tons of name recognition, and time in office. Those are near impossible stats to overcome by someone with none of those things. The only way he would even have a chance is if the RNC threw a TON of money into his coffers to make him competitive, and I’m betting that’s not happening.
Second, even if he were elected, he will be constantly bombarded once in office by lobbyists. CONSTANTLY. That’s how the game works. So, to expect him NOT to accept PAC money to help him get re-elected once he’s “shown the way” of the current system, is being unfair to Jacob, really. The game is so rigged to this end that to do otherwise is virtual political suicide.
Finally, to use the same reasoning for the legislative branch as I do the excecutive branch……not even sure what that means. The point I was making is that the system is now SO corrupt, SO rigged against outside change, that only a comprehensive destruction of it is going to effect anything approaching real change. The sooner we realize this, the better. Continuing to support the same candidates, on the same issues, in the same manner, isn’t going to get anything done that’s going to help you, me, or this country in any significant way.
Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com is doing wonderful things with a group called Accountability Now, which has raised over a half million dollars in recent months from zero. Their goal is to run high visibility media campaigns against “bad” Democrats like the ones who voted for the recent FISA changes, in an attempt to defeat them and replace them with “better” Democrats. And for those who don’t know, Glenn Greenwald is (IMO) the smartest, most acutely accurate journalist in the entire country, bar none. So, he’s essentially a “hero” of mine, but I don’t believe even HE and his group can effect the kind of change it is really going to take to turn the country around. I will continue to support him, however, because that is all we really have right now. But there needs to be something bigger, some more all-encompassing. Because if there isn’t, you are looking at the downward spiral of this democracy taking shape before your very eyes, and the speed with which it is moving has increased 10 or 20 fold in the past 8 years. I truly fear for the kind of country Sammy will live in if things don’t change dramatically. And soon.
Go read your history books about the great civilizations like the Roman Empire and such. Go see what brought them down. You’ll be shocked at the parallels.
So long as we all sit around doing the same things we’ve always done…..well, you know the rest. Fiddle faddle.
If you don’t want long and belabored posts in the future, don’t send me links to it. To paraphrase the inimitable Steve Stiffler, “Nice blog, Shitbreak.”
August 27th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
[...] Changing Congress [...]
August 27th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
So here’s the deal. I completely, unabashedly disagree with the idea that all PACs are bad, or that all ’special interest groups’ are bad. I also strongly disbelieve ANY candidate who claims to never ever take money from a PAC or SIG.
Why? The definition is too broad to fit into an ‘always’ or ‘never’ mindset.
Besides, I give money to organizations like the ACLU or NARAL or whatever in hopes that they’ll influence politics in the way I wish. If a candidate refuses those contributions, they’re refusing MY money, and telling ME as a constituent that we don’t share the same vision of America. That will affect my vote.
Honesly, Vincenzo, I fail to see how voting for a candidate who completely opposes those things you hold dear ONLY because they signed some ‘contract’ makes any sense at all.
I’ll keep voting for the issues I believe in, and I’ll keep giving my money to PACs and SIGs that further those beliefs in the hope that candidates will continue taking contributions from them and listening to ‘me’ via them, TYVM.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Dougie Ding-a-long,
So you support something even though it won’t bring about any real change? Why support it at all then?
And constantly bombarded? duh. That’s the system that’s now in place. No shit he’ll be constantly bombarded. Which is EXACTLY why there is a pledge to NOT do take money from PACs and why Change Congress tracks if they are living up to their word.
Cleaver’s experience may be a hindrance if you seek real change in government.
And Rome fell because all branches of government were corrupt. And Caesar was appointed . . . for life. The parallels may be astounding. I’d love it if you would elaborate. Sounds interesting.
Janie,
I’m glad you think the current process we have works. Giving money to PACs so that they can influence those who make laws? You must be thrilled with the Legislative branch you have now. Kudos.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Banky: So you support something even though it won’t bring about any real change? Why support it at all then?
Dingalinga: I believe it can make some difference in some individual races, which is why I support it. At least he’s doing SOMEthing, even if it isn’t how I would go about it. I guess I could support a revolutionary Ruby-Ridge cult if I wanted to, but that seems less smart at this time. In any case, I don’t believe this tack will make substantive changes to a process that is so rotted and corrupt that only wholesale destruction of it will produce real change.
Banky: And constantly bombarded? duh. That’s the system that’s now in place. No shit he’ll be constantly bombarded. Which is EXACTLY why there is a pledge to NOT do take money from PACs and why Change Congress tracks if they are living up to their word.
Dingalinga: To which I say, Big Fooking Hairy Deal. The Change Congress Pledge vs Lobbyist/PAC money is like a Bull Elephant vs Bambi. Only a bonafide serial paint huffer doesn’t know how that one is going to turn out. As I said before, what is Change Congress going to do when he breaks his pledge besides bang their fists on the table and list him on some obscure website? If I was Jacob, I wouldn’t care about that at all. I’m not saying I agree with it or wish it wasn’t so, just pointing out the obvious realities involved.
Banky: Cleaver’s experience may be a hindrance if you seek real change in government.
Dingalinga: Or, it may produce untold benefits via the connections he has made, and the money and influence he will garner as a result of those contacts. I dare say it’s more likely to be the latter.
Banky: And Rome fell because all branches of government were corrupt. And Caesar was appointed . . . for life. The parallels may be astounding. I’d love it if you would elaborate. Sounds interesting.
Dingalinga: I don’t have time to be a history teacher for y’all, sorry. But I will try and find a link or two for you to explore.
And as for Jane’s comments, I agree there are good lobby groups out there doing things we find important. However, when you look at the big picture, the current system of lobbyists and corporations running our country (into the ground) is by far more destructive than the benefits we are seeing from the work of the underfunded “good guys” out there. Until the system is blown up, we have only farther to fall.
Wait until you see what happens to your taxes over the next five years as a result of what we’ve let happen during the past eight. You are all gonna be piiiiiiiiiissssssssssed.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Interestingly, here is a quote from Gore Vidal:
“[t]here is only one party in the United States, the Property Party…and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt—until recently… and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties.”–Gore Vidal
What is interesting: He said that in 1972.
THAT is how entrenched, rotten, and corrupt the system is, and with roots that are THAT deep, only its destruction is worth pursuing.
August 28th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
[...] News » News Changing Congress2008-08-28 15:18:55The of how I feel. Don’t believe me? Check out his stance on the polar opposite [...]
August 29th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
“Janie,
I’m glad you think the current process we have works. Giving money to PACs so that they can influence those who make laws? You must be thrilled with the Legislative branch you have now. Kudos.”
Very nice job at being pompous AND patronizing in 3 sentences or less.
If you’ll reread my post, which is fairly short and concise, you’ll note that I did NOT say I’m ‘happy’ with the legislature we have now.
I also know that one can safely say that THEY don’t take money from X, but their PARTY does and the money from the PARTY is behind the PERSON. So they’re out on a technicality and you bought the gimmick just like the Prom Queen when the quarterback handed over his class ring.
August 30th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Dougie Ding-along,
Great quote from Gore Vidal. What do you think corrupts these men/women? Is it just because they are all people without integrity or is it the system.
Janie,
I do have a gift for pomposity. I’m glad you noticed. I’m just not sure what you’re arguing. Is it for something or just against Change Congress?
August 30th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Janie,
I do have a gift for pomposity. I’m glad you noticed. I’m just not sure what you’re arguing. Is it for something or just against Change Congress?
***
I’m arguing against tossing your vote to someone who stands AGAINST everything you believe in on the off chance that he won’t take money from an organization that also stands AGAINST everything you believe in.
Do you really think that because he’s not taking money directly from a PAC that supports his belief system that he’s somehow more likely to listen to YOU and therefore be swayed to see things your way?
I honestly am just not grasping how it could be of benefit to elect someone who’s entire belief system is counter to your own just based on who signed their fund-raising checks. I mean, if he’s a crooked self-serving son of a bitch, where he gets his money from isn’t going to change that. Likewise if he’s not.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Banky says: Great quote from Gore Vidal. What do you think corrupts these men/women? Is it just because they are all people without integrity or is it the system.
Dinalinga says: Both.
Of the 535 members of Congress, I can count on one hand those I feel are honestly looking after the wants and needs of the citizens of this country. ONE HAND.
Clearly, if you don’t go along, you don’t get along. And then you’ll find yourself out on the street and out of office damn quick.
This is why term limits are such a good idea. 6 years for both Senators and Reps. If you can’t get a substantial amount of “public good” done in that period of time, you are a retard idiot undeserving of the office in the first place.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Here is a very lucid post from a blogger that I admire. It speaks to some of what I’ve been discussing here recently:
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Here’s a question: Why are Americans
so easily intimidated by these sorts of police state tactics?
That’s not to say that anarchists and the like are intimidated, because they aren’t. Ordinary Americans are intimidated from protest or even dissent. And that, it would seem, is the whole point of these tactics. Show force of Authority and Americans, by and large, collapse.
I maintain this is a major reason why there is so little active resistance to the corporatism and imperialism that rules this country. There is some, to be sure, but it is hardly a mass movement; realistically, it’s becoming more and more marginal all the time.
And yet, without active resistance — including mass protest demonstrations, general strikes and the like, none of which attract anything like the support they once did — there is no way to curb, let alone stop, the march of corporatism/imperialism/fascism. Our votes won’t do it when our choices are either this corporatist/imperialist or the other one. Our lawyers too often are jockeying for positions within the corporatist/imperialist state or its private sector offshoots. Courts sometimes make quite a display of independence but they have no ability to enforce their rulings.
And the People remain largely passive.
Europeans, on the other hand, will take to the streets over anything that displeases them; they will get gassed and watercannoned, bludgeoned and dragged off to prison, and still they will fight, and their governments — at least from time to time — actually pay attention to their riled publics and have even been known to change their policy direction in response to public outrage. Same in Latin America and Brazil. Lawyers — lawyers!! — in Pakistan went to the streets and got their heads bashed in and were dragged off to the dungeons against the lawless actions of Musharraf’s dictatorship.
It’s unimaginable that lawyers here would take such personal and professional risks for the sake of the Law. It’s almost too silly to think of. They won’t do it.
What happened to make Americans so easy to manage?