The Trick
How do you get people to vote against their own self interest?
That’s the trick.
One way is to make people believe in a dream.
That’s what all of the mainstream politicians are doing - feeding that dream.
Obama is feeding a dream - a dream of change and renewal.
He’s feeding a dream that the conditions that surround us - Iraq, the economy, the racial divide, the class divide in this country - that they are magically going to go away by voting for this centrist Democrat.
That is nonsense, of course.
Obama is not proposing any structural changes.
McCain is feeding us the dream, the fantasy of power and control.
That somehow the military might of the U.S. will prevail across the globe.
These are fantasies that are being fed by the politicians.
They are not so much lies, as delusions.
But we will have brought it on ourselves by supporting these politicians.
By ignoring any candidate or any ideas that might conflict with those dreams.
The Obama moment is a feel good moment.
It makes us feel good.
But the programs Obama is proposing - up and down and all around - are the same centrist Democratic positions.
The same people are going to be running the show.
All of the corporations are rapidly switching their contributions to the Democrats.
These are the words of the American novelist Russell Banks.
We heard Banks the other day interviewed by Chris Lydon on Radio Open Source. (Listen to the interview here.)
What wasn’t mentioned was Nader/Gonzalez.
So, let us say it loud and clear.
Nader/Gonzalez.
Shift the power from the few to the many.
Free our government of corporate domination.
Restore the sovereignty of an engaged people.
Don’t fall for the trick.
Help us put Nader/Gonzalez on the ballot.
We’re on our way to give the American people a choice in November.
But we need your help.
And we need it now.
But please, give whatever you can.
Shift the power.
Feed the living, breathing people-powered alternative.
Onward.
The Nader Team
PS: We invite your comments to the blog.
