(no subject)

[jfb]

1. I've worked voter registration now at a community college, and at a cafe across the street from a local public high school. I'm not sure what to make of this, but the unenfranchised high school kids were a lot more interested in it than the voting-eligible college students.

2. I really liked Primer, although I have very little idea what happened in it.

3. We've got an ongoing terrorist threat, a struggling economy, millions without proper health care, decaying civil liberties, voter registration fraud, oh yes and an increasingly controversial war. What's the biggest topic on every TV news show? That's right: John Kerry said Dick Cheney's openly gay daughter is gay.

Comments

all my faith is gone

[talking-sock.livejournal.com]

the fact that real issues aren't at stake here, and that intelligent people aren't focused on what's real, has made me lose most of my remaining belief that democracy can work; that smear campaigns and dirty politics should be beneath anyone because they look bad; that rationality is involved at all in politics.

I feel so demoralized.

Re: all my faith is gone

[jfb.livejournal.com]

Well, I have some faith left. One of the things that triggered my outburst was Paula Zahn's "town meeting" (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/14/pzn.01.html) in some Republican part of Pennsylvania, with Liz Cheney (the other daughter) and someone from the Kerry campaign. Zahn's questions were all media echo chamber stuff--yes, she insisted on talking about Mary.

ZAHN: Was your sister offended?

CHENEY: It was a very offensive thing for him to do, yes.

ZAHN: Did you talk to her about it?

CHENEY: It was very offensive. I think I'll just leave it there.

But the thing that gave me some hope is: The questions from real voters were about things that matter. Same things happened with the debates--the questions from undecided citizens were more substantive, incisive, and unexpected than what the professional journalists came up with.

If only we can get the People their own show I think we'll be okay.