obama, telecom bill, etc.

[walkitout]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/us/politics/02fisa.html

So: lots of young 'uns (and the young and optimistic) are feeling disillusioned because Obama-the-Senator has compromised and gone along with telecom immunity for helping the Bush administration violate our civil rights.

Welcome to politics. No, no, don't go home. We want you here. We _need_ you here. We're all tired, and worn out from the struggle.

In fact, why don't _you_ drive for a while?

Comments

[volkhvoi.livejournal.com]

I'm not that young, and I was stil disappointed. The administration got just about everything it wanted in that bill, not just the telecom immunity.

quite disgusting!

[walkitout]

And I didn't mean young only in the years sense -- also in the still-have-some-energy-for-it sense. My mother-in-law has been for Obama all along; so have plenty of people older than her (not that she is particularly aged).

I read and heard a lot of things from Obama supporters that were extremely negative about Clinton based on her willingness to compromise. I find it refreshing that the same people are willing to go after Obama when he, too, compromises. But I sincerely hope that this does not lead people to exit politics entirely in disgust, because then we will _all_ lose to the Really Bad Guys.

Part of the rationale for voting for Obama was that he had the capacity to bring a new group of voters to the table, people who would otherwise stay home in disgust. I don't expect _any_ of these people to revenge-vote for McCain, given that his stances on, like, everything are so opposite to what Obama supporters have been vocal about. Part of the rationale for Clinton was that she knew how to hammer out compromises. In a way, I am reassured by the compromise reached in this setting -- it shows a limit to a charismatic idealism that reminded me uncomfortably (to put it mildly) of Kennedy (who, whenever I think of, I am forcibly reminded of how close we came to total nuclear annihilation).

I think we have a really amazing Democratic candidate. I think it's great that his supporters are not wearing blinders to what he's doing. I think what the candidate is doing is great. I think this is politics when it is working well: messy, creepy, and exhausting, but at least we're seeing what's happening and participating. I just hope the new crowd at the table has some stamina, because a lot of the people who've slogged through a couple of failed elections are pretty tired.