Why We Do It, Why It Matters
July 18th, 2008 | by Jet Netwal |
Last night was a veritable cornucopia of speechifying. It’s always easy to get pumped up, jumped to your feet, clap yourself stupid at these things… it’s sort of the point. I think tho, if we’ve taken anything away from the Obama campaign, it that the art of the speech is generally done well by only a few. Anybody can get up there and fire you up; sending you home with your heart full is another talent entirely.
Last night I got to listen to Wes Clarke and Howard Dean give great speeches. These are men who would not be in a position to influence, counter point or lead at the level they do politically, without the rise of a million people just like you and me. People who found the net, kicked the tires, pushed the boundaries of where it could take them, how they could wield the tool, bend the system, tackle the giant. Being part of the netroots doesn’t mean you can dictate policy, but as a sphere of influence there is viable power there. This is a political fact. There are no campaigns being run today without tapping into the voice.
When Dean and Clarke talked about rebuilding this country into one that cares, educates, equalizes and builds on the base of valuing every brain, using every ability, cultivating every talent, they weren’t saying it because I and other bloggers like me are saying it over and over on the the net. They say it with us.
This tool gives us our voice, our ability to interact with and for our democracy. What we see now that we didn’t see 4 years ago is the return on our investment. Those endless hours of blogging, lost sleep, fights with spouses over time management, bleary eyed late nights, early mornings, skipped lunch hours, time stolen from work… you know the drill; all of that is morphing into something better, bigger than fighting over the net with the other side. It’s becoming the way we impact DAILY on how we want our country run. We are in the faces of the representation, grabbing the reins and pulling the runaway stage back from the brink. We are the people.
This is not accomplished by grandiose plans, events or issue campaigns, but rather by the sheer volume of citizens who are getting into the netroots mix. It’s only going to grow, and the more we use our voice, the better we, and our government, will become.
The days of voters being an inconvenience to politicians are numbered. The ones who run with us will be the ones who win. The net returns something to the process that got lost… it takes the burden of heavy fundraising off the candidates plate, and gives that candidate a way to talk to the voters, listen to them, and be funded BY them.
As Joe Trippi wrote, the revolution is now.
Me? I’m blogging it.
13 Responses to “Why We Do It, Why It Matters”
By Craig R. Harmon on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
Hey, is that YOU, Jet? Nice to have a face to put with the name!
Glad you had a good time and all.
So you’re having a revolution, huh? Hope y’all are as wise with what you wind up with afterwards as the founders were with theirs.
By Jet Netwal on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
Yes, I guess four years of anonymity is long enough.
We’re having a revolution, Craig. Putting the peeps back in the saddle, and Americans back into American governance. We’re speaking — not just spoken too.
By Dusty on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
Its good to see you worked up and excited Jet. I felt the same way after attending the DFA convention in San Diego a couple of years back.
The problem as I see it is; the folks we elected in 06 are still the same folks that ignore the voters and cater to the corporations/lobbyists. I see very little change at this point and Congress’s polling numbers show it as well, with them polling at or lower than Bush in the satisfaction arena.
Dean spoke at the DFA convention I attended as well. I like Howie for the most part. I just don’t feel I can trust more than a handful of politicians at this point; Feingold, Kucinich, Dodd, Waxman and a couple of others I can’t name at the present.
The rest can whistle dixie if they think I will support them financially and in some cases I support the progressive candidate running against the current sitting Congress Critter.
By Dusty on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
Oh, and I think that is a very nice pix of you..a curly-headed chica like moi!
By Craig R. Harmon on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
What you mean, ‘we’? I’m the equivalent of what was called a Tory at the time of our revolution.
Not that I’m a British royalist but I’m no revolutionary in the sense that you talk about. I’m neither a Democrat nor a democrat. I’m a Republican and a republican, a free market capitalist. No liberal, by the way, should have any interest in putting the American people into governance. After all, the majority are against gay marriage, prefer smaller, less egalitarian redistributionist, more bigoted than any liberal should trust.
And the American people have ALWAYS spoken, no more so than over the last seven or so years with the rise of the internets.
Although, probably by emphasizing “We”, you weren’t intending to include me. Surely you know me better than that.
By Dusty on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
I forgot..did you attend the debate between Markos and Harold? I would like your take on that puppy as well.;)
By steve on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
Join Facebook Craig and we all see what we all look like even if you don’t friend everyone.
By Dusty on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
Fuck Facebook. They sell anything they have on you to third partys.
http://media.www.independentcollegian.com/media/storage/paper678/news/2006/01/23/News/For-Sale.By.Facebook-1493461.shtml
By steve on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
Really Dusty?
From wikipedia:
By Dusty on Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
I call bullshit on that steve. They had a dustup last year for selling information on their customers buying habits. The company that purchased this information would then run ads on Facebook saying something like:
Joe Schmoe bought his wife a 3 carat ring from our company.
When Joe Schmoe saw this information in an ad on facebook, he was highly pissed because the ring was a surprise.
I am busy right now or would look it up..but I ain’t lying sweetie.
By Jet Netwal on Jul 19, 2008 | Reply
Yeah Craig, I meant WE. As in, every voice deserves to be heard, and that representation is not a question of ‘you lost, so suck it up and suffer’. It’s unification, and it’s revolution. You can have both, in a world where both extemes of American opinion are still… AMERICAN.
I met Jim Dean today, Dusty, and got to sit in on a 30 minute private chat. He’s an amazing person. He is filling a need, training and supporting the grass roots. I think both Dean’s need to be on your short list.
I did attend the Kos/Ford program. My gut reaction was that Ford is old school, maintain the status quo, border line blue dog dem. Kos is not my cup of tea, but he came off as a more consummate progressive. Also, Ford is hot. Sweet mercy.
As for Facebook, I’m there; I have to be for the campaign. I think that is can be fun or it can get away from you. Your choice. Privacy wise, IMO, anybody on the net who thinks they can isolate their information is delusional.
By Dusty on Jul 19, 2008 | Reply
Jet, HuffPo did a piece today on the Markos/Harold debate..he was booed several times right? They had a video of it up. I blogged it on my leftwing nutjob site.
Harold IS a Blue Dog..no doubt about it for moi.
Facebook SELLS information..that is the difference to me..I know I am not anonymous online..but I will be damned if anyone is going to make a buck off me if I can help it.
If I get a cut..then we can talk! 
By steve on Jul 19, 2008 | Reply
Dusty:
Better ask Tom to take the google ads off your posts here on BIO.