rebecca soble

I’m sure you’ve heard it all before. I’m really excited about your campaign and its possibilities for the future. I’m one of the hundreds of thousands who have contributed to a political campaign for the first time because of you. I’ve searched for your name on YouTube, I’ve read every NYTimes editorial and listened to every public radio podcast about your campaign, I’ve counted delegates and pondered superdelegates, I daydream about who you might choose as running mate, secretary of state, attorney general… I’m amazed that there are still people in this country who aren’t yet convinced you’re the best candidate, by far.

But imagine a typical someone: mid-thirties, unmarried, in relationships time after time only to be disappointed by each one in turn. One lover cheats, one can’t let go of earlier commitments, another is completely self-absorbed. And all of them eventually lie. So when a new flirtation comes along, it’s perfectly natural to feel some apprehension along with the attraction.

That’s just how I’m feeling now. And I imagine a lot of people, of both genders, feel similarly. I’m hoping with all my heart that you become the Democratic presidential nominee, and that you subsequently kick major Republican backside in the general election. But here’s some advice for afterwards, to help keep the tarnish off the delicate relationship you will have started with the American people.

Don’t be a politician, be a government representative. Of course the Democratic Party and a lot of other factions will have helped you achieve your goal of the presidency, but never forget that your post-election responsibility is to ALL the people of the country. When you make decisions, make them for civic, moral, and honorable reasons, not political ones. In a recent New Yorker article about New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer, he replies to a question about moral guidance by saying “… the toughest decisions and the right answers to those tough decisions are still the ones that you come to when you just sit down and you say, ‘O.K., what are we trying to do?’ What are the right moral values to guide it? Ignore all the politics. Ignore the screaming and shouting.”

If you really want to change Washington, you will have to ignore the inevitable screaming and shouting that will come when you push against the status quo. Instead of talking politics, develop the 21st-century equivalent of FDR’s fireside chats and communicate directly with us, clearly, honestly, and often. Encourage the American people to get educated about the issues, not by preaching or drowning us in details, but by teaching and leading by example. In a recent interview with Bill Moyers about her recent book “The Age of American Unreason”, author Susan Jacoby said that the President’s responsibility would be better defined as “Educator-In-Chief” rather than “Commander-In-Chief”. When you embark on a new foreign policy agenda, show us the map, introduce us to the people, give us the background and the perspectives. For health-care and other domestic issues, talk to us clearly about the pros and cons of various approaches and explain your choices. Show the American people that conservation equals patriotism, consuming less does not mean giving in, and a State of the Union address can be as gripping as an episode of American Idol. Give us an avenue for feedback other than polls. Then, when you need support for change against old-school politics, come to us. From your mouth to our ears and back to our Congressional representatives. You’ve been saying that it takes working together to accomplish meaningful change, and that will continue to be true after the election as well.

Change the Bush White House of Secrets and Deception to the Obama White House of Openness and Truth. Renounce the unconstitutional Executive privileges the Bush White House has procured and exploited and bring our government back into balance. Remind Congress of their responsibility to demand accountability from all areas of government and encourage their investigations on behalf of the American people. Ferret out and squash the activities that have been going on in our intelligence and military operations that have caused us to lose the respect of the rest of the world. Publicly take action against the use of torture tactics, eradicate Blackwater-type mercenaries from our military, act in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and close Guantanamo Bay. Reconfirm that, in this democracy, we are all indeed equal under the law. Last but not least, in your cleaning, scrub deep down into the fluorescent halls of government agencies like the FCC and the FDA. Remind them of their mandate to work on behalf of the people of this country, not the business entities. Get Congress to help you, and the people will help them.

Finally, in regards to the idea of “re-branding America”, I know you’re the best one for the job. We need to reinstate confidence in American values around the world and show the rest of the world that we are one of them, and willing to listen as well as talk. Help yourself by finding as many equally hopeful and dedicated diplomats and public servants as possible, people who are wise to the ways of the world without having been jaded by them in the process.

I know this is a really tall order, and more than anyone should expect from a new affair. Don’t worry, we understand change doesn’t happen overnight, and we can be patient. But from “Day One”, you need to show your commitment in this relationship, and prove that you’re serious about working with us on this change thing. I’ll vote with my heart, then hope, watch, and wait for your call to join in.

This morning during my first email check of the day, I found a news alert from the NYTimes with a headline that read “Clinton wins Nevada”. On closer (internet-based) inspection, I see that Clinton got 51% of the vote, Obama got 45% of the vote and Edwards got 4%. So what exactly does this “win” mean for Clinton? In actuality it means a lot less than it might appear if you are just following the headlines.

The issue is all about delegates. There is a lot of info about delegates out on the internet so I won’t mire you down with the historical and picayune details, but here are two key points to remember:

1) States have delegates based on their population. So delegates from Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, even though they come early in the process, are just a drop in the bucket compared to the more populous states. Don’t get caught in the mindset that just because someone has “won” a few early states, that means they will win the nomination. There’s a relative deluge still to come.

2) State delegates are divided up based on the same percentages as the voting. It’s not like the electoral college “winner take all” system.  Even though Clinton “won” Nevada, she will only get 51% of the delegates from that state, not all. Obama will get 45% and Edwards will get 4%. In a runaway primary process, where one candidate is the clear favorite above others, this would not be so important. But in a close primary process, where more than one candidate has strong showings in each primary or caucus, the percentages will be important.

For more details, take a look at this NYTimes site showing all the delegate numbers. As of today, only the New Hampshire delegates are certain, because in some cases delegates postpone their final decisions for a short time after the initial caucus/primary (each state makes its own rules). There are a couple different types of events that could cause the numbers to change:

1) A delegate has a change of heart and votes for a different candidate. The delegates have the power to “vote their conscience” even after the general primary voting has taken place. This is a pretty rare event, but in a  close race even a few might make a difference.   Also, if something dramatic happened (campaign fraud is uncovered, a candidate becomes seriously ill) it could be a factor.  Which leads to…

2) Delegates for a candidate who later drops out can choose to vote for another candidate. So for example if John Edwards drops out of the race, his 4 delegates from New Hampshire could switch to any of the other democratic candidates. In some cases, agreements between the candidates are worked out (”if I can have your delegates, I’ll give you a cooshy job in the Executive Branch”).

The bottom line is this:  Despite the media frenzy, not much has been decided yet, and there’s a long way to go.  Don’t get caught in the hype, vote your conscience!  Listen to this link (Leonard Lopate show on WNYC) for an interesting explanation about delegates.

Boycott is an HBO movie about the 1955-56 Montgomery bus boycott and the start of the US civil rights movement. There is a memorable scene where a young Martin Luther King is home alone preparing a cup of coffee. He’s interrupted by repeated telephone calls, and although viewers do not get to hear the caller’s words, we know they are threatening. At the first call, King silently and gently hangs up the phone. At the second (though it’s surely more like the hundredth), his hangup is a crash and he rips the phone from the wall. He returns to his coffee, and pours milk from the glass milk bottle into his coffee. But shaken and distracted, he sets the milk bottle down on the edge of the table and it crashes to the floor.

The bus boycott has just begun. Blacks are walking and taking taxis to work, until a new “minimum fare ordinance” forces taxi drivers to charge exorbitant rates and eliminates that option for the boycotters. They keep walking, and start car pooling. Next, car owners are badgered by police officers writing a deluge of traffic tickets for trumped-up infractions. They incur fines and the threat of losing their licenses. Vandals slash their tires with impunity. A law is passed that makes it illegal for black people to “loiter in groups” while waiting for their carpools. The mayor’s office uses its influence to get untruthful stories published in the newspaper about the boycott leaders. Vigilantes set fire to black homes and the city firemen watch them burn. Many boycotters are railing against King’s nonviolent ideology and want to retaliate.

It is in this moment, when every act of courage and creativity is met with a downward shove from the powers-that-be, that King distractedly breaks the bottle of milk. It is at this moment that I, as complete outsider to the dilemma of American black people in the 1950’s, can fully understand the frustration, anger, and despondency of seeking to right a wrong in the face of relentless oppression.

Every privileged person should, at least once in his life, experience what it feels like to be powerless, struggling against an unprincipled force that has no mercy, no compassion, and leaves no voice for complaints. I felt this, in a much smaller way than the civil rights activists, in my struggles with an insurance company after the theft of my car and their mishandling of the ensuing events. At the point where my only options were to personally sue a multi-billion-dollar company or let go of the struggle, I admit to letting go. But I was fortunate to have this option; all I had to do was acquiesce to the monetary loss. The bigger picture of the power of insurance companies was left for someone else to deal with in the future. For many others, the struggle is for something so personal and so important (civil rights, religious freedom) that there is no choice but to continue fighting.

This is definitely not just a historical issue, it is alive and important today, all over the world and in many forms. I watched the riots of the oppressed Muslim immigrants in France, hoping that their rioting could be a successful start to change without becoming too violent. I also see fairness and freedom eroding in my own country, from the oppression created by corporate greed to government abuses of human and first amendment rights during this time of our so-called “war on terror”. So I am thankful to Dr. King and the people who successfully staged that bus boycott. It took them over a year, it took suffering hardships, but they did ultimately bring about significant change that continued to ripple out long after the busses were running again. Understanding this historical example of nonviolent resistance, and being able to recognize and accept the frustration and despair that is inherent in such struggle, can be useful for solace and strength in the continued fights for civil and human rights that happen everywhere.

The segregated blacks in Montgomery had a tipping point. Rosa Parks’ defiance helped push them past it into action and King’s inspired leadership helped make desegregation a reality. Right now it’s still unclear to me where the tipping point is for US citizens relating to our current issues of civil and human rights. Will it be the government snooping in email or phone conversations? Will it be the illegal federal detainment and torture of suspected terrorists? Will it be the whittling away of healthcare and retirement benefits for workers? Will it be the creation of a have/have-not society supported by the degradation of our public education system? There are many possible fronts for this fight, and I can feel the tension building. I’m waiting with both anticipation and trepidation to see how and where it finally breaks. Anticipation because the way things are now is unsustainable and unhealthy for our society, trepidation because the process of change will be difficult and could well coincide with widespread economic collapse and hardship. But my biggest concern is that it won’t happen at all: that the American people will continue to let their civil rights, human rights, and worker’s rights be eroded to nothing while they focus on just trying to make a living in an increasingly harsher environment created by the economic and power greed of the country’s established “nobility”. But then I think of how bad it could get, and I have faith that somewhere down the line that tipping point will be reached for someone, and a leader will emerge to help us in the long struggle back to true democracy.

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Recommended Inspirational Listening: A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Individual speech downloads also available at Alternative Radio: Audio Energy for Democracy.

Women in at least 12 states, including Wisconsin, Texas, North Carolina and California, have reported encountering pharmacists unwilling to fill their [birth control] prescriptions. “We’ve heard stories about them being turned away or referred to other pharmacies,” said Karen Pearl, national president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “And even more alarmingly, some women are being denied birth control and the pharmacist keeps their prescription. They are also being given moral lectures, religious lectures. Women are being told contraception is abortion, which it is not.” — Pharmacies Required to Fill Prescriptions for Birth Control, Washington Post, April 1st 2005.

My panic continues, turned red hot with fury. I forgot to mention in my last panic post about another insidious angle of the world closing in: the fact that the ultra-conservative Christian right is clearly becoming more powerful and starting to share their “message” through lobbying, legislation, and biased media tools.

I heard about this story on NPR’s All Things Considered this evening. True to form, they included interview segments with people on both sides of the issue. On the conservative side was the representative of an organization (I can’t remember which one, check the audio) that said they have been openly lobbying for legislation that permits pharmacists to not fill prescriptions based on the pharmacist’s own beliefs. On the other side, the interviewee (again check the audio for the name) said that not only have pharmacists refused to give birth control to unmarried women because they believe pre-marital sex is a sin, but that they also have refused to give birth control to married women, for some insane reason I can’t remember now. So pharmacists can now put a total kibosh on any sort of thoughtful family planning if they choose to, and there are people out there supporting their right to do this. INSANITY. Insidious insanity. Insidious scary red insanity.

I’m glad to see that the Governor of Illinois realizes how ludicrous this all is. He has issued an emergency ruling requiring that pharmacists fill all birth control prescriptions without delay, in his state. But I’m really concerned about those lobbyists and the continued shift of this country’s values to the ultra-conservative Fundamentalist Christian, to the degree that the rest of us will be forced to live by their moral code whether we agree with it or not. The First Amendment right to freedom of religion will just be a sham. Or freedom of anything for that matter. How different will it be from living in a Fundamentalist Islamic state? Like those ones that Bush wants to turn into democracies. Help! When can we have our overthowing invasion???

In related news, it’s heartening to see that former Republican Sen. John Danforth says the Republican Party has become the political arm of Christian Conservatives.

I used to feel it just now and then. And then a little more often. And now pretty much every single day. Is it a feedback loop — my increasing sensitivity is causing me to become ever more sensitive — or is it truly happening every single day? I believe the latter. The world is just different than it used to be.

In the beginning my reactions were sweeping action and large ideas. Later I became more practical. Thinking locally, not globally. And now, the feelings are panic and futility and worry that I won’t be able to escape when it gets to be too much to bear.

I’m not talking about personal you’re-standing-too-close claustrophobia (though please don’t peer over my shoulder while I’m typing). I’m talking about the distinct and real feeling that the world is collapsing bit by bit around me. Every day the people who have always been just getting by are finding it harder to continue just getting by. Every day something appears in my consciousness — in the news, personal experience, or stories from friends — that causes the panic to well up. I don’t have any cold hard facts to regale you with, but I have always been an absorbent sponge for my community’s mood and sensibility, and I am seeing and feeling it all around me. People are hoarding like squirrels in November. People are worried about the future. People are feeling helpless; incredulous at the state of things but too busy getting by or too weary from the mostly-futile effort of attempting change. And so am I.

It’s Average Joe and Typical Mary against the banks, the insurance companies, the healthcare system, big business, and the government. None of these institutions, which were (correct me if I am naively wrong here) originally developed with the idea of helping Joe and Mary live better lives, are actually serving their purposes any longer. They have fused together into this gargantuan sticky web of greed and power. Like Doc Ock but with more and meaner mechanical tentacles. Yes, it feels very mechanical, driven by rules and money, not people. Humans work in these institutions, but must of them are just Joes and Marys too, equally trapped but maybe understanding their trap a little better than the rest of us.

Today’s panic came from a conversation I had with an insurance adjuster about the claim I made for the items that were stolen from my car when my car was taken. The claim had to be filed under my renter’s policy, not my auto policy. Today I learned that with a standard renter’s policy, the insurance company will not cover the loss of CDs, cassettes, or cell phones when they are stolen from cars. Why? The answer is simple, and came straight from the adjuster’s mouth: these are the things that are most often stolen from cars and so they have simply decided not to cover them. This is ludicrous and maddening. But it also elicited in me that too-familiar claustrophobic tightness because it’s a perfect example of how the insurance industry has ceased to exist as a resource for Joe and Mary and now exists for itself alone.

And I wonder: if I just accept that my CDs won’t be reimbursed (just sigh and say “fine” as I did this afternoon on the phone because I was too weary to argue and what good would it have done anyway?), what will they take away next? Will we continue to pay more and more money for less and less service, just because the insurance companies decide to stop covering things that end up costing them money? How will it end? Granted, I could have not had a renter’s policy at all, and just dealt with the theft of my belongings on my own. But I am required to have auto insurance. I’ve paid thousands of dollars over the years for it and if I get in an accident my rates will go up. But they will never go down even if I drive safely. (And now newer cars are made with little black-box devices that will show how fast you were going at the time of an accident, information the insurance companies are guaranteed to use against you whenever possible. Is anyone else thinking of George Orwell besides me?)

And it’s scariest when you are dealing with healthcare. Losing a couple hundred bucks on CDs is easily forgotten when considering what one trip to the ER could cost if you haven’t asked permission from your insurance company first. Plus so many Joes and Marys don’t even have healthcare coverage because it’s just too expensive (mine is minimal and hardly useful but at least it’s something). So Joe and Mary just pray that Billy doesn’t break an arm.

It’s getting harder and harder for Joe and Mary to feed their families healthy food, find good education for their children, have dependable healthcare, be paid a decent wage, save a little money, and feel secure about their old age. They are having to fight and scrimp for these things at every step and every turn, and it gets really hard, really tiresome, and sometimes feels really hopeless. At the same time they’re worried about losing their civil liberties in this age of fear-mongering, fundamentalism, and blatant government propaganda. Will they be putting Prozac in the drinking water next?

I know there are a lot of people out there who have more energy to fight all this than I do, and I hugely appreciate their efforts, but I worry that it isn’t enough. The money and power on the other side (the “other side” which insidiously pretends to be on “our side”, at least until we do something they don’t like) seems way too hard to overcome. Sometimes I wish the economy would just collapse already and that there would be some huge egregious affront to our civil liberties that would make everyone in their right minds feel compelled to fight it. I find myself dreaming of the ultimate lawsuit: The American People vs. GovernBankCorp, tried in The Hague. Or a worldwide effort to invade the US: the rest of the world deciding that this government has become too powerhungry, is not properly representing the people, and is a danger to the rest of the world. (Kinda like what George W. did with Saddam in Iraq, no?)

All I know is my lot is cast with all the other Joes. I’m working hard to get by, trying to live honestly and thoughtfully in a world that just seems to thwart that at every turn. And every day something new happens to give me that feeling of claustrophobic panic.