Seriously...Why do DUers think it is important to be involved in politics?

[masmdu]

I ask this in all seriousness, I am curious...I would like to hear specifically why the people who post here think it is important to be politically active.

The question really is ...

What are you trying to achieve?

What's the goal of the political actions you take?


<edit>

Perhaps i'm not being clear....what type of world do you hope to create by the political actions you take?

[rjbcar27]

1. Because apathy is the enemy. (And the GOP) n/t

[number six]

2. If we were not here, the right would go unchecked.

We're here to deconstruct their dumb nasty arguments. Or at least that's why I do it.

[bryant69]

3. To form a strong and free and just America

In the long term. In the short term its because every day I read what Conservatives write about us and it gets me angry enough to start doing my part (such as it is).

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[AngryYoungMan]

4. It may seem pointless...

...but it's not.

Sure, one citizen out of 300 million is almost nothing. Your voice gets drowned out. The idea of democracy was invented at a time when far fewer people were involved (and when only rich white men "counted" anyway).

Everyone knows the sensation of voting and asking yourself, "Why am I doing this? Is this really 'power,' or am I conducting a pantomime? If I withold my vote, does it have any measurable meaning?" Even the typical election's margin of error dwarfs the voice of one voter.

But you have to consider the alternative. (I realize your post was about activism, not voting, but voting is the "nitty gritty" of democracy.)

If we stop, then we're pawns, or lemmings. We're being led around by the nose, and we can be led off a cliff. And activists can still change things. Look at the Dean movement. Each time a mouse clicks on a PayPal button, it means something WORKED; some message got out, some idea got across, and then Howard's on the cover of TIME before you know it.

We are Democrats. We believe (as, ironically, John D. Rockefeller once said) in "the supreme worth of the individual." We are not conservatives. We do not dismiss our serfs with a wave of the hand, knowing what's good for them. We force the system to work; to include everyone, to function according to the Enlightenment ideals this nation was founded on.

If we stop, we're succumbing to our baser natures, and it might as well be the 1400s.

[PunkinPi]

5. All things are interconnected, the personal is political.

It has to do with the way that you see the world and wishing to take a proactive approach in making the world a better place. Posting at the DU gives me a sense of community of like minded citizens - that I'm not the only one who feels the way I feel. Though not everyone agrees on all issues, it's a place where you can express your thoughts and ideas. Dialogue is key to making the world better.

[theivoryqueen]

6. Politics determines much of what happens in our daily lives

From street repairs to the price of bread at the grocery. Politics also has a great impact on the "vibe" of a nation - even a region. When people are lead by leaders they respect, and who respects them, great things can happen. JFK, FDR are great examples. But even on the city or county level, who is mayor, city council persons, county commissioners matters. They make huge financial and procedural decisions daily. Also what kinds of structure the elected officials work within (weak mayor, etc.) can be the determining factor in how a city is run - again with the potholes and garbage pickups. The little things add up, and when I hear people say they don't care about politics because it has nothing to do with them, I have to laugh. It has everything to do with how we are able to function, whether as persons or citizens.

**And on the city/county level - citizens are able to have a greater impact as constituents. Any one who has gone to a council meeting, or written a letter to their representatives regarding city matters knows this. The response is usually pretty timely, and usually positive. Problems can get resolved on this level far more easily than on the national level.

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

7. Molly Ivins said it best.....

"Politics is not a picture on a wall or a television sitcom you can decide you don't much care for. Is the person who prescribes your eyeglasses qualified to do so? How deep will you be buried when you die? What textbooks are your children learning from at school? What will happen if you become seriously ill? Is the meat you're eating tainted? Will you be able to afford to go to college or to send your kids? Would you like a vacation? Expect to retire before you die? Can you find a job? Drive a car? Afford insurance? Is your credit card company or your banker or your broker ripping you off?

It's all politics, Bubba. You don't get to opt out for lack of interest."

[masmdu]

8. (Original Poster)...Yes, I understand that political action is taken to

make a better world.

What I want to know is ... What does that better world look like to you in non-political terms?

[idontwantaname]

16. one where everyone is equal regardless of race, social status or gender.

where the media reports news to inform and not to entertain.

where a CEO genuinely cares for everyone from the janitor up.

where the government would truely work in the intrest of the people and not to corporations.

where peoples of other countries, backgrounds and beliefs can co-exist without hatred and war.

for me this would only be the beginning.

[JewelDigger]

9. True Citizenship requires Participation

otherwise you're just a 'Consumer' of your government.

Government, just like practically everything else, won't look out for 'your best interests' (whoever 'YOU' happen to be), unless YOU are watching and insist that it does so. Government also doesn't know what you want/need unless you tell it.

There was a time span of many years (when my children were small) that I couldn't pay attention to what was going on in the world and our country. I remember thinking then that 'I hope people of integrity are out there watching and keeping all of our best interests in mind, because I just CAN'T right now'. Now that my situation has changed/grown, I am once again able to watch and call and write letters, etc. for myself, as well as all of those who 'can't right now'.

[gulliver]

10. For my kids.

I think it was Bono from U2 who said that he is (paraphrasing) a lot angrier about the state of the world now that he has kids. Me too.

Politics is simply taking care of the family writ large. It is a core value.

Watch someone you know go without a job for six months. Watch as the world moves closer to decades of metastatic world-wide terrorism. Watch as the American people grow to hate each other more and more.

I was not so into politics until I saw the DeLay wing of the Republican party push a slick little front man into the White House. That's when I started to worry about my kids and future grandkids. And that's when I decided to start contributing campaign funds, time, energy, and thought to Democrats.

[Native]

11. Two words...

Social Responsibility.

[TrogL]

12. You can make a difference

Politicians do listen to the constituents, especially those who volunteer. Without our voice, they are left to assume that their entire constituency is conservative and do their policy accordingly.

[info being]

13. I can't help it.

I never cared about politics until they impeached Clinton. As a thinking person, I was outraged...and since then I've become increasingly active in my opposition to this government. I started out as a Republican, then became a Democrat, and now I'm somewhere way further left than that.

What these clowns don't realize is that they are creatiing a backlash movement that will take them down.

[idontwantaname]

14. to educate and create awareness.

i think post #7 with molly ivans quote was quite well said.

political agendas affect everyone and everything...

unfortunately to have the lifestyle i have in this country means to take away from someone else.

it could be to opress those in other countrys... or to rape an area of its natural resource... or cut government aid to someone in need so i can have an extra $100 back on a tax return.

all i know is that if i were that person in need i would be so thankful for that program.

and i know how angry i would be to live in a country whose natural resources were stripped, privatized, made into a commodity and exported.

i also know education is the foundation toward any form of change.

and education without action does nothing.

[Faygo Kid]

15. When they throw the dirt over you. . .

Hopefully, you stood for something. What kind of world? A better world, one informed by history and compassion. In other words, unlike this administration.

[Abaques]

17. Because if I don't stand up, speak out, and take action....

...then how can I expect anyone else to do the same?


I feel that if a person sees a wrong in this world, it is their moral imperitive to attampt to right that wrong if it is within their power to do so.

[lostnfound]

18. 'Cause for evil to succeed all it takes is for good men to do nothing, AND

because I love my son.

What kind of world: a place where a person with conscience can thrive and still hold true to his principles.

[Festivito]

19. ...because our personal PerCapita Credit Card is full enough.

Yes, we all have a personal credit card, every man, woman, and even the unworking children of your own and your neighbors.

It went from looking to be paid in full in the next several years, now it looks like it will have as much as $100,000 attached TO YOU AND ME AND THE NEIGBORS.

To make sure we'd let the government charge this and put it on our bill, the Republicans gave SOME of us $500 (out of about a $5,000 a year tax bill) and now we can look forward to owing $50,000 in REAL money. That amount will be paid by some of those children who of course have no job today, but, will be taxed to pay the interest and the balance on their PerCapita Card.

As they pay this amount, along with raising little PerCapita's of their own, they WILL NOT want to pay for our Social Security, nor Medicare, and who could blame them.

So, for $500 today for SOME of us, we are trading our future health, welfare, and indebtedness for our nation's children.

The word IDIOT come from the Greek for those persons unconcerned about their own self-government.

There are already too many idiots, and I don't want to be just another one of them based on my voting ot lack thereof.

It's your PerCapita Card, you can't be American without it.