Why are they not protesting the war?

[question everything]

I was thinking, when I heard, on NPR, that many in LA schools were marching today, too, against the new immigration bill. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-032706walkout_lat,0,5206101.story?coll=la-home-headlines
My generations, we used to see students marching against the war in Vietnam, and for civil rights.

But, of course, I knew the answer. And I have been saying this over and over on these pages:

People vote for what touches them personally, directly, viscerally.

As much as many now agree that the war was a bad move, that it is not going well - it a distance topic to most voters. First, the soldiers are volunteer, as opposed to the draft of the 60s. Second, even at more than 2000 dead and many more wounded, for a nation of 300 million, most do not know personally a person who died, or who was wounded, or a family in mourning. Even during Vietnam, the marches and the protest started when all college deferments were canceled, when being drafted become very near and immediate to many middle class college kids.

This is how Karl Rove got the troops to the poll in 2000 and 2004 and even in 2002: he made the "baby killing" and the "perverts" a personal issue for his base. He made it so that people could viscerally become very much involved in these issues - and this is what we need.

So when I see thread after thread of people debating who should be the 2008 candidate I keep replying: no one, not now.

But, really, at this point it is the message, not the messenger that we should worry about. We need to get the message of schools, job security, access to health care and retirement to be close and personal. We cannot talk about universal health care, for example, if we cannot talk to Joe whose brother, a successful contractor, had a heart attack and now no one would insure him. Or to Mary whose mother has cancer but is too young for medicare and until she reaches 65 cannot get insurance.

Forget about impeachment, forget about censure, forget about wiretapping, forget about Roe (I am going to be hit by lightning now, I am sure..)

We know that our issues are the ones that matter to most voters - when we get to talk to them in church, or in the small diner, or in the store or in the clinic.

Forget about high ideas and big words. We need to go down to the trenches and find the point where voting for a Democrat instead of a Republican will matter, personally, viscerally, to the voter down south or southwest who gets to hear about politics and the news only on Sunday from the minister.

If there is one thing we can take home from the immigration protest - this should be it. People, voters, care about politics when it touches them up close and personal, emotionally and viscerally.

[Maat]

1. I thought about that also.

I wished that, when I was marching for peace on March 18-19th, there had been 500,000 protesters in the major cities.

[saracat]

3. I thought this too, and actually, this made me mad!

But whatever. We must use this to our advantage. This is actually about the creation of an under class and the destruction of the American worker. This isn't about the "rights' of illegal immigrants. This is about the rights of the corporation to have slave labor!

[Maat]

10. Exactly!

So many Rethuglican horrid policies to address ... so little time.

[saracat]

2. You are right except some of those issues, ARE

visceral kitchen table issues. Roe is one of those. My DH is running for the State Senate in our Repug dominated district and once the Repugs find that his opponent has sponsored all the anti choice legislation, including one to allow pharmacists to refuse to fill your percsriptions, they are lining up to support my hubby. This is the truth. Alito and the SD decision had a lot to do with mobilizing people about their privacy rights. Remember , real Republicans don't want the government in their business. And that argument hits close to home.

[question everything]

11. Yes, we do need to emphasize privacy rights

and, I think, that the pharmacists not wanting to sell birth control pills - not morning after, but birth control pills - can be exposed for such a danger. I think that the Pope does not like condoms, either so is this the road we are poised to take?

This is what we need to do, when I am talking about the message. We need to turn abortion rights to privacy rights. From "baby killing" to the government is telling us how to live our lives. Would a China-style only one child policy be next?

[adigal]

4. Every time I am at the grocery store or the deli

I talk to the clerks about the high cost of absolutely everything and how the Repubs are giving billions away to corporations to outsource our jobs.

Believe me, they listen.

[question everything]

7. Thank you. This is the way to go: one voter at a time (nt)

[TallahasseeGrannie]

5. War is an abstract

and unless you are in or have a loved one in the military, it exists mainly in a black box in your living room and in some dark recess of your imagination. Immigration is here, now, in front of us. To the left and right of us. We see it, smell it, hear it, encounter it.

Besides it is a cool way to get out of class.

[Minnesota Libra]

6. I know how to get illegal aliens in the streets about the war.............

.....as a condition for their citizenship make it a requirement that each illegal alien service 2 to 4 years in the military. Problem solved.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

8. there's no room left to protest

the streets are full of protesting immigrants! Seriously, there was a protest in New Orleans a couple of weeks back and an anti-war rally from B'ham to Atlanta last week. Where have you guys been?

[Catchawave]

9. Bring back the draft ?

Yer ass is on our soil, off to military camp for you ! :sarcasm:

Seriously, many non-citizens can join our military and become citizens in a year. At least that's how it worked during the 'Nam years. Bet if we tweaked Google searches, we could figure it out :hi: