Politics-- A blackhole?

[eilen]

I'm questioning whether the interest in keeping up with news/politics is a blackhole for my energy and good health. It is certainly a timesink I could be better using for yoga or other life enhancing activities. Every week it is a new drama and honestly, I can't stand either party at this point-- I feel pretty much betrayed and sold out. I don't have the heart to root for them. I am feeling it is probably better use of my time and energy to keep my toilets clean. I am coming to an impasse in which I have to follow my values and they are fitting more with the Green Party. Please don't respond with any arguments about 3rd parties, I have heard them all from some of the more strident Obamazombies aka message police in GD and frankly I don't care; when the party does something compelling that is aligned with traditional liberal Democratic values, then maybe I might return. So far it has been war, torture, pro bank and big business, screwing the middle class, the poor and the unemployed; the destruction and harm that has been allowed and suppressed in the Gulf is beyond the pale. Seriously, I'm done. I have been for a long time but, being somewhat addicted to the site, still came everyday, reading new posts etc. I think it is time for a break as most of it is very depressing.

I love this ASAH area and will check in. I still would like to work on actual positive actions such One Grass Root and others are doing so please, I will check in but if there is something coming up, please send me a PM or email. I will be making Wishadoo a frequent stop.

[Howler]

1. I hear you Eilen.

And I understand completely.
I feel the same way with the exception of my participation on D.U.(This place is the only thing that keeps my political self relatively sane).
I wish there was something I could say or do that would make it better .....If I knew how to do that I would do it for myself first.:-( :( ;( :shrug:

[eilen]

6. Thanks, Hugs. nt

[I Have A Dream]

2. eilen, you do what your heart tells you to do.

I would never fault anyone for that. I'm a democratic socialist, myself, so I'm beyond disgusted as well. I'm not giving up yet, but I understand your need to at this point.

I'm really glad that you'll still be around here; it always makes me happy to see you. :hug:

[eilen]

7. I couldn't leave ASAH

I made sure to donate so I will retain paid member benefits for PM etc. I haven't determined a classification for myself. One thing I am not in support of is an economy based on growth. My ideal would be a restructuring of our economy so it is not based on free trade nor trickle down-- no growth but more of a closed cycle economy. The waste and byproducts of our industry are reabsorbed rather than off-shored. I am in favor of a true bottom up democracy.

[get the red out]

15. +1

Those are excellent ideas.

[FirstLight]

3. +1000!!!

I came to the conclusion that what happens in washington has very little effect on me personally, the economy isnb;t getting any better anytime soon, and nobody can help us but US

I am grateful the CA state races and my local city council turned out pertty well. but it still makes me thing that the only change we will see is the change that we create ON THE GROUND
so my focus is on what i can accompilish in my own town, sustainability, food growth, neighborhood coalitions, etc

the rest is just creating angst, and yes, very draining

[eilen]

8. California has always been a beacon of hope

and a look to the future in our country. I admire the voters who refused to be dazzled by the dirty millions.

[Ricochet21]

4. How well said Eilen

I'm 100% in agreement with you. :hi:

[eilen]

9. Thanks Rick. You are so correct that the

best thing to do is batten down the hatches, the influences are there for the deep-seated institutional rot to come to light and be transformed but it's really going to suck for everyone throughout the process.

[OneGrassRoot]

5. I support you, eilen; this article seemed appropriate here:

I'm not a big fan of Deepak Chopra, but I get HuffPo alerts, and the headline of this article -- especially since it was written by Chopra -- caught my attention.

I still support President Obama, though I'm certainly frustrated as hell and don't know WHAT to think about many things right now.


I thought you guys may find it interesting....

One-Term Obama: Should He Bow Out?

In the heat of divisive politics, President Obama declared that he was willing to be a one-term President if that's what it took to get a health care bill passed. It seemed at the time like a show of principle, the kind of thing a mature, adult leader would say rather than a self-serving politician. But in the background, Democrats believed that he would never have to live up to his words. At the time, the country hated Republicans more than ever. The 2008 election had been a rout. When re-election time came, there seemed to be no credible Republican candidate for President in 2012, much less a serious challenger.

The midterms radically changed that perception. Obama's "shellacking" press conference made him seem weak and uncertain. The worst had happened, which wasn't just the resounding setback of the progressive agenda. Far worse was the evidence that a principled leader who wanted to heal the country's corrosive gridlock had been defeated by the party of no. By acting as selfish and unscrupulous as they wanted, the Republicans halted the process of governance, blocked hundreds of appointments both judicial and executive, thumbed their noses at the Democrats' super-majority in the Senate, and to add insult to injury, ran against Obama's health care bill after they were the ones who ruined it. In the process of having their cake and eating it, too, the Republicans proved that being the party of no could fool most of the people most of the time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/one-term-obama-should-he_b_783292.html

[eilen]

10. Thanks for the article OGR

I'm not generally a big fan of Deepak either. However, he has a point that we lack principled steel balled leadership.

I've registered at Wishadoo and started a local community group. It really is a lovely site and mission.

[northernlights]

11. either that or a bottomless pit...

:hug:

I am in full agreement. I feel we have been totally betrayed and have recently switched to considering myself a Green. I voted for the most liberal candidates in my state elections except for governor, where the only chance we had to block a teaparty nutcase was a conservative independent. The *democrat* became the spoiler that left us with the teabagger, losing by 15-20 points whereas the independent was within a point or two.

I don't see any sign that the administration hasn't gotten *exactly* what they wanted. Nobody forced them to create a "deficit commission," let alone have it led by two people with a history and track record of wanting to dismantle Social Security, steal its funding and funnel that to the elite. They *chose* as their economic team the same people who destroyed the economy to begin with. They *chose* to ignore all top economists who begged them to follow a different path. The *chose* a behind-closed-door deal to drop public option before sitting down to the "negotiating table." Offered the choice between a narrowed focus in Afghanistan and englarging it, they *chose* endless war and are now *choosing* to renig on the promise to start leaving next year. They *chose* to claim the right to assassinate American citizens based on *suspician* without any due process. And the list goes on and on and on. Their only surprise is because so many of us know we've been betrayed.

Kudos to you for having the strength to face it. I'm trying to follow your lead. I go for days now without DU. Come back when I simply can't study any more or stand my day-to-day life any more. And then get ill with what I'm reading, and leave again.

Deepak Chopra is one of the elitist sell-out, imho. I do not follow him or care what he thinks.

Personally, I'm trying to watch only closely enough to get a sense of what is happening "out there." That is, to be prepared to make a sudden move if another shoe drops in the economy or something. But I'm was past hoping for any change except another stab in the back.

[MorningGlow]

12. Black hole? Absolutely

I'm with you, Eilen. I spend most of my time on DU here and in the Lounge (and some of the smaller forums). GD and GDP are detrimental to my health. All this fussing and pissing and moaning and finger-pointing, and it. just. doesn't. matter.

IMO, it's not Obama's fault. I still love the guy. The problem is the political system itself is broken. Obama and others want to make changes, make progress, make it better, but they simply can't--not the way the system is set up, the way it has eroded, all the corruption on top of everything. It's rotten to the core. Welcome to the Roman Empire Redux, you know?

I'd recommend just hanging here. It's nice here. :P

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. During the bewsh years I bowed out too

It was a smart move. I finally realized that being in a state of sputtering rage all the time was not good for my health! And, most importantly, that my obsessive outrage about what was going on was not helping the situation. And putting out more negative energy.

I probably should step away from politics again now, since I'm feeling disillusioned and confused and enraged at the repuke control of every damned thing it seems. And as last time, I have no influence in politics so what good is my outrage doing?

I wish I could ask Matthew what's UP, in terms of his messages about Obama's high mission. I always got good vibes about Obama too, so it's very hard to balance my belief in him with what's going on. He is committed to the high road but the high road doesn't preclude standing your ground against enemies.

Anyway, I think it's a good thing that you're acting on the inner awareness--hard to do in the face of DU addiction. I can relate! (And I think I need to do the same thing; the time sink issue is big too)

[get the red out]

14. I keep a small check on politics

But I have backed off CONSIDERABLY from the interest I once had. If the news weren't bad the media would make it so. The thinking of half the people in this country is so weird that I keep thinking that it could never get published as part of a novel if it weren't really happening, just too silly to be realistic. I also wonder if whoever is programming this reality decided to do a cartoon segment and this is it.

I have many other things to keep me very busy, so I have engaged in those and backed off from what I can do nothing about except pray. I spout my beliefs on Facebook and if "friends" have a problem with my views, they can unfriend me, I am who I am today - I haven't always been in this life.

I check the headlines on DU, but mostly read ASAH and the Pets group. I am glad that when I generally think to myself "would I rather read stuff or watch stuff that will upset me, or play with the dog, or knit?" that my answer usually comes down to the latter two, or some other project like a new recipe or a book. Free time is limited, I finally figured out that I can keep as informed as I need to be without the obsession and with time to actually enjoy things, or worry about a dropped stitch instead of the fate of the world. I can usually pick up that stitch.