I had a lovely evening with some new friends, including listening to a conference call with HRC I got invited to.
Nice!
On my way to work I was listening to a playlist full of righteous anger and I realized that it is really specific to the Bush administration. I also have a playlist that is very tied to Obama's inauguration. I guess it's time for a new one now since I'm not fully ready to give in to the Apocalypse Now-ish playlist.
The community thing is solid. State Department has been increasingly convinced that the key unit of government is the city, not the state, and that that will become more and more the case. Curious and communities are where things get done. Think globally, act locally, you know.
That said, I think there are some national level efforts needed. The appetite for an outsider for President isn't going to diminish much in the next four years, because the things that provoke it, like globalization and technology, will continue. Both political parties need to find outsider candidates if we don't want eight years of this. The DNC is floating Michelle Obama and Elizabeth Warren, which proves to me that they haven't gotten the message. I would vote for either of those candidates but they are both unelectable. The party needs to be educated that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insane. They may also need suggestions for a viable candidate.
I joked about running, but I am too much of an insider. And not famous.
The DNC is floating them? I assumed that was Internet wishful thinking. Agree with your analysis though.
On the city/state thing though, on of the big challenges I see is that a lot of state governments eem to see a big part of the original mandate as stifling city action.
Volans, I'm curious why you think Elizabeth Warren is unelectable. I haven't heard anyone else go after Wall St. the way she has and I think that resonates with a lot of people (both Hillary and Bernie types and probably some of the Trump folks).
Because she's an insider. She's held office. That's all it gets down to.
I went to see Arrival tonight at the locally-owned theater in Oakland, and as the lights went down, someone in the back shouted, "Not my President!", and half the audience cheered. And then someone else in the back said, "But I came here to escape all that!" and half the audience laughed, and then the movie started.
Good movie, btw: highly recommended if you like thoughtfully-paced intelligent science fiction.
Jesus, I do not want an outsider running the country. Why the hell would anyone want an outsider?
Hell, I was complaining last night that I wish there were job requirements: law degree or equivalent years of public service.
.
I actually *want* career politicians. It's not a fucking entry level job.
Well, four (or, Gaia help us, 8) years under Trump might make electing people with a political resume look sexy again. It sure wasn't a plus this time around.
Shrift, I would be interested in fannish organizing, if there's a list or something that you could point me towards, please.
I agree about the city/community/local focus mentioned above. That's something that a guy in my other focus (paganism/witchcraft/other assorted woo) keeps bringing up. I've been following Gordon White, of Rune Soup and other pubs, for a few years now, and he called Brexit and Trump's win 6-12 months before they happened. He's been on a decentralizing, crumbling empires kick for a while now--not reveling in it, but saying that that was the way the pendulum of history is swinging and it would be smart to get ones ducks rowed. He also talks about archons, spells, and wars in heaven, so take that as you will, but his calls on the big visible world stuff have been unsettlingly accurate.