We definitely need to support someone who actually has a track record for this. We can't vote someone again who "just promises this and speaks well".
Obama has done such a 180 degree that you almost think it was all for show so he gets elected, and it will be difficult to believe anyone who just promises to free us from the surveillance state, if they don't have a strong background of supporting civil liberties and fighting against the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act. Wyden, Udall and Paul I'd say qualify. There may be others, too, but probably not too many.
But even if they stand no chance of winning, we need to stop voting for the "lesser evil". It has solved nothing so far. The only way to change things is to vote for people you'd really want to become president, not for people who you'd rather win instead of the other guy.
We definitely need to support someone who actually has a track record for this.
Ahem. Russ Feingold is best known for his collaboration with John McCain on campaign finance reform, but was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act the first time (joined by a few others the second time). Voted against the Iraq war. One of 3 Democrats to vote against Geithner as Treasury secretary. Fought pork, returned his raises to the government. Voted against dismissal of impeachment charges for Clinton, brought a resolution to censure George W. Bush for illegal wiretapping. After losing his seat to a Tea Partier, he formed a PAC, Progressives United, which has opposed Citizens United, Wall Street and SOPA, and calls out the Democrats when their spine softens, but was just shipped off to an African ambassadorship.
Comments
We definitely need to support someone who actually has a track record for this. We can't vote someone again who "just promises this and speaks well".
Obama has done such a 180 degree that you almost think it was all for show so he gets elected, and it will be difficult to believe anyone who just promises to free us from the surveillance state, if they don't have a strong background of supporting civil liberties and fighting against the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act. Wyden, Udall and Paul I'd say qualify. There may be others, too, but probably not too many.
But even if they stand no chance of winning, we need to stop voting for the "lesser evil". It has solved nothing so far. The only way to change things is to vote for people you'd really want to become president, not for people who you'd rather win instead of the other guy.
Ahem. Russ Feingold is best known for his collaboration with John McCain on campaign finance reform, but was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act the first time (joined by a few others the second time). Voted against the Iraq war. One of 3 Democrats to vote against Geithner as Treasury secretary. Fought pork, returned his raises to the government. Voted against dismissal of impeachment charges for Clinton, brought a resolution to censure George W. Bush for illegal wiretapping. After losing his seat to a Tea Partier, he formed a PAC, Progressives United, which has opposed Citizens United, Wall Street and SOPA, and calls out the Democrats when their spine softens, but was just shipped off to an African ambassadorship.
Etc. I love this guy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Feingold
Watching him argue against the Patriot Act in 2001 on C-SPAN is pretty interesting: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/appearance/596265765
Essentially every bad thing he hypothesized has come to pass.