...we know that most people in this country will never be economically secure unless there is radical change in the economic system. but if we set out to defeat, or even ignore, the people made insecure and bitter by the current system, we'll never get them to accept the need for radical change. we'll only create more fear, bitterness, and resentment. rather than nudging the center toward the left we'll help to drive it toward the right.
we don't have to appear as cautious and timid as obama. we couldn't, even if we wanted to. but we can learn how to talk to people who don't share our values, how to take their needs and concerns into account, even how to work together with them, without sacrificing our principles. if we do that, we can use the new mood of change as a window of opportunity to persuade the whole nation to continue moving leftward.
that possibility is what the name "obama" symbolizes. but the new president certainly won't do it for us. we have to do it ourselves. // ira chernus, 11.11.08, common dreams
No comments:
Post a Comment