Wed 27 Oct 2004
Crossposted on my blog at EchoDitto
I have been thinking a lot lately about politics. To be fair, I have always thought a lot about politics, but since I have been working at the DCCC I find myself thinking more and more about the difference between politics and Politics - and what that difference will mean on November 3.
Big “P” Politics is what the world watches during election season and ignores the rest of the time. Big “P” Politics is conventions and news shows, kissing babies and sordid, career-ending affairs. It is tv ads we can recite in our sleep and lawn signs with American flags. Big “P” Politics is fun (mostly) every few years, but it has not much really to do with our lives.
Then there is little “p” politics. Little “p” politics is about the caliber of the schools our kids go to and whether our trash gets picked up on time. It is about whether we can enjoy stoop sitting with our neighbors or have to sit in our houses with the doors locked. It is about the quality of life we lead and the richness of our communities.
So here is the problem as I see it. It seems this election cycle we have seen a few people active in politics becoming more active in Politics. And we have seen a lot of people interested in Politics paying a little more attention to politics. All of this has been sparked by an overwhelming disgust with the current administration coupled with a way to share and discuss that disgust with people hundreds of miles away - the internet.
My question, and the thing I am trying to figure out is - what happens to all this energy on November 3? Will the people active in politics stay involved in Politics between now and the next election? Will the people obsessed with Politics start paying more attention to politics? And how can the internet play a role in both? If you figure this one out, let me know.
October 29th, 2004 at 9:48 pm
I think that it is all up to the people involved in politics. We all were always involved in politics, because everyone wants better schools, a job, Health Insurance, and the like. The reason that the big P guys got interested more in the little p guys like us is because they saw that we were tired of them and took it upon ourselves to buck the system. Maybe we didn’t win the way that we wanted to, but we did win because we changed the process a little, and that is progress, and progress moves slowly. We are also a part of the process, and the only way to change things is on the inside.
What happens depends on us. Will we stay involved in Politics, or will we just sit on the stoop or on the blog for that matter and complain about Politics. I truly believe that our leaders want to do what is best for our country. I think that they got so involved in Politics that they forgot politics. It is our job to make them remember politics, and they, being good at Politics will hopefully start doing their jobs.