Things I've learned in the 2004 campaign so far...and continue to learn...

[helleborient]

The first thing I now know is that apathy is not necessarily the number one reason, and certainly not the only reason, so many people in our country are not involved in politics...and in too many cases choose not to vote.

The vile, poisonous atmosphere of politics in the U.S. is one key reason so many people choose not to be involved. I say this about all of the major candidates' campaigns...including Howard Dean's. Howard Dean's campaign did pull a large number of people into the political world over the past several months that had never taken an active role, and encouraged me to be more active than ever before. I fear now that many of those will be lost to active politics...by the nasty, poisonous atmosphere coming from all directions.

I think the Internet has helped tremendously in political communication, but has also stepped up the nastiness of campaigning since people don't have to deal with each other face to face.

Pretty much universally, all of the political boards online I know of are such disgusting atmospheres that I stay away most of the time. I don't like how the atmosphere encourages me to behave - it's rather repulsive. If this were sports, most political activists would have been thrown out of the process for rule-breaking, fouls, or generally offensive behavior long ago.

By comparison, working with people in the real world has been reassuring and wonderful, but many of these people will not tolerate much direct screaming and demeaning behavior of people toward each other. People have busy lives and it is very easy to write off politics in favor of something else where people are reasonable to each other.

I'm going to Iowa later this afternoon with 4 other people to do on the ground work...I suppose I will learn even more while I'm there. I hope that it's a mostly positive experience. I have more doubts than I had just a week ago.

Regardless of what happens in this nomination fight, I will vote for and encourage voting for the Democratic candidate. I don't know how much active work I will do...time will tell on that. However, I know I will, and encourage others to, the next time you ponder low voter participation and low participation in politics in general...think about your own behavior (in person and online) toward others seeking to involve themselves in politics. Are you being someone that constructively encourages participation...or are you being destructive to the entire political process in your efforts to promote a candidate?

[Hep]

1. Thanks

The way some folks here treat others is why I wouldn't ever want to meet most Du'ers in real life.

[cthrumatrix]

2. Thanks indeed....the "powers that be know this"...if not for what is at

stake with our future...i would feel other.

The eye opening daily corruption of our media has been the biggest surprise..once the facade of news was lifted it revealed a reality that quite frankly many americans would be shocked to learn.

We need to take back our country...it's offices and it's destiny.

[helleborient]

3. And begin to behave like a real community (small and large scale)...

In the past, you were basically stuck living with and often depending on people in your commuity...today too many of us sit at home or in offices at work lobbing bombs at "the other"...literally and figuratively.

The first thing necessary to really build community is to stop shouting at each other and listen...I think I learned that in Kindergarten.