XARK 3.0

  • Xark began as a group blog in June 2005 but continues today as founder Dan Conover's primary blog-home. Posts by longtime Xark authors Janet Edens and John Sloop may also appear alongside Dan's here from time to time, depending on whatever.

Xark media


  • ALIENS! SEX! MORE ALIENS! AND DUBYA, TOO! Handcrafted, xarky science fiction, lovingly typeset for your home printer!

  • XARK TV

  • XARKAGANDA

  • XARKTOONS
Blog powered by Typepad
Member since 06/2005

Statcounter has my back

« Authority. Power. Vengeance. | Main | Cone koans »

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Dewey

Damn.

I haven't done enough research yet to have a reasonable opinion, but that video was awesome.

Daniel

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, particularly from a journalist, but here goes: Comparing the finer policy points of candidates who are generally in agreement is an over-rated activity. It offers the illusion of control.

Why? Because the crucible of governing and lawmaking blurs those original distinctions.

It's worth checking to see if you can live with the policies proposed by a candidate, but once you get past that initial screening, use ALL your senses and faculties, including your emotions. Emotional intelligence isn't bullshit masquerading as significance. Intuition isn't spontaneous -- it's the cognitive buzz we get from cues too subtle for our conscious attention to grasp.

I took a quiz that said I should support Dennis Kucinich. Well, I like Dennis, and I agree with much of what he says, but I never considered voting for him for president.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't research and consider our political choices. I am saying that there's an awful lot that goes into making a successful president that cannot be determined by cool analysis of record and proposals.

One of the reasons I'm supporting Obama is because his candidacy is generating a cultural energy that inspires things like this video. It encodes symbols and memes that contain tremendous, potentially transformative power.

Paul Krugman said that the Obama campaign borders on a "cult of personality." I say he's misreading the cues. I say it's a cult of possibility, and that people are excited about a campaign/movement that offers us a shot at expanding our possibilities beyond the depressing choices we now face. It isn't the man who offers that -- it's the man as the symbol of the people who support him. People are excited about the notion of working together to change the culture, politically and socially.

Such hopes are immaterial when examined via hard reason. But one could make the argument that history has often pivoted on such moments. I suspect that these things are only clear to researchers in hindsight.

The comments to this entry are closed.