Active Voice, Passive Voice
Politics is conducted in the active voice. We say things and do things.
But the biggest problem in America today is most citizens only use the passive voice.
I got a taste of both today when I went to my local YMCA. One friend, a Kucinich supporter, said his new fall-back position was Clark. I said Clark has no strategy, that he can't stand against the $200 million Bush onslaught coming this spring. "That's up to the people," he said. "If Clark is the nominee are you going to support him?" he added.
Sure, I said, but he stands no chance. Only Howard Dean has a strategy, of matching Bush dollar-for-dollar with small contributions, of standing up to Bush every day, of running to Bush's right on key issues, like the deficit and homeland security.
A woman came by, about to start her own workout, and said, "I hope he can do it."
My response. He can't. You must. We can. Only We, The People have the power to throw these bums out. Howard Dean is just the candidate. The Dean campaign can only give us the tools. It's we who have to do the work.
That's the point that is hardest to get through. Politics has been conducted by others all our lives. We have passively watched their tactics, their gotcha games, their bogus charges. We have shaken our heads, said that is too bad, but we haven't done anything about it. Except, maybe, complain about "those other" people, the ones who are fooled, the ones who buy what they're being sold on TV.
Well, that won't work this time. The passive voice, this year, is liable to get you, or a loved one, killed in an unnecessary, distracting occupation. It's liable to get you killed from foul air and water. It's liable to cause you to die, because you lack a job and/or health insurance.
It's going to, unless right now, you here highly resolve to use your birthright of freedom, and act, to make sure that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth. It's going to, unless you find your active voice.
That is the message we need to take out, right now, to Democrats in response to these press games, these bogus charges, these manipulative ads. They make us angry. They make us active. And we need to get others activated in turn.
Howard Dean can't win this nomination by himself. He's only one man. Only We Have The Power. The time has come to go beyond our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, our church, and activate total strangers. Get others to feel the power within you, help them make it their power too. Because it is. That's the only way this thing is going to work.
So my advice is to ignore the trolls, to ignore Gephardt, to ignore the media, to ignore the Club for Growth for a while. Those are distractions.
The nomination, and the fate of the Democratic Party, is in our hands.
Seize the day.
But the biggest problem in America today is most citizens only use the passive voice.
I got a taste of both today when I went to my local YMCA. One friend, a Kucinich supporter, said his new fall-back position was Clark. I said Clark has no strategy, that he can't stand against the $200 million Bush onslaught coming this spring. "That's up to the people," he said. "If Clark is the nominee are you going to support him?" he added.
Sure, I said, but he stands no chance. Only Howard Dean has a strategy, of matching Bush dollar-for-dollar with small contributions, of standing up to Bush every day, of running to Bush's right on key issues, like the deficit and homeland security.
A woman came by, about to start her own workout, and said, "I hope he can do it."
My response. He can't. You must. We can. Only We, The People have the power to throw these bums out. Howard Dean is just the candidate. The Dean campaign can only give us the tools. It's we who have to do the work.
That's the point that is hardest to get through. Politics has been conducted by others all our lives. We have passively watched their tactics, their gotcha games, their bogus charges. We have shaken our heads, said that is too bad, but we haven't done anything about it. Except, maybe, complain about "those other" people, the ones who are fooled, the ones who buy what they're being sold on TV.
Well, that won't work this time. The passive voice, this year, is liable to get you, or a loved one, killed in an unnecessary, distracting occupation. It's liable to get you killed from foul air and water. It's liable to cause you to die, because you lack a job and/or health insurance.
It's going to, unless right now, you here highly resolve to use your birthright of freedom, and act, to make sure that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth. It's going to, unless you find your active voice.
That is the message we need to take out, right now, to Democrats in response to these press games, these bogus charges, these manipulative ads. They make us angry. They make us active. And we need to get others activated in turn.
Howard Dean can't win this nomination by himself. He's only one man. Only We Have The Power. The time has come to go beyond our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, our church, and activate total strangers. Get others to feel the power within you, help them make it their power too. Because it is. That's the only way this thing is going to work.
So my advice is to ignore the trolls, to ignore Gephardt, to ignore the media, to ignore the Club for Growth for a while. Those are distractions.
The nomination, and the fate of the Democratic Party, is in our hands.
Seize the day.
Comments