Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Politics won't just go away

I have heard from many of my friends that the election is over, and they don't want to hear about it all anymore. In part, I agree. But, as a student of the media, I understand the great pull to do postmortem stories on how Barack Obama won, how the Republicans are going to rebuild, and how Obama is going to govern.

The problem with people (even more so in the 18-29 year-old group) tuning out is that the hard work has just started. President-elect Barack Obama now has to fix everything. The economy, the two+ wars we are fighting, along with a host of other major issues (infrastructure, counter-terrorism, health care, energy independence, and America's role in the world). This is when Obama needs us more than ever. Without the power of the people being engaged in where the country is going, Obama won't have the power to do what he needs to do.

The other side is already pulling together. And they have a new goal: stop Barack Obama and those damn liberal in Congress. And while they may be fighting amongst themselves (Palin v. Romeny v. Jindal v. lord knows who else), they all want the same thing. And to be honest, Democrats and liberals had one goal also: pass their (re: Obama's) agenda.

And speaking of Palin. Everyone is saying she's over, so stop talking about her. In response, I give you a quote from Andrew Sullivan:
"Some readers think my continuing attempt to expose all the lies and flim-flam and bizarre behavior of Sarah Palin is now moot. She's history -- they argue. Move on. I think she probably is history. Even Bill Kristol and his minions in the McCain-Palin campaign may not be able to resuscitate her political viability now. But even if she is history, she is history that matters."
So yeah, they are going on and on about topics you don't want to hear about anymore. Okay. So email them and let them know what you want to hear about. Don't just turn the TV off. Don't just throw that paper away, or skip onto the next link. Get involved and start making an impact.

Politics is not a spectator sport. It's a contact sport. Get in there, get a little dirty, and get something done.
"Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead

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