Eyebrows Raised

I like contrarians, and so was delighted yesterday as we came out of the food coop to encounter a young and naive and starry-eyed young girl collecting signatures to get Ralph Nader on the ballot one more time. We watch now as Obama bobs and weaves and spins his magic as he inexorably moves right – I probably misspeak there – Obama has never really defined himself, so he can pretty much paint himself on our canvas as he wishes.

In the year 2000 I was also naive and starry-eyed, and collected well over a thousand signatures for Nader. I’d do it again. It was a fun time – as Gore tried to ingratiate himself to the right wing and keep his left at bay, Nader threw hard jabs at him. He didn’t land a punch, but the Democrats don’t have much patience for their progressive wing, and so have been been hammering them for seven years now about how it is always wrong to run against Democrats from the left. No defining allowed. Democrats must always be able to define themselves, as they do when they steal the title “progressive” during the primaries and shun it in the general. We lefties must always be compliant. If we get uppity, we get hammered.

So I signed the petition. I hope Ralph does well. It seems that we progressive have two choices – be wrong and included, or right and ostracized. That’s the American system of politics. It’s sheer genius.

It’s going to be a pleasure to vote for Bob Kelleher, and courtesy of Jay Stevens, I traveled by Eyebrows Over Highbrows, an apparent ad-hoc blog that supports his candidacy and does so with a touch of humor. If ever there was a nerdy and humorless and self-important hack of a politician, it is Max Baucus. I protest – Max is nothing – in the end, useless. But the Montana media loves him and so allows him to sit in his unexamined cocoon. Once every six years he is allowed to define himself via TV spots financed by his wealthy backers. The Montana media does not do the burrowing thing so good, and so Montana politicians have it far too easy. Bob Kelleher is in limbo now – he’ll get no attention at all unless it comes from the grassroots. Maybe a blog will actually be useful!

Go Kelleher! Thanks Eyebrows. Have a good time feasting on Max. Dart and weave and prod and poke and build a readership. And for god’s sake, don’t stutter.