I was astounded as I was watched the Democratic presidential debate last night. It was real adults having a real conversation about real issues. I know it’s silly to say that but after suffering through the “debates” from the Republican candidates, it had to be said. It was rather refreshing, but it also occurred to me, what would my political life be if the vast majority of the candidates on both sides of the aisle had a brain?
With candidates like Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, and to a great extent Donald Trump, not to mention Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Bobby Jindal, Chris Christie… Oh hell, just throw all of them in at this point! I am not suggesting they have no intelligences the all, but what I am suggesting is that when you don’t have the kind of political intelligence that would allow anybody that is serious about their country to take them seriously, I’m certain we would be having a very different dialogue about the future of this country and how to solve the issues that she is facing.
We are not, as you know, and maybe when the Republican field is reduced to three or four candidates that can actually count over ten without taking their shoes and socks off, we may be having more substantial conversations at that point. Maybe!
My pondering this is in many ways about the access that we have to information that allows us to make our own substantive decisions on the political issues and difficulties that we have a personal stake in. And, shockingly, some of us have more than opinions to share, we actually have solutions. Of course, we often have to ask ourselves who will listen to what we have to say and wonder if they have the political intelligence to help us reach these potential solutions.
I realize that I am more politically intense than most people. It’s kind of an occupational hazard, if you will. I also realize that those who are elected are often times not elected by me. And I also realize, shockingly, that it’s not always about me! But back to our previously scheduled program. Look to the potential leadership of 2016 and beyond and what do you see? I don’t just fear for our future or fear for our country, I feel for the world. I have spent the last three months every Friday morning doing a series on activism and talking to national organizations that, through their persistence and grassroots efforts, have actually made a difference on everything from the Iran Deal to many other areas of domestic and foreign importance. The people that run these organizations like the Friends Committee on National Legislation and or Citizens Climate Lobby, among others, are emphatic that it is the brainpower of the grassroots that fuels the engine that allows them to be successful in mounting lobbying efforts that create dynamic change.
Brainpower is evident and is all around us in almost any activist or political actor. Let me emphasize almost, but with the exception as it applies to certain Republican presidential candidates. Now, for those of you that believe that I am being overly harsh or unfair to the Republican presidential candidates, allow me to underscore the fact that I criticized them for political intelligence, or lack thereof. I stand by that statement with confidence and will let that statement stand. Do they all have some other category of intelligence? Well, of course they do! But for the purposes of this discussion, I neither have the time, energy, or will to do that kind of research. My point, quite simply, should be obvious. That is why, when it comes to fundraising time at Eclectablog, where there is no lack of brainpower or solutions, I can with confidence ask you all to stand up and financially support the amazing work done by our founder and editor Chris Savage and the rest of my colleagues and friends at Eclectablog.
Many of us make investments in the things that we believe in and whether it’s spending money, time, or a combination. We know that our brainpower or our muscle are necessary to move the decision-makers to a category and lock them in so that we can move on to the next issue or chapter in our activist lives. That is if the people that we are working with have the political brainpower to comprehend what it is we are doing and what it is that we hope to accomplish. Relax, it actually does happen from time to time.
So back on the stump for Eclectablog for me. Stop right now. Look below, either donate on the site, send an email to Chris, or send a check. Because I can guarantee you, whether you are agree with the writing that happens here or not, we either do a very good job of educating you on issues, piss you off, or move you to a greater plain of activism. All great reasons to financially support the work of my colleagues and our leader Chris Savage.
For those groups and individuals who find what we do here at Eclectablog worthy of supporting with a direct financial contribution, there are three ways to help.
First, you can make your donation using the PayPal form at the top of the right sidebar. You can choose which level of support you wish to give us from the dropdown box or choose a different level if you wish by using the “Other amount” box. The default is $60 which is basically $1 per week after the fees are taken out, a pretty good value.
Or you can wait until the TinyPass pop-up pops up (every tenth click on the site) and donate that way. If you do that, the popups will go away as long as you have cookies enabled. Like with the Paypal form, the default amounts for annual or monthly donations can be adjusted to whatever you wish them to be. They are currently set to be around $1 per week. Again, it’s a great value.
Finally, if you would prefer to send a check, send Chris an email and he’ll give you the address. This is the most beneficial way for us because it avoids the Paypal and Tinypass fees that are taken from contributions to the site.
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Thanks so much for your continued support,
Tony, Chris, Anne, Amy, LOLGOP, Emma, Judy, and John
