The Inevitable Cycle Begins Anew...



The great thing about having an election every four years, is that you tend to forget all the infighting, all of the dirty tricks, all of the bad mouthing and divisiveness that characterizes the process of the American election.

We may not have revolutions in terms of dead and tangled bodies but, in some cases, we have such abiding misery, such anger, such hatred that polarization of the population becomes inevitable.

Every time I enter one of these periods, I tend to hope for new beginnings; that somehow all of the dirty laundry will not be aired and that the bad stuff will be put behind us once and for all.

And Iowa and New Hampshire prove that American voters are mainly fair minded and diligent about going through the process necessary to elect the next president.

And that is usually where it ends.

Because by that time, the media and the “insiders” have begun to emerge as the ultimate string pullers, as the influentials who change the dynamics of the campaign. The insiders being those vaunted moneyed interests who have an axe to grind in the outcomes.

So, predictably, while we are excited for the prospects of a new beginning; we must also come to grips with the truth which is that the big money Wall Street crowd has no interest in seeing a down-home minister win the republican spotlight; they they want one of their own…..

And by then, the power sources behind the democratic candidates are hard at work trying to destroy the “front runner” who then must face them down while he or she can.

Ultimately, the dirty tricks crowds on the right prevail over their own party; and for the most part, the democratic king makers work their own particular magic to attempt to change the political dynamics to favor their candidate—the one who bests represents their interests.

Where does that leave an old-fashioned democrat like Dennis Kucinich who has the very bad habit of speaking his mind?

Dennis, a strong advocate for change, never gets a fair hearing at any of the debates or forums that eventually turn into a popularity campaign.

In the end, the voters must try to overcome the pressures of a Primary that has gone on for two long and centered in two unrepresentative states in order to give their boy life.

However, in this campaign, more thoughtful than any I’ve seen, it seems almost as if the forces of change and the forces of hope will have their day despite all the pressures from the special interests.

And in the end, that is the wonderful thing about this country.

We hope and pray that the people will be heard this time.

That hope will be restored and America returned to what it once was, a place where

Tired, poor and hungry masses yearning to breath free will find a home; where innovation, technology and concern for the world shape our futures; where kindness and compassion can bring us all back to some kind of harmony and there will be good jobs for everyone.

This is almost too much to hope for in the winter of 2008.

But we should never forget that we live in a country founded on hope.

Les Aaron
The Committee for Positive Change