By January 2009, when the next president takes office, it will be obvious that we are in a Greater Depression. Millions of Americans will be angry, desperate and uncomfortably awakened and confused. People (have already, and) will be losing their homes, their incomes, their ability to buy food and fuel and health care. And giant predators, from banks and corporations to foreign property owners to Blackwater, will be trying to exploit the crisis for selfish gain.
How angry are the people now? I thought the economical depression was already happening and - correct me if i'm wrong - i haven't heard much of direct action being taken against it. That probably is because i'm watching from overseas and i don't have a first person perspective. But as of now it seems to me most people deal with it one way or another. I doubt that the reactions will actually worsen that much by January 2009.
"Now let's say that you are part of some organized movement that's technically against the law. Maybe a few hundred people have occupied an abandoned suburb and you are tearing down houses and making gardens. Or some farmers are refusing to leave land that the banks claim to own. Or the people in one poor neighborhood have run out of food, and they march to the Whole Foods in a rich neighborhood and take what they need. Or half a million people march to protest the Iraq war, and because they don't have jobs or health insurance to lose, they don't go home, but occupy the center of a major city for days."
That sounds quite like an uprising - I'd seriously be surprised to see that happening. I know there had been alot of riots and organized movements against problems in the us-american society (most notoriously against racism: martin luther king, malcolm x, black panther party, watts 1965, LA 1992 etc.) but uprisings as you describe almost seem to be revolutionary, which probably won't happen because of the strong presence of patriotism, the media which is able to control your outrages, and the ever-so-strong conservatism. Then again, I could be wrong. But I would not expect something like that as early as 2009.
"Now, what would President McCain do? He would send in the fucking military and smoke your ass, and if you weren't killed, you would be shipped to a "detention facility," and never heard from again."
He would most definitely send in military after some waiting time, but they would hesitate to use live ammunition. At most times, teargas and the like would be enough. Shooting your people would mean extreme and harsh criticism as regarding in foreign as well as in domestic policy (I dont know if thats the right word; english is not my mother tongue). It would be the most stupid thing to do, and McCain is not that stupid.
"What would President Obama do? I could be wrong, but I think he would go in person and listen to you, ask you what you needed and how he could help. Then he would go back to the big money people, and explain your position to them, and ask them what they needed. Then he would work out a compromise, and he would go on TV and explain the whole situation and how he resolved it and why. Nobody would be completely happy, but we would avoid a big disaster and gain in understanding."
That sounds really romanticized. In Germany we got the word "Obamania" for that (dunno if you say that, too). I don't think we should be too quick about labeling him as the messias, just because he is a charismatic and sympathic person.
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Barack Obama's candidacy is the kind of opportunity that only comes along once or twice a century. He has honesty, courage, intelligence, charisma, and great political instincts, but most important, he shows a willingness and ability to channel bottom-up energy, to challenge the people to act, and to serve as a focus for public passion, where McCain would go in the back room and flush it down the toilet. When you look on the level of human spirit, Obama represents our only chance to renew America without passing through really horrific violence.
As already said, I would be more careful about that. For example, what is Obama planning to do against global warming? I heard that on the one hand he would step up renewable energy sources (thats what he's saying in his speeches so he gets cheered on) but just yesterdy i read that he is following george bush's path of accelerating the drill for oil before the us coast, which will not only do nothing against the high oil price, but also will accelerate global warming even more. As far as i like Obama so far, I'm still sceptical.
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However, we can't just sit back and expect him to take care of us. That's the kind of thinking that ruined America in the first place. We're going to have to organize boycotts and strikes and local currencies and secession movements and illegal mutual aid networks and mass physical actions that are tactical and not merely symbolic. We'll have one, or four, or maybe eight years with Obama in office, and we should think of him not as a leader but as a weapon, a lever big enough to move the country.
Doesnt sound bad, but will it really happen? When "Obamania" has gripped you, it's hard for people to go demonstrating against his politics. That's what I kinda fear - that Obama will not face much opposition or critical voices, and that's dangerous.
QUOTE
In the last hours before the French Revolution, the lawmakers relented and passed a bunch of huge reforms, but by the time anyone found out, it was too late, they were already burning the palaces.