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Monday, November 10, 2008

E-scats-atology 

Scats, you are right. Our job is now to construct a real public sphere. Often this term is misconstrued as simply meaning "in public" or "the public," as though anything that appears on TV is entering the public sphere. In fact, Habermas had a very specific idea in mind: a smaller group of citizens focused on the common good who would engage in public dialogue, come to consensus on the quality of government policies, and then appeal to that government to place pressure upon it.

Under the Bush administration, there was only what I would call an anti-public sphere, the semblance of such a group and such pressure without the reality or efficacy (i.e., a near absence of press criticism of Bush, which has been masked these past few months by its opposite, which is not really critique of present policy but condemnation of the past). Obama supporters, through their sheer visibility, have opened a new space for transmission to/at the White House. I received this today. It is apparently emerging from the Nader campaign, and I think this is a great position for them to occupy (as opposed to, say, contributing to Republican victories-- but who remembers 2000?).


-----Original Message-----
From: Lee Metcalf <leemetcalf66@earthlink.net>
To: Lee Metcalf <leemetcalf66@earthlink.net>
Sent: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:33 am
Subject: post election involvement


Hi,

http://november5.org/

Above is a link to an group that seeks to organize people in each of the 535
congressional districts nationwide. Their goal is to eventually enlist 2000
people in every district, out of which one or more citizen representatives will
be sent to Washington as lobbyists for the public interest. This strategy is
designed to both counter the inordinate number of corporate lobbyists which
currently dominate Washington politics, and as a way to put direct and continued
pressure on the President and Democratically elected congress to make the
changes that the majority of Americans favor, such as:

Universal Health Care
Immediate end to Iraq and Afghanistan wars
Reduction of the military budget and a dramatic increase in social spending

etc...

Obama's win is highly significant and cause for celebration, given the history
of racism in this country and also in light of the 8 year national nightmare
from which we are now emerging, but we should not have any illusions as to what
the President and this congress will be willing or able to do without a
proactive citizenry demanding meaningful change.

Please take a moment to sign up and show your support and then forward to all
others that you feel may be interested.

Thank you,

LM

posted by James Hussein Dixon : 11/10/2008 03:16:00 PM
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