Comments

I want to say something negative without detracting from the positive things that this implies...

I grew up in Washington - Spokane, specifically - and have just recently returned after nearly 15 years. I quit my job and moved home, with the idea that I would find a McJob while retooling to make my own gig. All I can say about the prospect of being a start-up, a change agent, an outside the boxer in the business environment created by the State government is comparable to being one of those door-to-door evangelists in Fallujah. This isn't the place where massive change is going to happen in the way that citizens govern themselves, because they do not govern themselves, they are governed by a few Straussians and Rooseveltians who fight for the ownership of the steering wheel and checckbook. The gender of the representatives doesn't have anything to do with that.

I share your enthusiasm, Tom, with the utter necessity of throwing a brick through the glass ceiling, but I'm not sure of the correllation between elected officials in a fairly repressive state with deep political problems and real power in capital enterprises. This wasn't, any different than any other election these days - not a affirmation of merit, but rather the remainder of a negation of another's inability. Until we acknowledge that our politics isn't about anything but conserving the power of control we won't be able to re-direct it towards the goal of liberating command of outcomes. (step one: we acknowledged that we were powerless over out addiction.)

Posted by Ian Smith at February 1, 2005 7:03 PM

Well argued Ian. I'm a Vermonter and a Democrat, but as I said in another Comment, if Howard Dean wins the Democratic National Chair, then, after 40 years, I'm re-registering as an Independent the next day!

Posted by tom peters at February 2, 2005 3:11 AM