It’s election eve, I’ve just ended my commute from San Francisco, exiting at Grand Avenue past orange- and green-clad clots of young political volunteers. Just in time to wave to my weary mail-carrier, Sonja, as she drops the last of the political mailers through the slot. (I promptly round-file the lot.) I check the voicemail to see if any celebrities have called. They have; but this year, no Warren Beatty. As a political gadfly, I’ve always considered him unreliable, anyway.
I turn on KTVU to see the spokesperson d’jour, the fireman—the one who looks like a huge yellow nestling. I’m starting to feel I know this guy personally. I’m starting to think I see oil spots on his yellow slicker.
Is my vote really worth this much? After tomorrow, what are they going to be doing with it when I’m not paying attention?
And I know that my not paying attention is the very thing this flawed system depends upon.
It was why, a few District Two campaigns ago, I became involved in Shirley Gee’s campaign. I’m a relatively recent arrival to Oakland, after almost ten years is Asia (where I was beginning to get involved in much riskier political activities).
I don’t expect that anything I have to say—with less than 24 hours before this election ends—will influence anybody’s choice of candidate. We’ve had far too long to make up our minds. Google the word “indecisiveness.” (It says chronic indecisiveness is a sign of emotional imbalance—that can’t be any of us.)
As a parenthetical aside, I’ll also mention that I’m a long-time member of the Green Party, and although I find some of their stances indefensible, I feel compelled to defend poor, old Ralph from Ken Katz’s comment that “they [the Greens] should be blaming Ralph Nader for the War in Iraq.” That just cuts it. There’s more than a little irony in blaming an Arab-American public citizen for the historical occupation of the Middle East by Western powers in order to extract their natural resources. (Isn’t there? I find it ironic.)
But that is as close as I come to defending the Green Party in this election. I feel like Huey Long, who said, “I’m a dyed-in-the-wool party man. I just don’t know what party I’m in right now, but I am for the party.” I don’t know what party I’m in right now, either. The Greens seem to be adopting some of the worst practices of the Republicans; with unabashed use of 527s to misrepresent; at the same time disavowing any knowledge of those involved. They’re shocked! Nobody knows nothing. In this particular election, the trail leads to practices of the Tides Foundation. Even if you think positively of the causes they fund, you should be concerned by their compulsive aversion to transparency.
It’s obvious that some people believe Aimee has a political future. I think she does, too.
But her lack of involvement/interest in the minutia of District Two’s problems leads me to no other conclusion than that she views this as a waystation to some larger destination. She doesn’t seem inclined to live in the moment, only some future possibility. It’s the kind of accusation that’s been leveled at our current mayor. We don’t need that right now. This is a difficult job to do well, the pay is modest, and people say nasty things about you. Sorry, Ralph. I’m voting Democrat.
Comments
Just to clarify, the Laney/Oakland Library merger was NOT part of Measure N. If Measure N had passed, then the merger would have become an option, based on the discretion and desires of the Laney Administration. But integration was not part of Measure N, just something that would have become an option had Measure N passed.
Amy -
No, it really wasn't. I was on the N campaign, so I do the details. Voting for Measure N would not have been a vote to integrate the libraries. The City of Oakland has zero authority to make such decisions. As I said before, the passage of Measure N and the move to a larger library would have made this an option. If N had passed, then the administration would have had 3 years to fine tune the details of the plan and win (or lose) board approval. So while you may have felt that the decision was already made and it would be a consequence, it is wrong to run around telling people that integration of Laney's library was a part of N. It wasn't.