Friday, November 04, 2005

Dick Cheney, Nelson Mandela, Howard Dean



"I think Howard Dean's over the top. Maybe his mother loved him, but I've never met anybody who does. He's never won anything. He ran for president and lost all the primaries. And now the Democrats have seen fit to make him their national chairman. I think he's probably helped us more than he has them. That's not the kind of individual you want to have representing your political party."

- Dick Cheney
 To me this is about connecting the dots.

Nelson Mandela is compared to the likes of Mahatma Gandhi. But Cheney is not from that school of thought. Apartheid was the most virulent form of racism one could imagine during the modern times. Mandela took a stand against it, and made huge personal sacrifices in the process. Mandela is not a politician, not a statesman, not a freedom fighter, not a hero: he is beyond all that.

Cheney launches an attack on Howard Dean's mother. This is not about policy disagreement, or even a disagreement on leadership style. Howard Dean is a white male. He happens to be a millionaire, and I am happy for him and his family for that. Dean is not exactly my idea of a guy someone of Cheney's ideology might dislike gutterally. But he apparently does.

Why?

You have to connect the dots to understand why. It is because Howard Dean dares to represent the wrong kind of people. Dean aspires to represent the poor and the powerless. That is a no-no in Dick Cheney's book. You just don't do that. If you do, you brush Dick the wrong way.

Dean is offensive because he is no vanilla Democrat. He is not going to overlook your dirty tricks. He is not going to let you get away with things. And that is offensive. Dean is not someone running for ceremonial monarch. He never was.

You have to keep connecting the dots. The Cheney crowd fought as hard as they could to make sure the blacks in the country did not have a right to vote. Ever since the blacks earned the right to vote, that crowd has been doing its very best to make sure the blacks do not get to make use of that right.

Voter intimidation was the biggest story of the 2000 and the 2004 elections. And that tendency is going to be fought tooth and nail.

The reason Cheney really dislikes Nelson Mandela is because deep down he knows there is still a need for a Mandela right here in America. Much racism exists.

Dick Cheney is a racist.

Well, the Cheneys of the world are just going to have to take stock of the new progressive tsunami in the making.

There is no white, non-white divide. The divide is progressive, non-progressive. And Cheney and the likes of him are on the wrong side of the fence.

They have the option to offer policy, and competing leadership styles, and compete for the vote. But they do not have the option to wage personal attacks. Dick Cheney and his machine are going to stay away from the families of the progressive candidates. That is the progressive idea of family values which Cheney seems not to have. His ideology does not recognize individuals from other backgrounds, let alone families.

If we did not have an opposition party, we would have to invent one. That is how democracy works. And so the Republicans have a legitimate place. But if they veer off from policy and leadership talk into making personal attacks, they will be asking for tit for tat in 2008.

The new progressive strain speaks from a position of strength and is on its way to near permanent power.

Dick Cheney, usually I charge for this, but here is my free advice to you. Stay away from Howard Dean's mother. That is in your best personal and political interests.
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My Involvement


I have had to think about this. One is to do with career vacillation. But it is all for good. When I take a detour to taking another serious look at the business world, and then come back to taking another serious look at the political world, I feel like I have connected with what I call the progressive entrepreneurs, the people who create the jobs of tomorrow. I don't subscribe to the notion that the Democratic Party is the party of the poor and the Republican Party is the party of the rich. There are a lot of poor, white folks in the South who are Republicans for social reasons. All cutting edge entrepreneurs I know of, have read about fall in the progressive camp. There is a lot of grey.

For me it is about being progressive and getting into power. You need the tools of power to do good. So, yes, there is ideology. But it is also about winning. I was for Dean in 2004 because he was going to win. I never was for Nader in 2000. I am for Dean today because I hope he will run in 2008, and if he does, he will win.

And the social progressive issues are fundamental to me. The rest basically follows from there. Partly it is about identity. When I mingle with the Nepali groups in town, I generate a lot of hostility. My political contribution is grudgingly noted, but I am real vocal on the Madhesi issue, and that really brushes a lot of people the wrong way, and so be it. I am the third angle in the triangle also in the Nepali context. (50% Women Friends, 50% Women Colleagues) It is fun. When with Indian groups, I am from Nepal. You are more exotic that way. When I meet Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, I am quick to point out I am from Nepal and I am Buddhist. They talk more openly that way, although South Asians in general seem to get along just fine in America. People are too busy chasing the dollar to dig up ethnic grudges.

I am the third angle in the triangle also in the American context.

On Wednesday I came very close to saying, okay, enough, the heck with DFNYC events. (Dean And Ferrer At City College) I mean, I am among the most active members. I am probably as active as Heather, in terms of event attendance (not overall though, she is way more active, she is always posting at the DFNYC website, processing a ton of paper on behalf of DFNYC, and just taking care of a ton of grunt work, being the resource of last resort even when she delegates). I show up for most events. Many other top folks have this one event a month they choose to show up for.

I did unsubscribe from the DFNYC mailing list in a fit, but I think I am going to go ahead and subscribe again. I mean, I was just going to disappear like fog.

Probably the wiser thing is to stay engaged. Maybe less so than in the past, but stay engaged. Attend fewer events, but do attend events of choice. Like the Mixers, they are so much fun. And get one on one with people. If you are going to decide to be a vexation to my spirit, please pass on the Tobasco sauce. The group is different from the component individuals. And by my own admission, I am dealing with the 5-10 segment of the spectrum even among progressives. If I am a 9 on race, and I meet a 5 or a 6, they are still personally offensive, but as long as they keep voting Democratic, they are doing fine for now.

The Blog. This blog is out of bounds. As in, it is going to keep chugging along. I have not yet had anyone ask me if they can become a member of this blog. But I have had many editor wanna-bes. Editors need not apply. Start your own. Critique as many of my blog entries as you want at your blog. I would like that. Or write in my comments sections. I mean, it is not like I think, then I blog. Blogging itself helps me think, sort out thoughts. If a blog entry reads like a rough draft, no harm done. So be it. And I have promised Abhi I will profile him for this blog.

The Ideas. I am busy creating a mathematical model for a national Democratic resurgence. The broad framework is already laid out. And it is open source. As in people modify it as they wish before they put it to use for their particular circumstances. I am not trying to impose myself.

White guys can get predictable. They routinely invite you to the sexist soup of male bonding. It is a flux.

Attending DFNYC events, and interacting with DFNYC people help me think, bounce around ideas, come up with new ideas, and think through the details of Dean 2008. I function primarily at that ideas level. That will continue to be true.

I admire Dean greatly. He is like a political messiah. I admire DFNYC. I see it as the crown jewel of DFA. And there are many DFNYC members I individually admire.

Okay, so I am going to go subscribe to the DFNYC newsletter again.
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