You May Say I'm A Dreamer: Saturday Political Soap Box 122

Thanx and a hat's tip to John Lennon and the song Imagine.

We all have quotes that mean a lot to us, words that we strive to live by, words that inspire us, words that help us maintain focus on what it really important to us.

These are the words that inspired me when I was young -

"Some men see things as they are and say why?  I dream things that never were and say why not?"

This was on a poster in my bedroom as I grew up.  It inspired through the high school and college years.  It was originated by the turn of the century playwright George Bernard Shaw, and then later used by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  The version above is the one said by Ted Kennedy at Bobby's funeral.    I firmly believe that the assassination of Bobby Kennedy was an event that altered the course of American history, and not in a good way.

I want the politicians I support to dream big things.  I want their policies to push us to be our best, as individuals and as a country.  I want a society that gives everyone opportunity and leaves no one behind.  I want us to aspire to our better selves.

Yes, I was attracted to Barack Obama in large part because of his message of hope and change.  Did he meet resistance with that?  Yes, but so what?  The election of 2010 eliminated most ability for him to make dramatic improvements, but he did not quit.  He has not let being able to achieve everything he hoped for get in the way of achieving what he can. He has done so in a pragmatic way, and sometimes I feel like he is conceding more than he should.

Senator Bernie Sanders is a dreamer.  His vision exceeds that of any politician since RFK.  At the same time, his whole career has been about reaching out to the opposition and working with them wherever he could.  Unlike a Ted Cruz, he is accepted and respected by his colleagues.  Will Bernie be able to achieve everything he dreams of?  No, of course not.  But at least he starts in the manner of the quote above.  He will dream and ask why not?

And now, the other candidate in the race, Hillary Clinton, is trying to inch ahead of him in Iowa and New Hampshire by saying that Bernie cannot accomplish what he says he can, that what he wants is just too bold and grand to be practical one.  She wants us to settle, with holding the line (if possible) and maybe (maybe) with some tinkering at the edges.  She wants to increase regulation and bureaucracy, make the rules more complicated in an attempt to expand medical coverage or control Wall Street.  She wants to continue the useless and stupid war where the government attempts to regulate (using rules mostly written by corporate lobbyists) and then for those regulated to use a fleet of lawyers and accountants to figure out loopholes, and then drive Mac Trucks through them.  The never ending American Con Game, forever and ever without end, amen.

Clinton is a Corporate Democrat, I understand that.  But so is Barack Obama, and although not perfect, he at least had the semblance of hope and change.  Clinton, in an effort to contrast with Sanders, is in essence saying to me, "STOP DREAMING!  You can never get what you want, so you need to GROW UP and SETTLE for me!"

This has to be the worst slogan ever for a politician to use to win my vote.

Because I will never stop dreaming.  I will never stop reaching for the "why not?"

Yes, I can accept pragmatic compromise.  But I can never stop the dream, and strive to achieve everything we can.

Will I vote for Hillary as the Democratic nominee in the fall?  Of course.  What choice will I have?  Holding the fragile line is better than galumphing backwards as the Republicans want to do.

But my heart belongs to the dreamer.  It has, and always will.

Feel the Bern!

I dream it.  I feel it.  Progressive majorities by 2020!

I dream it.  I see it.  I say...

Why not?