Solutions and Localism

Seems the duly elected democrats are actually solving problems. Iraq timetable passed, and NYT as usual produced a nice graphic.

On the issue of localism, picking up where DM left off, offline. The local is the only insterstice of the politic, the only site where the individual can maintain a proactive relation with political power. In an era where governments are perpetually mediated, and post-Nixon highly aware of the affect of mediation, politics at the local level are the only space for direct debate. (Unless you make a habit of sitting in the Senate's peanut gallery.) Economics may trickle down, but political progressiveness trickles up. As is evident by California's liberal policies on the environment, stem cell research, marijuana, etc, the politics of the local burden the national politic with an impetus of change. (Feinstein's attempts to translate California's environmental policy nationwide are particularly reticent of the ZZTop paradigm of local/national politics.) Anarchist book fairs, bake sales, and city and town councils are the site of non-watered down debate, and have radical potential.

I propose a group field trip to the LA City Council. Hey why not? For FP, SB, and myself, Tom LaBonge is the man, though Eric Garcetti's district is literally across the street.

In the assumed global era, the power of the local is shockingly evident in Iraq. The 'insurgency' is the violent face of a local politics shunning the policies of an out of touch, and down right non-sympathetic puppet government. It is the current of 'no taxation without representation.' If our politicians could get a decent grade in history class, maybe they would learn from the cycles of history. Then again, Kerry is a radical at heart, and he knows better, its just he lost touch with the local.

Remind me - Boston's S/T debut, and its correlation to the disaffected American worker in the late 1970s.