Working on these various entries/essays/rants/whatevers has crystallized a desire in me to run for office. It seems to me that I can rant and rave here in the blogosphere (and I am doing so) but real change will only come if I will it to happen. In other words, change starts with me. And, rather than be a sideline critic, I think I'd be better off joining the fray. My ultimate goal is to be in a position to effect real change. Making an ultimate determination of what that means requires a lot of thinking and deciding. I could say I want to be President or a member of the House or Senate, and if I think the strong Federal system is the best way to help people, then that is my goal. On the other hand, if I think that the best way to affect change is to work on a state level, if I think the rise in states rights is a good idea, then perhaps state legislator or governor is more appropriate. I've not yet decided where I stand on that issue (or at least I'm not convinced of my pro-Federal stance).
I've also made a change in my personal politics. Though my car has been wearing a Green Party bumper sticker for a while now, I'm officially changing my party on my voter registration to unaffiliated. Since the Greens are not recognized in North Carolina this is as close as I can come to officially stating my membership in the party. Basically, despite what I see Howard Dean doing with his campaign, I still see too many fingerprints of the Democratic Leadership Council (i.e. Republican Lite) on the Democratic party. The Democrats have decided to move to the center so as to appeal to the broadest base of support. The problem is, this centrist policy ends up selling out unions, the poor, minorities and the environment all in the name of appealing to the center. There is an argument to be made that the Democrats represent true centrism versus the disguised theocracy/corporatocracy of the Republicans. As long as the electorate does not discriminate between the rhetoric of the Republican party and the reality of their policies, there is a logic to the Democratic position, especially when it comes to the presidency. Still, the needs of those lost by Democrats in their move to the center should be represented, and I think the Green party is best equipped to do that. I also think that for the sort of changes that need to be made in our political process, the two major parties are too entrenched to allow for that change. I'm not talking about armed insurrection, or adoption of a pure Vegan diet as national policy, but rather reform of the election process.
Two concepts I have found that capture my interest are "clean money" reform and Instant Runoff Voting. I think that a combination of these methods could really change the way we elect officials and even persuade more folks like me to run for office. This is ultimately the place we want to be. Atrios has a neat graphic up today. It is interesting to see that Dr. Dean has such great support in the small donation group. I think it imperative that this not be the exception, but rather the rule.
So, I am thinking of running for office here in Charlotte. It is a starting point, and as Molly Ivins put it to The Terminator - if you really want to help out and perform public service, run for school board or town council and learn how things work on the ground. By the way, I'm paraphrasing Ms. Ivins and not linking because her Creators.com website has no archive beyond the past three columns (about a week and a half). I will run as a Green when I run. I will set up a website and blog to talk about what I'm doing and why. I will stand for electoral reform, jobs, education and infrastructure. It should be an instructive experience for me.
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