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I got into a discussion today with a lady at the gas station, while we were waiting in line to pay. She was skimming the headlines of the local paper, t'sk t'sking about something. She saw me looking over her shoulder and commented, "Another plant closing down. It's a shame the way things are going, isn't it?" She was referring to a small plant a few miles away that just shut down after 30+ years in business. They employed about 50 people. They made Christmas ornaments.
I agreed with her, and stated that plants are closing around here, and all over the country, and we have Republicans and George Bush to thank for it. To my surprise, she agreed. "Not much we can do about it, though, is there?" she asked.
"We can vote," I told her. She laughed again.
"Yes, we can vote."
The conversation ended there, as her turn to pay came, and she left.
I've been thinking about that encounter ever since. The polls say something like 68% of Americans think the country is going in the wrong direction. Bush has the lowest approval rating of any President since Nixon, and Cheney's numbers remain in the toilet.
We here at DU (and the rest of the liberal blogosphere) are aware of all of this, of course. It's not news to us.
But I suspect it is news to most of that 68%.
And until that changes, our vocal minority will have, sadly, little effect in making any of the major changes we need to make.
It was nice to see the Netroots in action this week as we banded together and made Feinstein change her vote. So I know we can make a difference. And we have to continue to shout from the rooftops, loudly and defiantly.
But right now, its just not enough - for we still have young people, dying in Iraq.
And I don't think it will be enough, until the silent majority joins us, the vocal minority. And then, by god, we'll see something.
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