Tag Archives: american politics

Eddie brings the perspective

democracy and good government, , , ,

The only time I’ve seen Pearl Jam in concert was in Chicago’s Grant Park two summers ago, the exact same place where President Barack Obama (yeah, Warren’s right, it feels amazing to type that — President Barack Obama!) made his victory speech on election night in November. That might have something to do with why this quote today from singer Eddie Vedder (via Alan Cross) struck me.

Two years ago, you were wondering what could there possibly be to unite our country and get us out of this mess. What can get us back on the positive? What can bring us back into some kind of standing with the international community? And it seemed like that there would not be any answer. Who knew we would get to this moment?

That’s how I sometimes feel about Canada right now.  There is a vacuum and no obvious way to fill it.

But Eddie brings an encouraging thought. Somewhere, for us too, there is a leader—or a team of leaders—waiting to articulate a vision for “rebuilding Canada,” so to speak. We just haven’t met them yet, or if we have, haven’t recognized what they have to offer. I’m optimistic that we will.

ps. Just to be clear though, Warren’s right about this too.

“What The Cynics Said We Couldn’t Do”

democracy and good government, , ,

“They said…they said…they said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided, too disillusioned, to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night, on this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn’t do. You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this New Year, 2008. In lines that stretched around schools and churches, in small towns, and big cities, we came together as Democrats, Republicans, and independents to stand up and say that we are one nation, we are one people, and our time for change has come.”