Idealism in the Values of this Medium

At times like this, with the world going to hell in a handbasket (as my Mom would say) it is very easy to get locked-into the now.  (Picture from the University of Wisconsin. Go Badgers.)

The choices in the now are all bad.  And fact is Americans -- ordinary Americans -- can have no impact on those choices.

Many Democratic sites keep harping on the fact that Democrats "haven't closed the deal" with voters, that they "need to say something" in order to win, even against the present disaster.

In a way, they're right. What's missing is one word.

Idealism.

Idealism gives you a direction. Idealism gives you a structure on which to hang all your smaller ideas. And right now there is no idealism in the Democratic Party. Instead there are factions.

That's why something like Open Source Politics is so vital.  We desperately need to get our heads out of today's news and ask more basic questions.

• What should America be?
• What should the world become?
• What should America's place be in that world?

These questions are not being asked, let alone answered, by today's Democrats. They are locked-into opposition, and opposition isn't even a glimmer of a program. When it comes to the bullies now in power, it's nothing but a giant kick me sign.

So let me repeat some of the ideals which have emerged from the medium you are using right now:

• Openness.
• Transparency.
• Consensus

These are the values that have driven the Internet forward. These values are the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful net, everywhere in the world. These values promote social mobility, not just among people but among companies and ideas. These values are what are most ingrained in our kids, the values which break through all the ennui.

These values come from the Internet. These values are being threatened, right now, in the Halls of Congress. And these values can bring us back to where we should be, mentally and emotionally. These values can get us back on track. These values can guide us toward solutions, toward programs, toward processes of positive change.

We know this, because we've seen it, on this medium, these last 12 years.

Look up from your life, wherever you live, in America or elsewhere. Believe in something.

Believe in the values of this medium.