Saturday, February 23, 2008

Blogger Betrayer?

Now that I know only a few people - evidently including a beer marketer - are reading this, I can admit a few things. Like how I just got a new job that will take me far away from my current one and back to the homeland. This time, however, I'll not only be inside the Beltway, I'll be inside Capitol Hill.

I have no problem with the new post (I keep telling my dog we're actually in the military and that's why we move so often, so I guess I'll keep up that story for her). I'm proud to be working for the member of Congress that I'll be working for. I think he does great work and cares about the people he's supposed to be representing, not just himself. He seems to have a nice staff and I hear the offices are schweet! 

But I've spent so much time on blogs, especially DKos, that I'm having a bit of cognitive dissonance. Can I be inside the inner circle and not be part of the problem? That's kind of how working in politics is posed on such sites and I've certainly seen it in action. Know it can be true. 

I've been here this week doing some enviro work and have been steeped in the need to find compromise to find solutions. The old "sue them and sue them and then sue them again" strategy of the enviro community is not only tiresome, it's eventually counter-productive. The only thing that protects the environment is good policy. That requires some good governing.

Maybe it's because this is my hometown, but I believe there is such a thing as good governing. I just don't believe Republicans can do it. Clearly, they hate government, except for when they can manipulate its levers to dispense government money to them and their cronies. Dems - while still believers in bringing home the bacon to their constituents - believe that government can be a force for good, the great leveler of playing fields. They believe in accountable government too. I like these things.

So can I be a member of the blogosphere and a member of government at the same time? I guess Ted Kennedy and others who write on DKos can. Maybe this is just stupid rumination. But I'm watching myself be skeptical of myself and it's hurting my head.

I'm ecstatic to have this opportunity to get on the battle field for the good guys. I'm hopeful I can do it without becoming disillusioned and cynical (hey, I'm already there, aren't I?). I guess I won't know til I walk through the doors that first day and hunker down to work. 

Every job I've ever had has made me cynical and disillusioned at some point in time, so why should I expect this to be any different? As long as I can see myself helping a good boss move the ball down the field towards goals I believe in, I do believe this will be one cool gig.

Yee-ha.

1 Comments:

At 8:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you get discouraged, may I suggest that you drink a Rogue Ale.... one of the great beers of the great northwest. Taste those fine northwestern hops.

Good to see you blogging again... I'll be one of your faithful readers, all the while enjoying the great taste of Budweiser Beer

suave

 

Post a Comment

<< Home