Wake Up Call: The Political Education of a 9/11 Widow (Kristen Breitweiser)
So on yesterday, I started reading Kristen Breitweiser's book Wake Up Call: The Political Education of a 9/11 Widow.
And I find that one of the major themes that jumps from the pages of the book (at least for me), is the need to vote for one's own best interests. Too many people in this country vote for someone because they have the letter 'R' or 'D' next to their name.
Or, like Kristen Breitweiser, they followed their spouse's politics.
On Pages 22-23, she writes:
"During the Clinton years, we both thought Bill and Hillary were shameless liberals who were taking the country in the wrong direction. For someone who had always been independent and able to think for herself, I adopted my husband's politics and views as easily as inhaling my next breath."
-snip-
"I saw absolutely no reason to care about politics....In 2000, I knew that Al Gore was running against George Bush but could not have told you three things about Gore....I voted because Ron voted. I remember Sunday mornings when Ron would watch the political talk shows on the television. He loved Dick Cheney. When I would raise concerns about George Bush not receiving good grades in college and not seeming to be very bright, Ron would allay my fears by saying that Cheney was a man who would make sure George Bush didn't screw anything up. How ironic."
She also discusses how she was invited to the White House to witness the signing of the legislation that created the 9/11 Commission. She turned down the invitation, in light of Bush's strong opposition to the 9/11 Commission, and her not wanting to be used by the Bush White House in some politicallly expedient photo op. And she writes on page 136:
"It was not lost on me that the administration my husband had so passionately and ardently supported had been trying to thwart an independent investigation into the facts of his own death and that of 3,996 others on the morning of September 11."
We need to do a better job of getting people to vote for their own best interests, and thinking about what is at stake before they get into the voting booth.
And I find that one of the major themes that jumps from the pages of the book (at least for me), is the need to vote for one's own best interests. Too many people in this country vote for someone because they have the letter 'R' or 'D' next to their name.
Or, like Kristen Breitweiser, they followed their spouse's politics.
On Pages 22-23, she writes:
"During the Clinton years, we both thought Bill and Hillary were shameless liberals who were taking the country in the wrong direction. For someone who had always been independent and able to think for herself, I adopted my husband's politics and views as easily as inhaling my next breath."
-snip-
"I saw absolutely no reason to care about politics....In 2000, I knew that Al Gore was running against George Bush but could not have told you three things about Gore....I voted because Ron voted. I remember Sunday mornings when Ron would watch the political talk shows on the television. He loved Dick Cheney. When I would raise concerns about George Bush not receiving good grades in college and not seeming to be very bright, Ron would allay my fears by saying that Cheney was a man who would make sure George Bush didn't screw anything up. How ironic."
She also discusses how she was invited to the White House to witness the signing of the legislation that created the 9/11 Commission. She turned down the invitation, in light of Bush's strong opposition to the 9/11 Commission, and her not wanting to be used by the Bush White House in some politicallly expedient photo op. And she writes on page 136:
"It was not lost on me that the administration my husband had so passionately and ardently supported had been trying to thwart an independent investigation into the facts of his own death and that of 3,996 others on the morning of September 11."
We need to do a better job of getting people to vote for their own best interests, and thinking about what is at stake before they get into the voting booth.
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Comment by jim— 2006/08/27 @ 11:57 AM — (Reply)