Posted at the Reverend Billy for Mayor campaign site, blog section, on this Election Day, November 3, 2009:
Glad I Ran
November 3, 2009
I feel closer to solving the riddle of activism in 2009. We’ve known how conservative the Democrat/Working Families and the Republican/Independence Parties are. It’s Coke and Pepsi, it’s McDonalds and Burger King. The two party system enforces a strict censorship. We had to experience first-hand the harsh silence of it.
The hundreds upon hundreds of articles in the New York Times that never mention a third party… we had to experience this first-hand. It goes hand in hand with the arresting of people in small groups, such as peace vigils in the parks, surrounded by police and surveillance. The criminalizing of dissent goes hand in hand with the $50 million built environment of electronic ads. The imitation of democracy continues on our televisions and computers, but you can’t practice it yourself in public space.
The mainstream press acts as if it is the commons of our democracy. They pretend that they don’t notice how far it’s gone. By not questioning Consumerism as a totalizing economy, they disappear farther and farther into their minor cleverness. We read articles about how Bloomberg chooses his leather coat for his latest ad, or where he parks his Falcon 900 jet. I would laugh at this if I wasn’t running, but as a candidate I directly feel how tortured these writers have become, putting up walls against the inflow of crucial and new ideas, but also refusing to write about things are far more interesting.
I’m ending our campaign today by walking through the three downtown parks, Washington Square, Union Square and Tompkins Square. I’ll carry my small electronic bullhorn without a permit, as I have throughout the campaign. I’ll talk to small groups of folks about how our voices carry, and how our voices don’t carry, in this strange $100 million Playstation that Bloomberg’s turned our city into. And I’m glad I ran because I’ve been reminded that I’m not the only one still talking. There is a coalition of immigrants and artists, students and bloggers and parents in the boroughs – talking back against this expensive media wind. There is a radical freedom in the most ordinary sounding conversations on the corner. Our voices are carrying enough when walk together, when we talk across a subway car.
One part of our city is at war with the rest of us, and tries to normalize this violence with thousands of hours of family-friendly images of happy leaders. But we still have the basics of free speech, the immanence of gestures and language in our bodies. That’s why the police study us so hard – we are considered incendiary in our flesh. We could do anything. And in fact, gatherings of people in their physical form in public space – that is how history’s change has always arrived.
It is from our bodies that our voices carry. If they try to shut down our public air, well, we haven’t stopped loving the acoustics in our public places, the American sound of our rising voice.
23 responses so far ↓
1 Robert Milnes // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:48 am
Glad you lost. That is reverse verification of the PLAS. You didn’t try the PLAS. You didn’t win. Simple. Now, is the opposite true? You try the PLAS. You win. We will never know unless it gets tried, will we? I told you you would lose. I told you so….Other than that, nice article. You are an articulate Good Loser, Reverend.
2 tiradefaction // Nov 3, 2009 at 11:41 am
Why does the troll above seem to think anyone cares about his overtly retarded electoral plan?
3 Deran // Nov 3, 2009 at 11:46 am
“Troll” being the operative word.
4 Michael Cavlan // Nov 3, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Quick Folks
Grab your PLASma deflectors.
Or more commonly known as your ignore and/or delete button.
Loosety loosers and lost looney lost folks do not have PLASma deflectors. In other words, common sense.
//:-D>————
5 me // Nov 3, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I have encountered this troll, Milnes, before and he seems to be a bit of a nut, while third party politics draws great people, it also, sadly, draws some real crazies, which is why I will ignore him.
I am so happy that Rev Billy ran, hopefully the Green Party of NYC will grow as a result of this. NY state is unique in that it has many third parties, but few that are a real break from the status quo, any third party that would support Michael Bloomberg has no justification for its existence, hopefully the NY city and state Green Parties can grow from Billy and Savitri’s (and their volunteers and supporters) work.
6 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Ok Robert Milnes, get ready as we watch another Election night of wining from the Third Party losers as they go down to massive defeats again and again and again, refusing to listen to innovative strategies such as your Progressive Libertarian Alliance strategy, my propot antipot strategy, and the Catholic Trotskyist Fringe Alliance strategy. Listen and weap, losers. Bwahahhhhhhaaaaaa!
7 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Republican McDonnell wins in Virginia. Sad, so sad.
8 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Watching results on MSNBC. Rachel Maddow is giving respect to third parties and independents. She even had former Reason Magazine editor Dave Weigel on, representing the Washington Independent in NY-23.
9 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Back on topic, god damn Bloomberg won according to MSNBC. I tried to get Democrat Thomson to endorse the pro-pot anti-pot strategy. Catholic Trotskyist and Milnes tried to get Reverend Billy to endorse the PLAS. Did they listen? No no no. Losers losers losers.
10 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Well, idiot Thomson conceeded too soon as the projections came in too early (aka Florida 2000). However, we do know that the third party candidates combined are getting what, like 3%? Wouldn’t it be funny if the libertarians and socialists beat Reverend Billy?
11 Dave Schwab // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Actually, Rev. Billy is currently in 4th, with 3rd place occupied not by a lib or socialist, but Conservative Stephen Christopher, who I believe ran on an anti-abortion platform. That’s one hell of a wedge issue.
12 Ross Levin // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Where are you getting the results for that?
13 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Oh yes, forgot about the conservative. I still had a good hunch though that Billy wouldn’t be in third place. Reminds me of when there was so much coverage of John Murphy last year and he wasn’t nearly one of the most successful independent candidates.
14 Mike Indiana // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:16 pm
PLAS = Overly simplified strategic concept for simple minded people
Strategies which fail to take into account who the candidate is and their positions and views on the issues are LOSERS.
People who think that 13% of all votes are Libertarian in nature (and 13% Progressive/Green) are Losers who make up stats.
People who think Robert Milnes did something special or prophetic by stating the obvious,
“told you you would lose. I told you so….Other than that, nice article.”
are Delusional LOSERS.
15 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Fuck, Corzine lost. No mention of precious Daggett and Kaplan, no no no. They refused to take Milnes and I at our word that public press conferences for innovative strategies would provide them a victory. Read it and weap, losers.
16 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Yes Mike, show your anger, your OH powerful anger. Losers.
17 Ross Levin // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:19 pm
The John Murphy coverage was just because I was working on his campaign. He did place third, though… out of four. And he got a few thousand more votes than when he ran in 2006.
18 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 10:25 pm
It’s ok Ross, I don’t blame you, and thanks for all your work here. It does show, however, that the candidates who get the most coverage in the third party blogosphere aren’t always the ones who do better in elections.
19 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 11:13 pm
But at least Democrat Owens is leading in Ny-23? Good.
20 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 3, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Rachel Madow just said Daggett got 5%. yes, 5% failure like Sabrin, hahaha.
21 Pro-Pot Anti-Pot // Nov 4, 2009 at 12:04 am
Finally, Ravenstal in Pittsburgh, Democrat mayor, wins with 55%. Sorry third party losers.
All further comments will be made in the Election Night thread, if I decide to continue.
22 Robert Milnes // Nov 4, 2009 at 1:08 am
pro pot anti pot, wow! you took the wordsright out of my mouth. watch out for the wannabe censors. please do comment further. meet you in election night open thread.
23 Dave Schwab // Nov 4, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Reverend Billy also got a lot of coverage because his campaign was entertaining and uplifting, with many hilarious moments.
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