The Ideas Behind The New American Story

How refreshing it would be to hear politicians speak their own words (not ones written by advisors) and to truthfully tell us about what guides their beliefs. Do you think this ideal is possible while maintaining the current bipartisan system?

I agree with you 100% Lauren. Unfortunately, judging from Senator Bradley's failure to respond to any of the 33 comments left by Gather members in response to his previous (first) "article" here, I think it's not likely that you're going to get an answer to your question. Funny you should say, "How refreshing it would be to hear politicians speak their own words (not ones written by advisors)", because I see no reason why we should believe that either of the Senator's two artilces published here were, in fact, written by him, rather than by some faceless, nameless press aid or other flack. In fact I think we can safeley assume that these two pieces may be nothing more than unpaid ads for his book--which I, for one, have no interest whatsoever in reading.

Paul, Mr. Bradley will be available to answer Gather member's questions later this week during his live chat. Please check this article for more details.

Thanks, moderator. I missed that tidbit and very much look forward to the conversation between former Senator Bradley and the Gather community.

good discussion

I think we are being a little rough on the senator initially, folks, although I have to admit that the more I hear about Bill's New America the better Barak Obama looks - he who seems to me the only candidate on the horizon with a clear view of America's failed foreign policy since World War II, and the will to repair it in the ways we treat the peoples of the world.

Bill Annett (billdataco)

I'm looking forward to the discussion, too.

Excellent intro to the discussion on Wednesday. I will chime in later as I work during that time.

We the people so need a New chapter in the story of America. Can one in politics raise enough money to be viable without being owned by the supporting financial interests? You take the lead and I will support you, it takes leadership but the old power structure will not let go easily. I think thats what happened to JFK and his brother, then Martin Luther King who began large scale organizing against the power structure that was profiting from Vietnam. WE are ready but we are ready for action that is the harder part. But all actions begin with thoughts. It is an old Anglo Saxon tradition to take so much and then stand up for the needed change. Lead us Bill we are ready for a leader that speaks the truth, I haven't seen you on TV lately.

White men in suits, part of the problem, not part of the solution!

Capitalism brings out the worse in people!

As long as 'money is God,' nothing's going to change much! For example this WEB site, selling Bradley's book... They created this so they would get content (controversy) for free!

It's the America Way! But, maybe not so good!

F.A. Hutchison
living in China

Get the lobbyists out of Washington for a start. You'd have to agree with that right Bill? I mean just outright outlaw lobbying. Right Bill?

I regret that I won't be here for the chat due to an important appointment.

Though we may disagree on some points, I think Senator Bradley is sincere in
wanting to get his message out and I thank him for taking the time for the chat.

What I would like Senator Bradley to know is that, despite the fact that it seems
the economy is doing well, there are many of us, in the technology sector and others, who aren't doing so well.

We have education and degrees which we can be thankful for, but being intelligent
doesn't necessarily equate to success.

We and our families are struggling, often losing out on jobs because we have to compete with H1B foreign workers as well as others for technology jobs.

Many of us are permanent renters with no hope of home ownership.

We survive through contract work, unemployment, credit, or other means.

But we aren't prospering. We are going deeper into debt.

Many of us have no health care insurance.

We're not looking to be wealthy. We just want the opportunity to work and take care of our families. All we want is what most of the rest of America takes for granted.

I love this country, but things could be better.

I wish that offshoring, greed and profits wouldn't be the standard through which many corporations operate.

I wish politicians were more responsive to their constituents and listened to them as much as their money contributors.

And I wish people on the lower end of the economic spectrum had more opportunity to share in the great prosperity of this nation.

Brian,

You've summed it up very succinctly -- and words from campaigners and fund raisers for the candidates just won't do it.

Paul D. -- ditto, all part of the unholy process.

I will admit I am confused. Bill Bradley identifies himself as a "Progressive"--not a liberal, a conservative, or a moderate. I just listened to his interview with Jim Leach on C-Span, which is how I got the information on this website, and he did seem to consider himself such. "Progressive" is a term that as I understand it originates in and applies to Stalinist Communism, totalitarianism. "Progressives" do not believe in property rights, the principles of the American Founding, individual liberties, indeed believe in an all powerful state with absolute power and absolute ownership by the state, with the state reserving the right to eliminate all those citizens it doesn't like, such as, for example, starving Ukrainians. Is this Bradley's fundamental perspective? He seems to identify with the interests of ordinary Americans to live free, meaningful, and prosperous lives, but the label he applies to himself represent the complete opposite of what America is supposed to be about, as he limns it. He abjures cynicism and wants to deal with the reality in which we find ourselves, yet he is extraordinarily cavalier about the corruption and abuse of power in Washington, by all parties, lobbyists, etc. The climate there is internecine at best. Anyone who has ever tried to communicate with his or her congressperson will have found that there is no communication possible without vast sums of money greasing palms, and no questions are ever answered, and behavior of politicians is the antithesis of their statements. The reality is that no one in power is concerned with anything but retaining that power, at all cost, with a very few notable exceptions. We see imbecility and complete disregard for the Constitution by both parties, and all institutions of government, including the Supreme Court. When no one in Washington abides by the fundamental rules of our society and consitutional government, do not enforce even the most basic laws, rather conduct political witch hunts and criminal prosecutions of political activity, and there are no consequences at all, how can one not be cynical. Our educational systems are complete failures. Our safety net programs have become monstrous systems of political money consumption for retaining power (Medicare, Medicaid, Chips, Social Security) that are on a glide path to financial ruin for the nation, and the politicians cheer themselves when it is pointed out that they have failed to do anything about the situation. Unfortunately, the entrenched interests are not really addressed by Mr. Bradley. He seems to cheerlead for them. His career, outside of basketball, is to be a part of the problem. He certainly gave us few solutions, except to close a few loopholes in the tax reforms under Reagan. Perhaps if Mr. Bradley were more fothright in getting to the facts, in exposing the profundity of the corruption in Washington (for example, that for most of the 20th Century mobsters were the ones with the most influence in Washington as evidenced by the soto voce howling protests of Washington politicians when Rudi Giuliani first used civil RICO statutes against Union bosses--Mr. Bradley, from New Jersey, should certainly be aware of this, and to politely not mention it is to breach the very thing he is telling us to do, confront reality) he would be more credible. For example, the Congress has apparently voted to require the rebuilding of public housing in New Orleans. This is preposterous. Why would the federal government want to place the poorest and most dependent individuals in one of the least secure places in the country, in a below-sea-level bowl that has inadequate levies, inadequate pumping systems, and will be hit again by powerful hurricanes? The only apparent reasons would be to get Democratic voters back to the city so Democrats can control the politics of the city completely, as they have for a couple of centuries, and have unfortunate citizens exposed to grave risk so that politicians can either accuse their opponents of treating them as chattel, or pound their chests as they use those same poor dependent citizens as pawns in their political efforts to prove their compassion or competence when the next storm hits. And we shouldn't be cynical? We find rampant fraud in FEMA funds distributed for Katrina, and we want the same thing all over again. This can only be described as insanityl Bill Bradley wants Americans to be activist, and get something done. We already have too many Americans trying to do too much to us all, and mostly harming us all. Perhaps he could try to convince Americans to stop inflicting their bad ideas on us. The story of the woman who got a ban on land mines is illustrative of the fact that one can actually do nothing, as even with a nobel peace prize, there remain millions of mines in place in the world, and whenever any nation or group perceives it to be critical to their survival or success, they will be used, regardless. The U.S. did not sign the treaty and continues to use mines, notably in Korea. This citizen contributed to peace about as much as Arafat did. When terrorists are awarded peace prizes, you know the world is completely out of control. We are drifting into chaos, and nothing effective will be done about it. A little cheer-leading to sell a book won't help at all. I invite Mr. Bradley to go to my space on Gather and read the essay I posted there and think about it--kentendo.gather.com

Your interview with Stewart was groundbreaking. I don't think you could of picked a more safer, unknown Republican politician than that of Dick Lugar. God forbid you pick a mainstream Republican. Why not unload a real answer and throw some support behind a mainstream Democratic leader, who you believe embodies this "New-Age Trustworthy" quality? I'm guessing you toe the party line and don't want to ruffle any liberal feathers. Considering Dick is 75, and on his way out, how new-age can he possibly be? I'm sure you're aware of Rudy Giulani's recent speech, which accurately and honestly summed up what both parties have to offer. Of course, he did push the conservative ideology, but in all fairness he honestly and sincerely put forth the Democrat agenda with very little spin. The premise of his speech was to teach the two ideologies, and illustrate how each party attempts to solve distinct political issues. His speech offered the audience real ideological choices. Giuliani offered both views in full detail without soundbytes. In my eyes, that was very new-age. Maybe the next time when you cowardly show support for a Republican politician, you'll have the nerve to pick one that more than ten people in the room are aware of. It won't look like such a facade then. Further, the looming "fear" that you and Stewart were sarcastically speaking of was "Terrorism," correct? Coming from New Jersey I hope you believe that this is a real immediate fear. I'll assume you and Stewart weren't laughing at the liberal manufactured fear of Global Warming.

Kent L., I agree with your sentiments. I also agree with at least some of the ideas expressed by Senator Bradley.

But words without actions are meaningless.

Perhaps someone will emerge in this morass of ideas who will galvanize the people.
Like John F. Kennedy when he said: "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

Because we are still a young country, in it's adolescence perhaps, but still young.

"If we are to gain respect in the world, we must offer respect."

Ok, that's my crazy idea.

What do I mean? I mean we must engage other countries in dialogue, help their poorest citizens and lead by example.

By helping their poorest citizens, we might stem the tide of terrorism and jihad.

Because people result to desperate measures when they feel powerless. They embrace evil ideologies in the guise of good.

So roll up your sleeves. We've got a lot of work to do.

Brian,

Very well written, until we take care of our own at home, we will never be a great nation. That does not mean more welfare checks, it means looking at our corporate policies, and corruption, and all kinds of issues. Corporate, and governmental ignoring of our poor in our country will be our country's undoing eventually. Greed will lead to a huge number of ultra poor in our country. Especially when you factor in the illegal immigrants. The poor will outnumber the wealthy by such a huge number, that the wealthy will no longer be able to protect themselves from the poor. Since our army and police, are among the poorest in our country, they will not protect the wealthy...The wealthy will ultimately destroy themselves with the greed they have. When gas reaches 10$ per gallon, be assured, there will be a complete meltdown of our society, and the ultrawealthy will be the first victims of the revolt from the poor. We are surely headed for an eventual revolt in our country, since the leaders are only concerned about the wealthy here any more. I hope my children live past those years, but I fear for them and my grandchildren. We have certainly let greed get the best of our leaders in Corporations, and government, and they will eventually destroy our country with their greed.

The trillions spent on defense spending, needless programs of untold proportions, billion dollar stealth bombers that have no use, billion dollar space shuttles when we have starving homeless families in our streets? Triilion dollar wars when we can't even help our own suffering in New Orleans? Our leaders have lost sight of what really is their most important asset, the American people. Corporate leaders have also followed suit, and abandoned their most precious resource.

We now import inferior products from China, and our retailers happily sell these inferior products, and all the while, they know they are destroying the American worker, and the American dream. They claim to save us money, but fail to inform us the products are crap compared to what we can make. I bought a Chinese tool set at Walmart for my son last Christmas, and he broke the ratchet the first time he used it! I won't be making that mistake again. I wish Sam Walton was here to see how his dream has destroyed the American dream....Walmart and similar retailers are the worst kind of businesses we could ever have here. They have zero loyalty to American Businesses like they used to advertise, until they realized slave labor could make them lots of money selling inferior products in their stores. Walmart is the model of the American nightmare in retailing!

The Wallstreet greed mentallity will eventually erode our country to hundreds of millions of poor, and then the wealthy had better start fleeing to Dubai...or other foreign countries....Wake up corporate and governmental America...you are killing Americans with no immigration control, and no corparate regulations on outsourcing, and no tax on imports from slave nations, and no support for the American workers who want jobs! And all the while, you keep passing laws that restrict our rights more every single day! Eventually, you will pay for those mistakes when our country folds!

Mea Culpa about buying products from China, Dave H. I admit that I purchased an unbranded MP3 player which can from China that is very similar to the Ipod Nano. I bought it because it was half the price of a comparable Ipod Nano. It seems of very good quality from what I've seen.

Does that make me a bad person?

Why do we always complicate everything?
Most of our serious problems have simple solutions.
It is our mind as thought that continue to offer us false avenues.
Somethings take time like going from here to there, but can we make a decision Now that will be transforming?
Intention, Integrity and Actualization the movement to step away from the thought process and into the only actual time we have to potentiate change-This therefore is the next moment of now- Just do it now.

Thanks for the Nike philosophy, but life doesn't break down that simply.
Though we complicate things needlessly, life gives us complex conundrums
which are real. It is the different between perception, which we control,
and reality, which we often can't control. Life can't be solved with the
latest bumper sticker euphemism, barstool philosophy or motivational
speaker.