stip wrote:
again, what has Eddie done to make you think he supports everything obama does?
He's said nothing to the contrary. Prior to this president he was very vocal about everything - politics. Now, he says nothing. But, then again, he raises millions of dollars for him in the process.
To me, the silence and the money say it all.
stip wrote:MYM is more general social/political commentary in the vein of DTE or Grievance rather than the specific stuff targeting Bush that you'd find on Riot Act and S/T. It's condemning the United States for sure (which would imply a shot at Obama, since he is president), but not Obama by name. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to harm obama (lets see what's said on tour this year, if anything), but Obama has been challenging to the psychology of the mainstream left. It was easy to assume that everything the left hated during the Bush years was because of Bush, and so blaming Bush makes sense. Get rid of bush, fix the problem. But if the same problems survive across two presidencies headed by two seemingly very different people than they become far more structural in nature, and so railing about a president kind of misses the point. What Obama taught a lot of people is that while who is president certainly matters, the issue runs into the core of how America functions.
I do like your interpretations of the music. But, I think you need to be honest with yourself. You're not Eddie Vedder. Neither am I. My take is that this is a song about speaking up when there's something wrong.
Eddie has paid up and is now 100% vested in Obama. He knows this. He won't dare challenge him and I'm pretty sure you know that too. In this sense, I disagree with your full take on the song - my point is: if this song is about speaking up when something's wrong... how about DOING THAT? I mean the opportunity is staring at him in the face. Or does he really think Obama is infallible? If so, he's the exactly like those blind Bush supporters he loathed.
stip wrote:
like I said, it's not about Obama. I also don't think Obama is a terrible president (although he's bad on some issues). Obama's presidency speaks in a lot of ways to the limits of the presidency.
It's also not just a video about war. It's a video about collapse, and not doing anything about it.
No, Obama is a terrible president. Obama's presidency has been held afloat, barely, by money printing. Let's see what happens when QE-to-infinity stops, if they raise rates, watch out below. Anyway, I find issue with your final statement, if it's a song about collapse and not doing anything about it... why is debt not discussed? Fair enough, Ed doesn't care about debt and has very little econ knowledge. How about privacy then? Or better yet, let's just stick with war? What about Obama's use of drones, Ed?
stip wrote:
Oh sure, and he definitely wanted Obama to win. But you are implying that he is therefore someone who loves everything he does, and one does not follow from the other.
What does follow is this.... Voting for someone is showing support. Vocalizing support shows stronger support. Giving money and time to elect someone shows a ton of support. Giving money and time and NOT saying a word about any area in which you disagree with the candidate "implies that he supports mostly everything he does". He's never said anything for which he's disagreed. And he's been quite vocal, so that's odd.
stip wrote:This goes far beyond this thread, but a vote for a green (in Obama's case) IS the same thing as a vote for Romney. That's a problem, obviously, but no less true. As a nader voter in 2000 I can speak from experience.
No, a vote for one candidate is not a vote for another candidate. That's simply false. Don't get me wrong - I understand your point is on preferences, but I'd respond... staying home (no vote) is not a vote for the alternative.
stip wrote:I suspect he probably hates the NSA stuff. I wouldn't be surprised to hear him rail about it on the tour.
I bet you he doesn't say a f'ing word.
stip wrote:what about it?
It's a corporation. Doesn't Ed loath corporations? Isn't he for small business? When did Pearl Jam start caring about efficiency? It's lol'able.
stip wrote:I've talked about this ad infinitum on this board and the old one, but someone has to release your records, and when your boycott fails and one venue controls access to the places you want to play it is not hypocrisy to understand that you have to deal, and instead try and make deals on your own terms.
No, it's very much hypocrisy given what he's lectured on in the past.
stip wrote:excuse me?
Romney was a borderline Democrat. He was not very conservative. That was his issue in the primary.
stip wrote:yes, clearly taking shots at organized religion is something they've never done before, and would alienate the demographics this song is clearly otherwise trying to reach.
Well, the song's lyrics "seem" to talk about religion... I mean what's the line about "vows" about?
stip wrote:there are lots of democrats who are unfortunately silent on this stuff (although that is changing) just like there were far too many conservative libertarian types who kept their mouth shut during Bush. It's tough because criticizing your guy also empowers the enemy.
What makes you so sure Eddie is a Democrat. I voted for obama (I know you don't care) and I'm not a registered democrat. I often vote against democrats in local elections if there is a viable candidate further to the left..
The problem is the cheerleading. The problem is the let's get "your guy" in there. The problem is the special interests associated. The problem is this "game" mentality that people view politics as. Let me put my Left sticker on. Let me put my Right sticker on and root for the team. The problem is no one has any idea what monetary policy even is. They have limited understanding of fiscal policy... and yet, the major irony is thier lack of understanding is 100% rational. there's no reason for them to study up when their likelihood of influence is about .00001%.
stip wrote:And something to keep in mind is that democrats do not necessarily equal the left. There is plenty of left wing criticism of the national security state out there. it just doesn't come from establishment democrats.
It's terribly weak. A hushed silence. This songs about breaking out of that, at least lyrically... or maybe it's just about doing that when it fits Ed's agenda. Hmmm... if so, hypocrisy does seem apt.