Dear Readers, Citizens, Freaks,
Like a lot of you, I’ve been frustrated the last two years. Despite winning the presidency and overwhelming majorities in both houses of congress, Democrats have failed to act boldly on issues ranging from climate change to immigration. They’ve been bullied by an aggrieved minority whose only sustained goals are lower taxes for the rich and deregulation. The media has ignored or miscast Obama’s achievements—health care reform, financial reform, saving us from plunging into a Depression—and become an echo chamber for the most hysterical voices on the right.
I realize how hard it is to get motivated in the midst of such disappointment. But the risk of inaction is obvious: if Republicans take back the House or Senate, not a single piece of humane legislation will pass in the next two years. Obama will become a lame duck President. Any hope of moral progress will end. And Sarah Palin waits in the wings. The more broken government becomes, the better her odds.
So here’s my pitch.
For anyone who orders a book from me before the election, I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to MoveOn.org. Remember: the holidays are right around the corner. Giving someone a signed first edition (or two, or three!) is totally classy. And you’ll be helping the cause. The books are just $15 apiece.
- The Evil B.B. Chow: Stories so sad and lovely they made Chuck Norris weep
- Which Brings Me to You: Natalie Portman will star in the movie! I promise!
- (Not that You Asked): Essays starring Oprah, Kurt Vonnegut, and my daughter.
Click here to send me your order. You can pay via check or Paypal (sbalmond@earthlink.net). As soon as I receive your payment, I’ll ship off the books.
As a special offer, if you promise to do some volunteer work for a progressive candidate—or even something as simple as making calls for MoveOn.org—I’ll include a free CD from my collection. Really.
- To take me up on this offer click here
- To read about the books in question click here
- To send me an angry note click here
Onward, together, in hope,
Steve
19 responses
Go Steve! I’m your biggest fan, sweet pea. ox
Dude, you are so cool. You make rock stars seem even more like the pussies they’ve all become. Dude, you are so AUTHOR. (Hi, Steve Almond)
–Erika Lopez (i wrote you a fan letter a year or so ago, wondering why you weren’t on Teen Beat. love your work.)
This is great, but I thought The Rumpus didn’t do politics.
We generally don’t do Obama, but that’s because we don’t do pop culture. There’s more to politics than just Obama.
But more importantly, it’s impossible, at least from my perspective, to not do politics. Politics invades every aspect of our existence, especially culture, I’d say. We’re not as overt about it as other sites are, and we don’t generally wear our party affiliations on our sleeves, but that’s because we’re busy challenging other aspects of the system in our own little ways. But sometimes you need to point out what’s at stake. I’m glad Steve Almond made this offer, and I’m glad Stephen Elliott decided to run it, because Almond is right-if the Republicans win control of even one house of Congress, then forget any chances for meaningful legislation for at least the next two years. In fact, I’m with Jon Chait of the New Republic who suggests that if Republicans win the House, they’ll find a way to impeach Obama, even if there’s no chance of removing him and regardless of any real grounds to do so.
Hey Steve, a twofer! Two reasons, that is, to wait until after the election to buy your book:
1. Your spirited defense of poor “bullied” little Obama, who refused to give single-payer advocates a seat at the health care reform (cough) table but had nothing but time and “bipartisan” luv and a big ol’ bully pulpit for courting Republicans and blue dogs who were never going to be anything but an obstruction to any kind of serious, even halfway progressive health care legislation. We already knew from eight years of George W. Bush what hard work presidentin’ is, but as Bill Maher pointed out, Obama is the president; he’s not your boyfriend.
2. Your support of MoveOn, an organization that consistently reminds me of that old joke about how you can tell who the liberals are — when a fight starts, they’re the ones who leave the room.
…and this is why the Republicans got it goin’ on over everyone else. We eat our young and idealistic and anyone willing to put their own heart on the line. God i hate people. Good luck, Steve… this is why it’s so much easier to be an asshole these days. I got your back, man. It’s killer that you put it on the line. fuck ’em.
–erika
Let’s see: criticism of Obama from the LEFT = cannibalism + justification to “hate people”? Got it.
I disagree that “the Republicans got it goin’ on over everyone else,” but if they did, that might have everything to do with the failure of a DINO president and a DINO congress to carry out the MANDATE handed to them by people who trusted them to represent their interests. And now these very DINOs, Obama foremost among them, think the way to energize the Democratic base — in a midterm election, for god’s sake — is to box its ears. Smart. Real smart.
Anyway, I’m not refusing to buy the book, just this deal. Steve put it out, and I said no thanks. Pretty basic transaction, no? But apparently that makes me an asshole-enabler, if not an asshole myself. W’ever.
Some of you sound like G. W. Bush’s diehard 23 percent. Je répète: not your boyfriend.
Cleaver, it’s not about the details of Steve Almond’s deal for ME. what it is is that he’s actually DOING something when i think that writing has gotten elitist, snarky, sofa-bound.
i’ll start out now by admitting that as of yesterday on twitter, i came out with the help of my friend, as a total asshole. i am. you have my respect and understanding for having to try to have a coherent conversation with me. i’ve been chained in the basement writing and seething for the past nine years, and i’m not back to my original charming self yet.
that said, i also love advertising as i’m also an artist, and as a writer, i just love others’ ability to punch home a message and keep it coming until no one knows what the point is anymore. the republicans are genius’ at this. and i think those of us who’re at least trying to be a little more complicated and nuanced than the sarah palin camps, tend to kill anything before it HAPPENS by over thinking it to death.
have you ever gone to an anti-war rally? it’s like static of 50 stations and free mumia. i’m not saying that we need to ignore whatever steve almond says. what i’m saying is that, dude, TAKE A LOOK. it’s been a long time since writing actually tried to DO or CHANGE anything. since the 80s popular writing was fighting to get in front with the snarkiest crap.
and to the person who says the rumpus doesn’t do politics. that’s my POINT. we’re ALL bleeding from the ears BECAUSE of politics. we can no longer just watch a crappy TV show and call it good. WE’RE DYING. and for no good reason.
so i don’t care about the details of almond’s request, to be honest. i’m a colored girl, and i was never all that “hopeful” about obama in the first place. this two-party system is just sesame street and i’m not even gonna argue on that level because it’s absurd in the first place.
so Cleaver, i’ll give it to you that i was an asshole and i speak in superlatives. i don’t smoke anymore, so it’s how i have to get up and make it through my day now.
but i fucking madly applaud the rumpus and steve almond for DARING to be relevant when no one thinks they can afford to be anymore. the rolling stone? used to be something. village voice? i don’t know. everyone’s worried about networking, connecting, doing okay, looking like everything’s going fabulous.
i’m so relieved that steve almond steps out to OWN what he cares for even if he can’t even make it out his own front door without losing his leg.
you SAY you’re having a logical argument. that’s the logic that’s been used to bludgeon anything new and hopeful for years. fuck it. that’s a lie. the “logical” bankers were way more woo woo artsy fartsy than i ever was. i live by 3rd grade math, not credit default swaps. and i PAY 3rd grade math. not weird tarp gifts.
so yeah. be expansive. be smart and look at the CONTEXT of what steve almond’s doing. he’s not a “Nation” writer. almond is of my self-reflective generation, and it’s nice to see eggers, him, and others saying they’re going beyond the glib snarkiness of criticism.
and that’s what i was hearing from you. “glib snarkiness of criticism.” that IS eating our young. if you knew how hard it was to be a writer, open your guts, then stand up with your chin out to OWN a specific belief that can now be shot down???
that’s so hard, i don’t remember what steve almond specifically even ASKED for. i just went, fuck yeah… pass this DOING SHIT on!!!
america got lazy. i’m glad that we’re all finally running out of anti-depressants and are finally feeling the buzz of being royally pissed off.
when you first realize something, an idea that hasn’t been verbalized a million times already, you stammer. no one else is teaching you how to say it. you’ve seen historical ideas, but everything really hasn’t been done before, not with these particular circumstances.
and so being active at anything—sex, dance, public speaking, driving stick—is awkward at first. (not that steve was) but a lot of us are awkward in trying to move things forward. the snarky humor got boring, and we got bored of ourselves.
so i’m not gonna argue with you on the details.
i love the spirit and that’s all i care about. it’s radical.
and fuck anyone who says otherwise and wants to tear him down.
yeah. that’s murder to me.
e
@ Erika: Tell you what — I’m ordering YOUR book.
Peace,
C.
Cleaver, you’re HILARIOUS. you can’t possibly be from california. they’re a touchy bunch of fucks, here. but you? a good argument w/a self-described asshole and we’re gonna be friends. THAT’s heartwarmingly like home back east. thank you. say hi if you really are there, when i’m there.
glad i came back here. thought steve would write and tell us to shut the hell up or add something. i don’t know how you guys don’t have to always have the last word. it’s like a sneeze for me.
(smile)
peace, backatcha’, Cleaver. LOVE the name.
x
@ Erika: Right here in Oaktown, and yes I will say hi when I place the order. Got to sell some blood first! : ) But your book definitely looks worth the pain & suffering. I will be proud to OWN it!
oaktown? then 11 november, modern times. 7pm i think.
east bay… east coast… same thing.
(smile)
sorry, steve. i’m not trying to pilfer your customers. i’m leaving now. i have to continue with my overreaching plans to bring female pubic hair back to the masses so we can all learn to jerk off to grown women that we can fall in love with.
say hi, cleaver. i’ll never mistake your name for anyone else’s.
let’s go rage through the marina and bludgeon foofy people with my brick of a book.
we must all rage in our own ways.
thanks, steve almond for raging in yours.
you have a ton of heart.
you, too, cleaver.
e
Whatever your needs or beliefs VOTE. Do not sit on rights – VOTE
Not sure that not letting the party continue to be driven to the right is eating our young. If Dems can count on our votes no matter what they do but need to woo the right we’ll get what’ve we got – a President who has deported more people in his half a term than George W did in four years, a Congress afraid to act in the interest of the people. Am I voting Democrat? Yes. Am I on the phones? For my Governor, but not my US Rep. who has a safe seat even this year. Those calls go for Barney Frank, a true fighter for the people. Will I shore up the right edge of the party just to mark a D in those spaces? No. It won’t get our agenda through to elect Dems who are running against the party. Better to have them lose now and regroup.
By the way – where are the ads calling the Republicans out on the use of “Obamcare?” Why not tell folks they call it that because repealing that sound s better than repealing guarantees your child cannot be denied insurance because of a pre existing condition, for instance.
Peace.
100%? I always donate 110% of my proceeds. . . oh wait. I don’t make any money off my writing yet. . . anyhow, great idea. I will pass it on.
@ lite:
“Not sure that not letting the party continue to be driven to the right is eating our young. If Dems can count on our votes no matter what they do but need to woo the right we’ll get what’ve we got”: Thank you!
Russ Feingold can use some help too.
You rock so hard that I am literally in pain right now.
the limpness of rallying for sanity. being part of the soft left is full of downsides. an exercise in internal speak. we’re afraid that they’re going to throw punches, and we would rather just leave the room…well said.
check out my unpopular take on the “rally”:
http://www.hugging-the-road.com/2010/11/06/why-a-rally-for-sanity-is-oxymoronic/
I don’t think a more average ‘liberal’ message with moral highground, logical lowground, and middle-schoolish level thinking with big vocabulary commentary could be possible. For the NLP and Hollywood politics challenged, ‘Change, Hope’ etc. were blank tablets in which you were supposed to write your own idea of change and hope to get Big O elected, not specific policies of change. For those see ‘Ron Paul’. You’ve been had. Republican bad, Democrat good. Please Tarzan. One word about ‘transparency’–Federal Reserve. Okay, two, but I thought I might lose your attention with one. Is Big O pushing for that?
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