Dan Simmons - Why I Voted For Barack Obama in 2008

This is a useful insight into the mindset of a lot of white Democrat voters. They keep making the same mistakes because they want to believe so badly that they can to change the world through politics. When and if they can be educated that the sole purpose of electing a government is to put in place an honest, effective, and limited administration - and the world-changing needs to be left to the citizens - then there will be no more Barack Obamas. Dan Simmons learned his lesson, so I am hopeful that others will, too.

I read the piece, so I gather you are right. It is hard to reconcile that the guy who wrote the message from a time traveler bit happily voted for Obama. To my understanding, the libs still consider Simmons a brain-eaten racist for writing it. Maybe that had something to do with his vote, I suppose. He said it was partly due to racism.

FReegards

I read Simmon’s recent novel, “Flashback.” He gores quite a few liberal oxen in the course of the book. It’s a distopia, set in a future in which both the US and Israel have been destroyed, but in which the Republic of Texas still stands as an independent and free nation. Simmons is probably what we call a “mugged liberal.” Still a liberal, but his eyes are starting to open wide.

Beyond that, he’s an excellent SF writer. I’ve long enjoyed reading his stuff, particularly the “Hyperion” series, without knowing until recently his politics.

Oh yeah, the Hyperion series is fantastic. I gather a lot of folks only really dug the first one, but I dug them all. The Shrike!

The only other thing I have read from him was his effort in the recent Jack Vance tribute collection, ‘Songs of the Dying Earth.’ It was one of the better stories, in my opinion. Have you read Ilium or whatever it is called? Is it good?

Freegards

Thanks Ransomed, yeah, I read Illium and Olympos by Simmons. They are his take on Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Both are excellent and worth reading...maybe not quite as good as the Hyperion series, but so much better than most of what’s out there.

I liked the first Hyperion book the best, but loved all three. My son, who is in his 30’s, is a fan of Hyperion too, but he liked the second and third the best. The ideas Simmons explored in the series are fascinating.

“I’ve “known” Simmons for many years now. He is a Democrat who has seen the light. He is on our side now, and has written some scathing commentary in our favor. I’ll take it. The past is done.”

I’ve read most of Dan’s books and it’s obvious he is extremely intelligent, and also a damn fine writer and story teller. From his essay, it does look like he’s seen the light and is in fact on our side now and forever.

It’s extremely difficult to admit to one’s self that everything you thought was true was in fact false and that everything you thought was false was true. It takes a very special person to change their mind like that. It appears that Dan Simmons is such a special person.

I think it’s unfortunate that so many here have posted negatively about Dan’s Road to Damascus moment. It reminds me of my dad’s dying Presbyterian church where the aging membership laments the lack of new members while virtually ignoring any “strangers” who might show an interest in joining their church because the existing members have all known each other for three generations.

We should be welcoming new converts with open arms and praising their intelligence for seeing the light instead of dwelling on their former naivete.

BTW, another very, very famous formerly liberal writer who experienced the conservative epiphany is David Mamet. In fact, he wrote a whole book about it called “The Secret Knowledge”. And unlike Simmons, whom I’m sure the literately establishment sneers at, Mamet was one of the their big time darlings.

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