Am I Disappointed?

Well, of course I am. I spent some time over at Shakesville today and yesterday and found myself cheerleading for this shitty healthcare reform bill. But that doesn't mean I'm not profoundly disappointed. I maintain, though, that getting this shitty bill through is the only way we're going to any meaningful reform; e.g., it's easier to amend an existing (albeit, shitty) bill than it is to pass a great big old new one. And the current shenanigans going on from the Senate Republicans encourages me that I'm right about this.

That said, it's still a shitty bill.

My title question, though, is more about Barack Obama than this shitty bill. Am I disappointed? Yeah. But, here's the thing: I'm not surprised I'm disappointed. This, after all, ain't my first time at the rodeo. To wit: when I hear "I did not have sex with that woman," all I can think is "god DAMMIT, Bill." Not about the affair, per se. Although a 50 year old boss having sex with a 22 year old subordinate is creepy and shameful. But the godDAMMIT is more about the lie, and the profound disregard that showed for the people who put him in office. Compound this with Clinton's failure to pass healthcare in the 90s, the loathsome don't ask/don't tell policy, the even more loathsome Defense of Marriage Act, let's just say I've learned to manage my expectations.

I hoped Barack Obama would be the agent of change he campaigned as. A lot of people did. But, you know what presidents are best at? Campaigning. He's a hell of a campaigner and knew exactly how to get himself elected.

He's also smart and thoughtful and competent. He's not liberal. I wish he were. But, and granted after eight years of Bush the bar is set just bananas low, he's about as good as I think we can expect. Not exactly high praise, but high enough. In short, and it today's stupid parlance, I'm still on Team Obama.

**********

Will Rogers said "I'm not a member of an organized political party, I'm a democrat." Still true. The right is much more organized, and their base seems to require a lot less from them, which allows them to present a pretty cohesive front. Let me give you an example: in order to prove your pro-life bona fides, it looks to me like all a pro-life president has to do is say he's pro-life. Did you see a lot of fury on the right when George Bush stayed way the hell away from any abortion fights that, as president, he could have successfully agitated on behalf? Nope. He just said "I'm prolife" and the right went, "we win! We have a pro-life president." Eight years later, abortion remains as legal as it was the day he took office. I think, of course, that this is a really good thing. But I'm surprised you don't hear more beefing from passionately pro-life conservatives about it.

On the other hand, Barack Obama campaigned as a "fierce advocate of LGBT rights." And, let's face it, his fierceness had had a seriously tepid quality to it. And lefties are complaining about this. And have been for about 9 months of his 10 month presidency. As we should. Barack, if you're reading this (welcome to my delusions of grandeur): it's time for DADT to go.

All things being equal, though, I'd rather be part of the quarrelsome, loud, disparate, FRUSTRATING left than the lockstepping right. That just feels more American. It also feels more productive. Dozens of time every day you run into something that makes your life better, and you can thank a liberal for agitating to make it happen.

Of course, I'm seeing some signs of the right breaking up their lockstep. Makes me kind of root for the tea party people.

Loudmouths

It has gotten LOUD out there, hasn't it?

Think of those dimwits screeching about socialism and how Barack has six letters in it and so does Hitler and A HA STALINISMCAKES!!!!! This leaves me wanting to stand on a chair and scream "WHYAREYOUSUCHAGIANTDOUCHEYDUMMY?" You can see how I might be concerned about the productivity of such a move.

I admire people who can coolly and calmly address issues. Once I saw Molly Ivins, Bill O'Reilly and Al Franken on the same panel. O'Reilly was typically red-faced, incoherent and furious. Franken kept interrupting him, trying to correct, as O'Reilly laid slander and stupidity upon stupider stupidity and slandery slander. Molly Ivins just sat there taking notes and then, when called upon, revealed herself as the smartest, savviest one there. Hold back, take notes, and then destroy them with the force of sheer logic. Franken was delighted. O'Reilly had on his "Fuck it! We'll do it live!"face. It was awesome.

Barack Obama seems to have driven the right completely bananas. I mean, Rush Limbaugh is up on his show telling his audience, who, let's face it, probably ain't the sharpest tacks in the toolshed, that if Obama gets his way, it will be the end of representative democracy and that a bunch of men in black (or black men, which sort of seems to be implied) are coming to kill your grannies.

So, is yelling back helpful or not? I keep waiting for Obama to pull a Molly Ivins (she would have loved him, I suspect, and also been wildly disappointed in him. There are no words for how much I miss her hilarious, kind and trenchant analysis). The problem is that there's no moderator. No one seems to be calling on the folks who've held back and taken notes. It's all heat and no light and it really sounds like the leading conservative voices in the media are dog whistling some pretty heavy shit.

I'm kinda freaked out. But I also remember during the primary, when K.O. did a special comment about how Hillary Clinton was dog whistling an Obama assassination. Dude, I fucking HATED Hillary Clinton during the campaign, but even I thought that was pushing it. (Hillary will, I'm sure, be glad to know that I once again love her and have left all that primary craziness behind). Are we lefties freaking out over nothing? Surely there can't be that many people who really think that Barack Obama is a stalinist, muslim, kenyan usurper who hates old people and mentally disabled babies, right? Right? RIGHT?

QOTD

Moving away from maudlin ruminations on my age and tempus fucking fugit and all that, I enjoyed this post a lot and especially this:

I hear Republicans say why would you weatherize a building when you throw that money out of an airplane in a foreign country

Excellent question!

The Sun Also Rises

It's been eight years. Eight years of "heckuva job, Brownie" and Mission Accomplished. Eight years of extraordinary rendition and black sites and torture. Eight years without Habeus Corpus. Eight years of corporate malfeasance and failures to regulate. Eight years of there's no proof that human activity is responsible for global warming. Eight years of Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin and Sean Hannity. Eight years of fostered, manufactured and nurtured fear. Eight years of tolerated, encouraged racism. Eight years of Muslim = Terrorist.

Eight years of torture.

And it's over.

Today we're swearing in a man who all evidence indicates is smarter than the rest of us, emotionally adult, invested of a strong moral compass, and who is prepared to lead.

I'm no dummy. I expect Barack Obama will disappoint me on occasion. I expect him to fail on occasion. But even with that knowledge, I am confident he will lead. I am confident that things will get better.

Happy Inauguration Day.

Presidentin'

I think Josh Marshall said it best: Holy Cow, Obama's actually going to be president:



Wow.

The one thing I learned from the election...

... Barack Obama is smarter than me and all the pundits out there, even the really really smart ones. So, if he thinks HRC is the right choice for SOS, then he's almost certainly right.

Oh yeah...

Post-Election Blog

Oy, I drank a lot last night.  I high-fived a lot of strangers.  I called my brother and yelled into his voicemail.  It was awesome.  In the end, I'm still not quite believing that we won.  But we did.  Really.

A couple of thoughts:  

I don't think it behooves us to forget that John McCain's campaign was predicated on fear: fear of Muslims, fear of people from the middle-east.  It was a deeply shameful campaign.  To those who suggest we move on and heal: no. Karl Rove, George Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain and Sarah Palin have effectively dismantled the historic Republican platform of small government and personal responsibility and rebuilt it as one of race-baiting and fear-mongering.  Let's not forget that.  And let's hope that the Republicans out there start demanding better candidates.  It's great to win, but it scares me that the Sarah Palin show played to the delight of crowds.

56 million people voted for McCain/Palin.  56 millions. That is a LOT of people. I bet a chunk of those people are cowering in their beds today, waiting for the Manchurian Candidate to put on his turban and start in with the terrorizing.  I bet another chunk are expecting legislation requiring gay marriages and abortions for all.  I bet a lot of them are just plain old dumbfucks.

I'm joyful that my guy won.  I'm humbled and overwhelmed that my country elected as its leader the  guy who based his campaign on the belief that we can be better, the guy who actually seems to believe in crazy concepts like fundamental decency, democracy and, you know, science. But I'm still a little disappointed.  We didn't hit the trifecta.  Prop 8 passed.  In Arkansas, they think it's better to bounce kids around foster homes and group facilities than it is to let gay people adopt them.   Which is just such unremitting, unrelenting bullshit.

But, that said, there's something about the election of Barack Obama that gives me hope that these last hurdles to basic human rights will eventually be jumped.  I mean, y'all, think about it: President Barack Hussein Obama!

Freaking Out

I am freaking out. Last night I went to see Amadeus at Chicago Shakespeare. Excellent production. It finally occurred to me that the word "Amadeus" has something to do with love and God, so that only took 25 years or so. Then I went home, had some pizza with the husband and poured myself a Maker's Mark. Don proceeded to expound on his theory on how McCain could steal the election. In the background, I hear Rachel Maddow say something about how she thinks McCain has a good chance. Thus begins the Freaking. The. Fuck. Out.

I got into bed and watched Pushing Daisies, which is all whimsical and pretty. But it ended and I was still all twitterpated and nervous. I began doing breathing exercises and mentally repeating the mantra "Barack Obama is smarter than you. Barack Obama is smarter than Don (sorry, honey). Barack Obama is smarter than Rachel Maddow (I think)." Finally, I drifted off into a fitful sleep.

I'd love to do a media blackout until Tuesday. I'd love to turn my attention to books and puzzles and long baths. But I know myself and am sure to be found, of an evening, standing in my kitchen watching MSNBC. Freaking. Out.
Why can't it be Tuesday today?

Toot

For a whole host of reason, I've been finding myself feeling really sad that it looks like none of the people who raised Barack Obama will be around to see him win this thing (I just did a jinx dance). Five years after my own father died, my daughter will do something and I find myself feeling cheated that her grandfather never got to know her... didn't get to see her like she was this morning reading four-digit numbers aloud (she's got a great teacher). I feel cheated knowing how proud he'd be of me when he saw this amazing kid we're raising.

This is the saddest fact of life, I think, that it goes on without us. Also the most joyful. This is what faith means to me: that even without our presence, life goes on. And, as my personal hero would say: the effects of our lives are incalculably diffusive.

And I read this beautiful blogpost by a blogger I like a lot named Ta-Neishi Coates. It was more relevant to what I was thinking before I started writing. But I think you'd like it... whoever you are.

Remember When

I can remember exactly where I was when Barack Obama announced his candidacy. I was at the gym. I was watching while I was on the treadmill and feeling sort of overwhelmed and teary (which is a pretty common state for me). It was a Saturday (or Sunday?), so I didn't have to get Laney from the childcare center and could just take off. I remember hopping off the treadmill, putting my coat on and then stopping under the TV on my way out and thinking, "maybe this long, cold winter is really about to end."*



I don't remember many moments that clearly. I can remember with aching clarity the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 and the August, 2003 call that my father was dead. But this is more like the humbling, awesome clarity of memory I have of getting the call that we'd gotten the referral for Laney. I was so used to things not being right, and then suddenly feeling like maybe there was a chance that things might turn out after all.

This election goes so far beyond the political junkie stuff. I feel, like so many have said, like the American soul is at stake, which may be grandiloquent. I may look back at this blogpost a year from now and think, "Oh, Meg... you have GOT to lighten up." But, I don't think so. After all, that freezing cold February was almost two years ago, and I still find myself thinking that the long, cold winter may be about to end**.

* I was embarrassed by the obviousness and triteness of this metaphor
** Almost two years later, I remain resolutely embarrassed by the obviousness and triteness of this metaphor

ACORN

Regarding ACORN: Barack Obama is not going to exhume the bodies of dead Chicagoans and hustle them off to Virginia to vote. Not early, not often. Of course, no one in the GOP really thinks that. The point is to raise some hue and cry about spurious registration of minority voters while blaming the subprime crisis on greedy, spendthrift minority home owners. And then toss that toxic mess into a Sarah Palin rally.

Nor Gretchen Wilson nor Jeff Foxworthy know what a fucking redneck is. Rednecks are resentful, bitter and stupid; racist rage wrapped up in a flag. And that's who the GOP courts.

In The Ayers...

You know, there comes a point where I just don't get the modern American wingnut (well, lots of points). Obama served on some committees with this guy. He's publicly and vociferously denounced the Weathermen. And yet, we're supposed to believe that because Obama's been to his house he'll, what? throw a bomb out from behind the podium on Inauguration Day?

And don't even get me started about Jeremiah Wright. I sat in a pew at various Catholic Churches for 20 years and and have managed to avoid a life of celibacy or a passionate faith in transubstantiation.

Wingnuts are weird.

A glimpse of the future...

I'm beginning to think I live in a world where the Cubs are going to win the World Series and we're going to have a black president, who will also be a genuinely patriotic president who will lead with intelligence, ration, and the ability to actually make things better.

Don agrees. And also that this might be a harbinger of the apocalypse. He's so cheery.

Feeling less panicky every day...

When you see an ad like this:



You realize we've got something special. Barack Obama isn't talking about "choice." He comes right out and says the word "abortion." Why? The dude has a pair and isn't afraid to talk to us like we're adults.

I have NEVER seen a candidate like this in my life. Ever. Man, I'm glad he's playing for our team.

Lunchtime Posting - New Blog Rules

I never read long blog posts. I have an internetty attention span. So, I'm implementing a new blog rule as of today: no blog posts over 100 words. starting..... now!

My friend, Eric, IM-ed me this morning with his knickers all in a twist over Obama's FISA legislation vote. He says because of it, he'll at best vote begrudgingly for Obama. Oy to the veh, I say: if you're looking for someone who won't make votes that you disagree with, who won't bow to political expediency more often than not, who won't profoundly disappoint you from time to time, I hope you enjoy President McCain's Grand Iranian Adventure.

I remember this dance when it happened in 2000 and I'm not going again.

I sent Obama another $25 today.

Why can't a...

.... Democrat be more like a Republican? And by that I mean, just once (ONCE) could a dyed in the wool democrat give her candidate the benefit of the doubt instead of rushing to assume the absolute worst? When George Bush was campaigning, youtubes of him drowning kittens would have been interpreted by his base as a sign of his strength. They would have been terrorist kittens, for frack's sake. But, us democrats, by god, are jaded, cynical, and the smartest guys in the room (and that room includes our candidate). So, a misstep by our guy (even a perceived one) and it's instant gloom and doom: just add blogpost.

I wish just once a democratic blogger would grab the back of the candidate. I don't want us to be like the Bush Legion of Doom, but it would be nice it we could just say "hey, I have a little faith that Barack knows what he's doing."

Sigh - it'll never happen.