My progressive friends are appraising bridges for jumping potential, so I feel a bit of obligation to continue supplying arguments about why it isn't so bad, from a progressive point of view, that Bush won. The country has become predictable -- a predictable early to mid-stage empire. Lots of people are willing to adopt the natural attitudes of what Carol Bly calls "lucky predators." Our only long term hope is shaking the nation out of that, into an historically unprecedented sanity and breadth of spirit and greatness of heart. John Kerry was simply not the man to do that shaking . He was decent and plausible and, I think, better than the other guy, but he wasn't anywhere near magic, and his commitments on taxes and on the military would have locked him into some of the most dangerous directions in current foreign and domestic policy. He essentially gave up the right to raise enough money to do anything new.
We need magic, we need several rare qualities to come together in one person, and then we need to elect that person president. We will not likely get two chances. For now, until we find that person, Bush holds the space.
Until then, I think of my Uncle Jack, a very sweet guy who got his language centers damaged early, so that he was mostly restricted to two phrases, "By hell!!" and "I don't know." I can't think of a better summary of the current situation, right off.
Posted by shea0017 at November 4, 2004 12:15 PM