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Monday, December 06, 2010

Elections Have Consequences

The Republicans regaining of the House majority in the mid-terms (a state of affairs which millions of Americans don't actually know has even happened and far more Americans don't grasp the significance of, while many whose voting yielded this disastrous outcome voted on the basis of palpably false beliefs such as that their taxes were raised when in fact they were lowered and so on) has set up what amounts more or less to a hostage negotiation, or, you know, negotiating with terrorists, if you need it that bald.

The use of words like "compromise" or "bipartisan" in this context, is literally just whistling past the graveyard.

Just so you get the import of the metaphor, that's the Republic in the graveyard, and soon enough that's probably you in the graveyard. In a grave.

The Republicans -- usually with the assistance, of course, of some few "conservative" Democrats who can always be counted on to peel off and vote with Republicans on this or that insanity -- have put a gun to America's head and are saying "your money or your life." And, yes, it really simply is money that they want when it comes to it.

Of course, giving in to them on whatever issue means by now letting them pull the trigger anyway, since giving the Republicans whatever they claim they want is as lethal as the lethal thing they will do if they don't get their way -- at this point it is an active question whether Republicans will allow government to function at the most basic level, won't refrain from destroying America's credit completely, will permit uncontroversial indispensable treaties to be ratified, or appoint obviously qualified people to crucial posts, let alone allow anything be done to address fatally broken healthcare or financial systems when failure threatens the survival of the Republic, address climate catastrophe or savage income inequality when failure threatens civilization as such.

It is not to deny the timorousness of Democrats or the inadequacy of their recent accomplishments (which actually happened) to point out that Republicans are incomparably worse, to point out that things now are incomparably worse than they were, to point out that stridently refusing to accept "the lesser of two evils" doesn't even begin to capture the nature of the choice between ineffectual wishy-washy liberals and fulminating authoritarian Movement Republicans in this moment.

If your first impulse is at this juncture is to complain about Obama or the Democrats, you have lost your way. Not that there isn't plenty to complain about, obviously, but if your first, let alone your only, object of ridicule and resentment these days, or in these last years, is Obama or the DNC you are well along on the road to nowhere, hand in hand with your worst enemies however righteous your ideals may be. At a time like this, when America has lost its way, we really can't afford that. But, you know, whatev.

4 comments:

jollyspaniard said...

It's frustrating to see people attack Obama while sparing guys like Boehner, Cantor and Infhoe from criticism all in the name of progressive values. Demoralising the progressive base while throwing red meat at theirs appears to be part of the Republican strategy.

I credit the current administration with enough smarts to triangulate around the Republicans to a certain extent but it's not going to be easy. Hopefuly California will pose a more positive example for the rest of the country yet again.

Dale Carrico said...

Yes, for instance the California 9th circuit on Prop 8 today is bolstering. The irony is thick, but Eric and I are thinking we will marry if a window of legality opens up for it -- this after not only nine loving years together, but also nine years of shared opposition to marriage as a patriarchal vestige, a form of human trafficking, and a sentimental travesty of serious commitment among loving adults. Be that as it may, to be married may provide us a vantage from which to fight institutionalized homophobia locally or nationally in the next round of anti-fascist skirmishing when it comes to it, and it is our state, California, that will be providing for that legal standing. It is going to be a maddening two years.

Chad Lott said...

My wife and I thought marriage and all it meant was kind of corny and we dragged our feet on it forever, but it sure was fun to have a wedding.

We've been to quite a few gay weddings and if I would offer anything even remotely like advice it would be that you and Eric don't just make it a formality.

Real love is something to celebrate and I feel like every time someone throws an awesome same sex wedding it's a victory.

There's something abut passed appetizers that just normalizes everything.

Dale Carrico said...

Thanks, Chad! We will give what you have said here serious consideration -- you're right, our tendency would probably have been to treat marriage totally as a sort of non-event. But there is much in what you say -- definitely I have been to marriages (straight and gay) that were more substantial and celebratory and meaningful. They were awesome.