Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Silly Season
I'll vote for Biden against Trump in a heartbeat, but I must say I find him nearly the most dismal of the contenders presently on offer. All these mediocre male also-rans making their bids at crafting a higher PR/$$$ profile by blowing millions on quixotic Presidential runs while indispensable Senate seats languish without serious candidates is rather disgusting and even a bit demoralizing. I've got a terrible feeling about the way 2020 is shaping up. In literally every way that matters, Biden is worse than HRC was, but, you know, patriarchy, so. Elizabeth Warren is by far the best candidate out there for now on the substance and Kamala Harris continues to be organizationally savvy and sharp (if less inspiring on the trail so far than I'd like). I guess people want to fight the last war as usual, and Biden offers the clearest way to a 2016 do-over (sure, Biden would likely have beat Trump -- because misogyny, mostly -- and for all I know might manage the trick in 2020 however dismal, and my god is it dismal, his track record on the campaign trail). Everything points to a Republican right-wing appeal to the basest instincts of its brainless bigot bully base coupled with utter ruthless lawlessness (with all the terrifying historical parallels in tow) against a Democratic "centrist" demobilization of its reliable base of black women and queers and liberal arts majors and disregard (and disenfranchisement) of the rising reachable coalition of secularizing diversifying precarizing nonvoters alienated by the quixotic chasing of mythical "Independents" and, worse, "Obama-Trump" voters. One side is playing kill or be killed, the other side wants to play let's all get along. In the background, climate change is the pressure cooker undermining reasonableness at every turn, storms and pandemic and resource descent and disruption send more and more scurrying into fight or flight with each passing year... with nice ruthless authoritarian strongmen ready in the wings to play "populist" scapegoating cards to abet world-historical thefts and frauds while the world burns. History is in the balance. The silly season (which was already little more than reality tv even before a real reality tv con-artist came to star in the thing) is not the proper space in which to adjudicate these stakes, but it's what we've got. Maybe things will turn out for the best. Rhetoric equal to the moment is on the tips of more tongues than ever, millions are mobilized. I can't see dismal figures like Biden, Bernie, Buttigieg, Beto, Bennett and the rest of the Boys doing much to direct that energy and knowledge into real change, but maybe we the people can do so with them or without them. Still have my fingers crossed that the debates may yield a Warren and/or Harris surge, or slap some sense into certain superannuated old straight white dudes that they've done enough damage already. But I'm not holding my breath. Oh, wait, I actually am. I should stop that, it's making me dizzy. Silly season.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I'm growing optimistic. The populist post truth far right tide seems to have hit it's high water mark in Europe and is receding. They aren't the shiny new objects they once were.
The recent elections in the Europe have been promising not just in the UK but across the continent.
The lesson from Europe is the push back works when that it's young, it's green, it embraces diversity and new leaders. I'm not sure how much of that translates across the Atlantic but it suggests that Biden is a lousy choice.
Agree that hope is to be found in the rising generation of planetarity -- post-Boomer generations radicalized by climate change and living diversity in a digitally disrupted world. Also agree that Biden is lousy, I'm hoping his present inevitability dims in the scrum of campaigning. I'm really glad to hear you are feeling optimistic, since I'm still grappling with quite a lot of fear, despair, and disgust here. Sometimes it feels like too much to bear a bit, honestly. Moving out of Brexitland into sunnier spaces seems to have done wonders for you -- maybe getting out of the US/UK is like stepping into the better future we'll have struggled our way through to in a few more election cycles here. Ugh.
Spain has been very impressive and surprising. It's not just equitable and fair, it's well run, it's hip, things are happening here. People are happier. The new Prime Minister keeps impressing. The main political drama in Spain has been a month long wrangle between two left wing parties over who gets what ministerial job.
I've always seen Spain as a backwards place largely because my family come from tiny mountain villages that time forgot. But it turns out there's a lot more to Spain than that. Spain's economy is growing faster than Germany's, led by manufacture and agriculture for export. And the Spanish fight for their communities. There's a big pushback against AirBnB in Valencia for instance.
We got a fantastic two bedroom apartment (only a temporary sublet unfortunately) for 500 Euros a month. Minimum wage for 1 person is 900-1000 Euros a month. We could afford this place on one minimum wage job. Vegetables are tasty and cheap. I've been cooking up a storm.
I've also been fired up creatively. I have a massive writing project (256,00 words) that I've been blocked and stuck on for six months. It has become dramatically unstuck since moving here. It's particularly hard because it's a choose your own adventure computer game so the story doesn't just have to be good it has to be executable (10% of the wordage is computer code). Even the coding comes easier now.
I stumbled across an empty space between a few tower blocks a month ago. Orange flower blossoms were raining down from the trees. The entire bottom of the square was covered with them. I walked inside, sat myself down on the bench and just sat there for hours while flower blossoms rained down on me. It was a relaxing, beautiful and surreal experience. I didn't feel out of place at all. This wasn't one of the cities glorious parks. It was simple bit of common space between inner city apartment buildings. When Brits ask me what Valencia is like I tell them that. They get why that's a big deal because nobody would do that in Britain unless they were selling drugs or on too many of them.
I've been back to Brighton four times since I've moved to Valencia. I still work for a British company and have a lot of ties there. This has led to a lot of surprising observations. British people have started confessing and confiding in me in a way that they never have before. Most British people have pent up feelings and opinions they're reluctant to give a public airing because their society is so painfully and acrimoniously divided.
Most Brexiteers secretly want to leave Britain. That isn't a deduction, they volunteer it. Where do they want to live? Europe. Go figure.
Maybe this is the difference between Brexit and Trump. Do Trump supporters secretly want to move to Canada? Somehow I don't think so.
Step away from social media and everyone is sick of Brexit. The only thing fueling it is pure nihilism. This is driving away moderates in droves.
I am optimistic for Britain. People want change more than ever. And over the past three years people have learned a lot about Europe that they didn't know before. Brexit isn't the change proposition anymore. A new election is just around the corner and it will be an interesting one. People have been defining their identities in opposition to Brexit. Britain isn't the most pro EU country in Europe obviously but pro EU sentiment is growing fast, faster than anywhere else in Europe apart from Finland.
The Lib Dems and the Greens have been building bridges, cooperating more than they have been competing. It's the Corbyn die hards are keep lining up into circular firing squads.
Fingers crossed I'm hoping Warren wins in 2020. I'm reminded of one of Churchill's quotes. America always does the right thing after it exhausts all other alternatives.
From your lips to the ears of the billion billion goddesses. This comment was truly bolstering and beautiful to read! Thank you!
Post a Comment