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First, I’d like to point out that Tom Tomorrow was dead on with his comic strip this week. It seems like the good guys at Truthout.org are the only ones in the written media with their priorities straight: Before we “hire” our new administration, we really need to deal with the criminals currently in charge. And yes, I join Thom Hartmann, in calling the Bush administration criminals, straight-up, no hyperbole. They approved water-boarding, a kind of torture that even back during the Spanish-American War earned American officers court martials (at the behest of none other than T. Roosevelt). And I’ll eat my words: John “History will not judge this kindly” Ashcroft was not nearly the total villain I thought him to be. (In fact, I think I started missing him the second Alberto was appointed.)
But now onto the point of this post. On the morning after the New Hampshire Primary back in January, I was on the phone with my friend and then co-worker David Alire Garcia. I was ranting about something, probably nothing of consequence. Probably some minor romantic or professional frustration. And after that, I started moaning, and then I started bitching, and after that, I began kvetching and whining and generally sucking hard on a half-empty baby bottle of negativity.
Finally, I asked Garcia, “Do you see what I mean? I’m right, aren’t I?”
And Garcia answered, “I think you’re just upset that Obama lost.”
I thought for a second about it, shrugged and then admitted he was right.
I don’t know how it is for Hillary’s supporters, but I’ve found that over the course of this election cycle, my mood flickers with the tide of Obama’s political successes. I hope some university psych department does a study. After Iowa, I felt like one of those novelty dancing flowers, the plastic ones with the sunglasses, that would shake their stems and bop their buds to whatever song was playing on the radio. Whenever Obama lost–in New Hampshire, then Nevada–it was like the music died, my petals went hangdog. I began to wilt.
Then there was that length of 10 or so states where Obama was on a roll–even Ohio didn’t bother me, because in the end, after the delegates were counted, Obama won Texas. I’ll call that my yellow period, my stretch of sunshine.
Last night, the clouds rolled in. Hillary won by 10 percent, declared the turning of tides, which to me sounded like a thunderclap. No rain yet, no lightning…but just threat that I hope will blow over.
As the cliffhanger continues, I actually want to like Hillary. I want her to woo me just a little so I don’t have to worry about a McCain presidency. I want feel enthusiastic for both the Democrats. That just ain’t the case.
For the last six weeks or so, Clinton’s undone a lot of Obama’s hard work. And I don’t mean Obama’s hard work for himself, but for our culture. Throughout this election cycle, Obama’s changed the tone of debate and been quite successful in driving the old politickin’, the mud-tossing and the blood-letting, the spin-cycling and the chameleon-coating, into obsolescence. I was looking forward to an incredibly fresh general election, because, frankly, McCain’s also a relatively clean competitor. We could’ve had a race of honesty and policy.
But no. In her desperation, Clinton ran out of items in the kitchen and started reaching into the garbage disposal for more fodder, regardless of the damage the blades could do to her. Hypocrisy doesn’t seem to bother the Clintons (slamming Obama for “complaining” about the ABC debate, when she openly whined about the earlier NBC ones, even mid-debate. Only Tancredo out-whined her). Nor does falsehoods (Bosnian sniper fire). She’ll pretend she can bowl and drink, painting herself as a working class hero, like some sort of Jennifer Beals in Flashdance. She’ll exploit his “bitter” statement and reel in tangents, like William Ayers, claiming that that’s what the Republicans will bring up…. and yet, is there a difference between her campaign and the Republicans? She was “endorsed” by Richard Mellon Scaife (he of the “vast right wing conspiracy”) and now the North Carolina Republican Party is using those same attacks against Obama, which, with its primary on the horizon, is virtually the same as supporting Hillary.
So, yes, today I’m more bitter than I was after New Hampshire. And so are a lot of people I know. Even Garcia was moody when I called him today. And it’s not because Obama lost, but because decency did.
I just hope that this time, like the times before, it passes.
Holy fuck… they killed Tyrol’s wife Cally last night on BSG, ejected her right into space. For a show with so much death, there’s a surprisingly large amount of original cast members still frakking along… but Cally, who shot Boomer, took punches from Tyrol, gave birth to a half-Cylon baby, and who, probably more than any other actor on the show, really grew up over the course of the first three series? What the fuck? Was her character just getting in the way?
