What a time for internet troubles. I have now been in the school computer lab for probably 45 minutes compulsively refreshing CNN.com's election results. I came by on a whim on my way to fill my ginormous water bottle (1.5L). I had intended only to do a quick check then leave.
For the first 10 minutes I sat dejected looking at Virginia's Senate results: Webb still losing 49 to 50% (Independent = 1%), 99% of precincts reporting. Meticulously I looked through the county-by-county results table to determine the possibility of squeezing the lead from the last 1% of votes reporting. I had all but thrown in the towel and was just about to leave to fill up water bottle when I snapped out of my daze to realize I'd been reading the results all wrong - the tide had turned and now Allen was the one down 1% of the vote. Webb is ahead!
I can't remember the last time I was this happy. I am ecstatic that the Dems are taking over the House (possibly the Senate - unknown at time of writing) and that a Democrat will potentially unseat the incumbent Republican Senator in my adopted home state, yet I can't help but feel a tinge of envy that I'm not there to celebrate. You see, hardly anyone I have voted for or supported in an election has ever won. I have yet to have my candidate win the presidency (yes, even Clinton because there was a dark period during my youth when I was misguided into voting Republican - Hey, we all have skeletons).
Most of my adult voting life has been marred with crushing defeats, popular vote wins and electoral college losses, and recounts, recounts, recounts. This has contributed to (but is not totally responsible for) feeling like a stranger in my own land and constant unhappiness with my leadership. So yeah, I kind of feel entitled to celebrate a hard-fought changing of the guard in my decade of personal political unrest. And yet, I can't. Sure, everyone here is celebrating spring racing and the Melbourne Cup, and that's all well and good (and DRUNK), but the sport of November for me is politics, and just this once I wish I was at home to watch.
**Disclaimer: I'm not whining about being in Oz and lamenting my fate or anything, just saying, you know, I wish I could be part of the fun.**
10 comments:
dude. that doesn't make us old! does it? ouch.
I am sad to say it took politics to drag me into this "blog-leave-your-comment-here" world. But, alas here I am.
First, I need to throw a few things out there...
I REALLY like Studio 60 (no matter how liberal or "modern" it is)...
I voted for Clinton and think he was, in fact, a good President...
I voted for Al Gore and for that I am truly remorseful... (and embarrassed)
So you revel in your current victory? How happy will you be when you one day stumble out of your college-student-income-subsidized bliss and realize that you fund the laziest and most dependent society in the history of this planet. I hope that you are one day a very successful lawyer (b/c I know you will be) and that 35% (or more) of your six figure income goes to funding the "poor unfortunate souls" who have been left behind by you and your peers who have made a conscious decision to work hard and better yourselves.
"If you're in college and not a Democrat, then you don't have a heart. If you're 30 and not a Republican then you don't have a job." -- I am paraphrasing, of course.
You want so badly to believe this is about "the people" and making our world better but THE world is not wholly populated by others who would like to go skipping through pastures with flowers in their hair. It unfortunately is full of evil and we must recognize that there REALLY are necessary evils. At the end of the day I wish for world peace, happiness and all of those other wonderful, idealistic things as I lay down to sleep but then the next morning I WAKE UP.
I feel like Jerry Maguire with his mission statement (I know you will appreciate that).
Welcome to the blogosphere, Greg. Thanks for joining us.
First, I’d like to clarify a couple of things about me. I will be a successful lawyer, but not the kind you envision. It is highly unlikely that I will ever make six figures. My successes will be small ones – maybe proving someone innocent who has been falsely charged, maybe helping a single mother keep her house, or maybe even securing a drug rehabilitation program in lieu of prison for a client. This is because rather than work on multi-corporate mergers I choose to devote my abilities to helping poor people who were not lucky enough to grow up in a family where their parents cared about their education, where they had enough food to eat, or where they were taught anything better than violence and drug abuse. You may think providing them with free legal services only increases their “dependency” and “laziness”; I think it protects us from the true evil of our society which is our government violating the basic human rights of its own citizens; I think it will eventually help them to recognize the opportunities available to them that they were not shown before.
This election is not just about economics or indigent welfare for me, though. It’s about putting the environment above big oil and car manufacturers. It’s about freedom of religion over the Christian Coalition. It’s about securing women’s rights so that a 15-year-old raped by her uncle doesn’t use a coat hanger to abort her fetus. It’s about granting gay people the simple choice to get married. It’s about health care for everyone. It’s about freedom of speech. It’s about abolishing the death penalty and keeping habeas corpus. It’s about a foreign policy that doesn’t invite the very terror we so vehemently try to prevent. It’s about protecting the basic liberties we piss on when we imprison men for years without charging them, go to war for oil, and pass the Patriot Act. You may or may not agree with me on these policy decisions, and that is fine (it’s your American right), but you should know that my liberal stance does not rest solely on opposition to war or support for welfare rights.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not so naïve that I don’t understand real evil. However, in my view, the greatest evil we face is from our own government, not from abroad. Our government turns a naked eye to those it oppresses in the name of capitalism and world domination, the third world countries it keeps down by leveraging affordable medicine with profitable trading rights. The real evil is in using aggression as a knee-jerk reaction to a threat rather than the last resort it should be. I’m not opposed to going to war when it’s necessary, but don’t you find it curious that we are in Iraq first under the guise of WMD, then freedom, and then terrorism – when the evidence supported NONE of that? And yet, we are tiptoeing around the real threat in North Korea because we have to, because if we don’t we will start a nuclear holocaust. Why? Because we are no longer the only superpower on the scene – if we fuck with North Korea, we also fuck with China and then we’ve got ourselves a real problem. I don’t discount that there is real evil. I simply disagree with you about the way to go about addressing it is by prancing our army around as if we are the Kings of the World.
On a one final note – I disagree that America is the laziest and most dependent society in the history of the world. I actually think we are one of the most hardworking. Currently only Japan gives less vacation time – 1 week – to employees than is the US standard. In Europe, the UK, and Australia 8 weeks is not uncommon. In Australia and parts of Europe the standard work week is around 35 hours; in the US it’s difficult to keep a 40 hour week in most jobs. We also offer significantly less social services to poor people and the unemployed than does the rest of the industrialized world. This is just the surface.
Do I think the Democrats are really all that different from the Republicans? Not really, especially as far as foreign policy goes. But I do know that the current regime isn’t getting it done and that at least on paper I agree more with the Democratic philosophy than the GOP, so for me, this is about as close to victory as I’m gonna get - and so yes, I will revel in it just as I silently revel in the victory Florida had over Georgia yet again.
That's the Niki I know and love. Hopefully, I atleast got your blood pressure up a notch or two. It is good to hear from you and I agree with a few of your points but I am still not going to watch CNN for my news. ;)
Ok, I tried to stay out of this charged debate, but I'm going to throw out a few things now in response. .
We shouldn't be cautious? Would you have us go right at North Korea and start the nuclear holocaust you accurately predict? Is that the "correct" move we should be making?
You don't call 9/11 an act of terrorism? There's no evidence supporting that claim?
really, what's the percentage of abortions from rape? It's very low. Either you are for abortion or you are against it. Don't hide behind the guise that it's excusable because we need it for those rare, horrible circumstances. Many rape victims are still against abortion and don't want to feel "justified" in terminating the child's life or have even more assault on their body. It's like legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes -- you may rationalize it in your head that it's only for the really sick, but legal or not, it's not just the sick using. Either you are for the choice for all women or you're against it. Not that I'm trying to polarize it into you are for women's rights or you are against them (and usually for religious/moral beliefs), because I do think it's more complicated than that despite how it gets twisted, but at the same time, it's that simple. Are you going to have it be legal, but then judge the women who decide to have an abortion because they simply aren't ready, or they learn the child has an abnormality or whatever her reasons are? That's not doing anyone any favors.
And ouch! Ga-Fla, ok we deserved that, but it was a little below the belt!
Love you! we're still friends, right? you'll be cooled off by the time you head back to the States. You made your points very well and I know I just chose a few small points to pick apart, but that's what got to me.
This looks like a class reunion, of sorts!
I think it is absolutely fantastic that we, as friends, can read and discuss (argue) points, sometimes vhemently, and still like each other when it's all over. And have a few beers, perhaps.
Now all we need is to get Katie and Josh in on this and I think we'll be set!
BTW, Nik: I can respect your political opinions but I will NEVER respect the fact that you are a Florida fan! (And that comment was way below the belt!!)
George Allen is a knuckle-dragging bigot and we wish you were here to celebrate his defeat with us. And it's a good thing Webb won, or I'd be all over you about that missing absentee vote!
The Democrats won't be able to unshit the bed in Iraq, but at least they can start to hold people the slightest bit accountable for the biggest fuck-up of our lifetimes, which the Republican Congress had absolutely no interest in doing.
Because control of the Senate changed hands, we've gone from Senator Kyl, sponsor of the "Streamlined Procedures Act" (i.e. grease the skids to the death chamber), to Senator Leahy, sponsor of the "Innocence Protection Act" (i.e. try not to kill innocent people) as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. That's a huge victory for anyone who gives a damn about justice and is reason enough to rejoice in Webb's victory, even if he's more conservative than we'd prefer.
Plus, Speaker Pelosi is hot, especially compared to that Mr. Magoo-looking tub of lard Dennis Hastert. I'm glad we won't have to look at his nasty mug any more.
Do I sound bitter? Well, whatever; it's a great day for America!
...35% (or more) of your six figure income goes to funding the "poor unfortunate souls" who have been left behind by you and your peers who have made a conscious decision to work hard and better yourselves.
in politics, there are personal issues and economic issues. the older i get the more i feel that arguing the personal ones are generally a waste of time. has anyone you know ever changed their mind about abortion, gay marriage, or stem cell research because they got into a drunken argument at 2:30 in the morning in someone's kitchen?
economics are slightly more cut and dry. at least there's room for facts, statistics, and hard data. unfortunately, there's also room to get those wrong.
my big problem with the conservative and libertarian mantra of "fewer taxes" is that social welfare seems to be the number one thorn in their side. i can appreciate not wanting to support a lazy neighbor, but aside from that being an overly simplistic view of who actually receives welfare, it also brushes over the fact that most of your tax dollars go toward the military, health care, and PAYING OFF INTEREST ON OUR DEBTS. if we're going to go around invading countries, we have to fund it somehow. we do so by taxing our citizens and borrowing money. correct me if i'm wrong, but where's the pride in being the most powerful nation in the world if almost 36 million of our citizens live below the poverty line? why are we so willing to fund an embarrassingly expensive and ineffectual war but not give a few bucks to those less fortunate than ourselves?
I'd recommend The Daily Show or The Colbert Report for your news, Greg. Same stuff, far more entertaining.
Andi, I take your point about abortion; though I don't know stats probably few are the result of rape. In retrospect I should've stated it differently, but I still think there is a very real threat of women taking matters into their own hands with horrible consequences - and I think the stories from pre-Roe v. Wade era illustrate that. Furthermore, it's entirely likely that women that don't want babies won't raise them properly or can't afford to, contributing to more orphans, more welfare needs, or possibly more delinquent children. I'm not pro-abortion - I think everyone can agree we all want less. I am, however, pro-choice because who am I to tell a young woman the best decision for her to make?
As for North Korea, I don't know what the answer it. My point - which wasn't articulated very well - is that in that scenario we can't just flex our military muscle to get our way the way we're accustomed; we're forced to use diplomacy despite the very real threat that may be there.
I'd never say 9/11 wasn't terrorism. Of course it was, but I thought that's why we invaded Afghanistan. Bush likes to link Saddam and Bin Laden/terrorism in his rhetoric, but a Senate committee report released a couple months ago said there was no evidence to support a link between the two. Here's an article about it from the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-intel9sep09,0,3511735.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Definitely still friends...as long as we don't talk football : ) I'm just glad people are commenting.
Oh, Nik, I love love love you. You're my hero. :)
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