So I’ve been reading around the blogs I love — Mom 101, Been There, Time Goes By and others and they’re full of election news and celebrating both the outcome and the Speakership of Nancy Pelosi. And I realize that I – former political producer of the TODAY SHOW and general political junkie – have barely mentioned the election here. What’s THAT about?
I DID mention the growing youth turnout – but that makes sense – I care so much about younger people – both how they see the world and how the world sees them — and about my old friend Jane Harman.
I just wasn’t as jazzed as everyone else about this victory. So very much that I believe in has been undone in these years and so much that I worked for is gone. I think the next two years will be about maintaining as much as remains of the progressive perspective and pushing through little advances since more than that will bring about a Bush veto and we have nowhere near the votes to beat that. SO. It was a start – but we have a long way to go and still haven’t come up with a perspective that’s a compelling alternative when there isn’t a war and a pedophile to help us over the hump. We need not to fight with each other – the NYT today talks about the pragmatic nature of current Dem victors compared to some of the ideological leanings of the establishment. It will be interesting to watch but call me crazy — I’m not ready to party yet.
Thanks Cindy for your nice comment about my posts.
Like you, I agree that we cannot be totally extatic about the election results. As you wrote, the constitution doesn’t allow much room for manoeuvre. Therefore things won’t change overnight and the Democrat victory will need to be strenghthened in the next presidential election.
However I can see at least two positive things about last week’s results.
First, this time, scaring people didn’t work in spite of the verdict against Saddam Hussein a few days before the vote and in spite of President Bush’s repeated attempts to frighten people once again.
Secondly, from a European point of view, I believe that the relationship between the States and Europe will improve as a result and that we (Europeans) will manage to convey that we don’t hate Americans but just dislike their president immensely.