Just for a moment: a little hope and optimism

Here's a break from my usual whiney, pessimism: watching the coverage, I'm a little hopeful that things might be better--not much better, but maybe a little better, maybe that little step toward better that shifts from a faschistic semblance of democracy to the US's more customary oligarchical democracy, or, maybe that shift that makes it seem like people are not all idiots, not all dupes, not all complacent. Maybe that optimism or optimistic moment that renders what had seemed to be a whole held in place by exceptions non-all, open to the possibility of being or becoming otherwise.

My brother (who's been unemployed for over 6 months and has a job interview tomorrow) called from PA gleeful about the loss of Rick Santorum. That alone makes the world a better place. New York now moves out from under 12 years of Pataki to a Democratic governor (also on the Working Families Party ticket thanks to fusion voting). The Green candidate I voted for against Hillary isn't showing up in the tv tallies. Arcuri won in the 24th.

In a few days I'll likely whine about the fact that the Democrats are no real opposition, that their victory simply gives the Fox crazies more ammunition (every thing that goes wrong for Bush in the next 2 years will be blamed on the Democrats, just like most of his problems are attributed to Clinton). Or, maybe I won't.

Maybe I'll try to hold onto the opening that a little optimism provides, the possibility that change is not impossible, not unthinkable. Holding on to the opening doesn't require optimism. No a little optimism made it possible. Perhaps the trick is holding on after the optimism subsides.

Comments

[voyou]

The results are pleasing, the victory speeches not so much. While watching Pelosi going on about "a victory for the country, not for the Democrats," I said to a friend, "They've just won! You'ld think for one day they could stop pretending they don't have any policies." To which he quite reasonably replied, "Who said anything about pretending?"

[Jodi]

That's perfect!
(I was also irritated by her idiotic bipartisan claptrap. I kept hoping she'd say, "You that thing I said about not impeaching, well, I lied."

[Alain]

Hi Jodi. Of course I largely share your sentiments. But I live in Minnesota, and here not much changed. The folks here always turn out in large numbers -over 77% in 04 and 60% turnout in this election, where most of the country struggled to get to 50% - but only one Congressional seat changed hands. And it seems obvious that the country has not so much moved to the left as simply tried to put the breaks on an authoritarian government. I hate to say it but I am afraid if the democrats try to do "too much", they will be thrown out two years from now. I would hope that they would simply do what is right and say to hell with the politics. But I suspect that is not how it is going to go down.

[Alain]

I apologize for the melancholic tone of my previous comment - this is a day to celebrate. If the dems had not taken back the house, American democracy would be officially dead. But now at least it has a chance, however small, at a rebirth. Let Freedom Ring!

[Adam Kotsko]

In Illinois, the Green Party candidate for governor got over 10% of the vote, meaning the Greens are an established party here.

Of course, being a "Satan himself" Democrat nowadays, I voted for the Democratic incumbent, currently under federal investigation.

[hugh]

Theatre needs hope in order to survive at the end of the millennium. This has often been said. But little theatres makes do with very little hope. It may be that of all the theatres, little theatres alone will pass over the frontier into the next millennium. Its passage may allow other theatres to follow. It's my hunch that in the next millennium, at least in its first years, hope is not going to count for much. That's when we'll most need little theatres. It's very conservative in its use of hope as fuel.

Eliza Sampedrin, quoted in
Erin Moure, "Little Theatres"

[John Reeve]

I find it hard to be hopeful.

As one commentator on NPR suggested yesterday, people replaced moderate Republicans with right leaning Democrats.

Maybe someone who is a little better informed than me would care to asses that comment, but it seems pretty accurate to me, but it seems that the Democratic party moves farther right with this election. The Republicans here in Texas are happy to see the remaining Republicans move farther to the right as well, and on the nasty talk shows here, they're discussing how they'll be able to discern the Republican's-in-name-only by their shifts in direction.

[Alain]

John, though I am not an expert I think your assessment is accurate. I would go even further and say that the democratic victory was perhaps the most narrow "tidal wave" in electoral history. If one looks at the vast majority of the house races, I believe at least 22 of the seats the dems gained were won by a margin of 2% or less. And a similarly miniscule margin gave the dems the Senate. So it seems pretty obvious that the country really has not moved to the left, nor is it interested in holding Bush and Company accountable for their crimes or violations of the constitution. This was a vote against the War in Iraq, and the perception that the Republicans are out of controll (Foley, Abramhoff, etc). I am simply hoping that the dems try to do what is right and get a few things done (raise the minimum wage, increase the income limit on FICA) before they are swept out for being ant-American communists.