on being enthused about a politician
Nov. 11th, 2008 07:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chhotiiSome people have said, how can you be so starry-eyed, so enamored, of a politician? And, boy are you starry-eyed people going to be let down when Barry Obama makes the inevitable fuck-up.
I would explain it this way: Obama's election is more the end of bad things than the start of good things. You're misunderstanding if you think our score for how the executive branch of this country is run has gone up to +1000 with Obama's election. It's more like, the score was at -1000, and has gone up to... maybe +5? Maybe +250, if we are feeling hopeful. But at least it's positive. I don't expect anything more from Barry Obama's administration than I got from Bill Clinton's administration. I didn't agree with every decision taken by the Clinton administration, things could have been done better, and some things didn't go as well as hoped. But, my God, I didn't shake my fists at the sky saying you moronic assholes how could you during the Clinton administration. The Clinton administration appeared to be an ernest sincere attempt at governing by a bunch of reasonably intelligent, well-educated people trying to do their best. All signs indicate that Obama intends to govern the same way: unlike the GWB administration, which was an experiment in alternating complete evil with complete stupidity.
People rejoice and dance in the streets just as much whether the current situation's score goes from -5 to +1000, or from -1000 to +5. The latter is like, yay I'm not getting kicked in the gut any more! I'm not getting jabbed in the eye with a sharp stick any more! Yay, amputating my body from the hips down cured my cancer, woo-hoo!!! This is what the (effective) end of the 2nd Bush administration feels like, to someone who notices and cares about the issues. (Read Fiasco anyone?) Any change in the situation of +1005 points is happiness, regardless of the baseline. (See Stumbling on Happiness for discussion of this point.)
I kinda define my happiness with the way the election went mostly in negatives:
1) Yay, the Republicans didn't steal another election! We got the democracy thing working!
2) Being really smart and learned-- for example first in your class at Harvard Law School-- is not an insurmountable obstacle to being elected POTUS!
3) It's not the case, after all, that America won't elect an African-American President, no matter how absolutely crappy things get.
There are positive things too. Not just that it's so much more pleasant to wake up to the sound of Obama's voice on the morning news than Bush's.
* Obama's team is seriously planning to close Gitmo. This might be entirely symbolic in the end-- people can be tortured anywhere in the world, not just at Gitmo-- but it's the kind of big symbolic gesture that we need to make to say to the world, nevermind that moment of insanity, torture and abuse of human rights is totally not cool.
* The League of Conservation Voters called Obama's campaign promises "the strongest energy and global warming plan ever put forward by a Presidential nominee". OK, so even if he gets totally bogged down trying to implement any of the plan?-- at least he is not out to get the environment. Unlike Reagan's Secretary of the Interior, James Watt, who said "When the last tree falls, that is when Jesus will return." Seriously. Keep those people the fuck out of my government!
I would explain it this way: Obama's election is more the end of bad things than the start of good things. You're misunderstanding if you think our score for how the executive branch of this country is run has gone up to +1000 with Obama's election. It's more like, the score was at -1000, and has gone up to... maybe +5? Maybe +250, if we are feeling hopeful. But at least it's positive. I don't expect anything more from Barry Obama's administration than I got from Bill Clinton's administration. I didn't agree with every decision taken by the Clinton administration, things could have been done better, and some things didn't go as well as hoped. But, my God, I didn't shake my fists at the sky saying you moronic assholes how could you during the Clinton administration. The Clinton administration appeared to be an ernest sincere attempt at governing by a bunch of reasonably intelligent, well-educated people trying to do their best. All signs indicate that Obama intends to govern the same way: unlike the GWB administration, which was an experiment in alternating complete evil with complete stupidity.
People rejoice and dance in the streets just as much whether the current situation's score goes from -5 to +1000, or from -1000 to +5. The latter is like, yay I'm not getting kicked in the gut any more! I'm not getting jabbed in the eye with a sharp stick any more! Yay, amputating my body from the hips down cured my cancer, woo-hoo!!! This is what the (effective) end of the 2nd Bush administration feels like, to someone who notices and cares about the issues. (Read Fiasco anyone?) Any change in the situation of +1005 points is happiness, regardless of the baseline. (See Stumbling on Happiness for discussion of this point.)
I kinda define my happiness with the way the election went mostly in negatives:
1) Yay, the Republicans didn't steal another election! We got the democracy thing working!
2) Being really smart and learned-- for example first in your class at Harvard Law School-- is not an insurmountable obstacle to being elected POTUS!
3) It's not the case, after all, that America won't elect an African-American President, no matter how absolutely crappy things get.
There are positive things too. Not just that it's so much more pleasant to wake up to the sound of Obama's voice on the morning news than Bush's.
* Obama's team is seriously planning to close Gitmo. This might be entirely symbolic in the end-- people can be tortured anywhere in the world, not just at Gitmo-- but it's the kind of big symbolic gesture that we need to make to say to the world, nevermind that moment of insanity, torture and abuse of human rights is totally not cool.
* The League of Conservation Voters called Obama's campaign promises "the strongest energy and global warming plan ever put forward by a Presidential nominee". OK, so even if he gets totally bogged down trying to implement any of the plan?-- at least he is not out to get the environment. Unlike Reagan's Secretary of the Interior, James Watt, who said "When the last tree falls, that is when Jesus will return." Seriously. Keep those people the fuck out of my government!
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no subject
Date: 2008-11-12 05:38 am (UTC)I don't see President Bush as merely some large negative number. He is by his own admission guilty of torture, wars of aggression, and secret detentions — all crimes against humanity — as well as numerous violations of U.S. law. This is all a matter of record. But to blame Bush alone is to accord him the status of a dictator, and beg the real question of how on earth, in a supposed system of laws and justice, was a man allowed for eight years to commit atrocities with full impunity, after which to return freely to private life? Even after Democratic control of Congress?
The answer is that the system failed. Utterly and abjectly, and on both sides of the aisle. That should scare the shit out of you.
You would think that after such a nightmare, restoring the rule of law and system of checks and balances would be issue #1. Yet, Obama has not even expressed an intent to do so. Do you think this is because he doesn't see it or believe in it? I very much doubt that. He is, as you point out, a highly intelligent and educated man.
This is why I despair for the future of this country.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-12 05:04 pm (UTC)On the core issue, blipvert says it well, better than I could. Obama is a smart guy, and damn straight he'll be using the expanded powers of the executive branch, not trying to roll them back or restore balance. I happen to agree with a lot more of his agenda than Bush's, but that doesn't mean that the system isn't fuXX0red just because one happens to agree more with the folks in charge this time around.
Also, remember that "democracy" gave us both Obama and Proposition 8; it's not a panacea. I'd prefer people not use "stolen election" every time the other guy wins; sure, 2000 was a mess, but democracy was working in 2004. Enough people (other than folks like our social bubble) voted for Bush out of continuing fear of terrorism/loyalty (however misplaced)/Kerry being a hamster/who the hell knows that his win then was uncontested. In 2008, enough people voted out of fear for their livelihoods that we have a much better incoming president than the alternative. Sure, some people voted out of ideals, and some because of race, but most people vote based on their personal situations and feelings.
So rejoice, dance, whatever because some things are better now. I'm not trying to stop you, or anyone else; I just don't want to be dragged out onto the dance floor. Try to remember that those of us who are merely relieved, not rejoicing, are not a monolith and may also have complex reasons for our (lack of) reactions. After all, I voted for Obama too.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-12 07:41 pm (UTC)I'm just trying to explain that not everyone who reacted very positively to the news of how the election went is all unrealistically starry-eyed over Obama.