My Thoughts on the Obama Victory
A few general, and incomplete, thoughts:
(1) The electoral landslide should be interpreted by the GOP as a sound rejection of Bush-McCain-Big-Gov'ment-Conservatism. The moralist, neo-conservative, "National Greatness," statist-wing of the party that has dictated policy since 2000 somehow managed, in 8 short years, to wholly break apart the broad-based coalition of support initially stitched together by Goldwater and solidified by Reagan. Nice going. Now, kindly, go away.
(2) We are (and have been for some time) a post-racial society. One in which a black man can receive a majority of the white vote, and, more importantly, one which can, and should, happily purge from its bowels the Jackson-Sharpton race-baiting opportunists that have benefited from, manipulated and exacerbated racial divisions, fears and stereotypes for far too long. This is a country that rewards individual achievement, intellect and ambition, and the rise and success of Obama is testament to that fact.
(3) At the risk of seeming overly cynical, enormous swaths of "young people," first-time voters and the politically ignorant, many of whom view the "presidency" as some sort of all-powerful, prosperity-creating, gas-price-setting, wealth-distributing, divinely-inspired seat of control, are ripe for a rude-awakening and, ultimately, glorious disappointment. To them I will be waiting to say, "welcome to my world."
(1) The electoral landslide should be interpreted by the GOP as a sound rejection of Bush-McCain-Big-Gov'ment-Conservatism. The moralist, neo-conservative, "National Greatness," statist-wing of the party that has dictated policy since 2000 somehow managed, in 8 short years, to wholly break apart the broad-based coalition of support initially stitched together by Goldwater and solidified by Reagan. Nice going. Now, kindly, go away.
(2) We are (and have been for some time) a post-racial society. One in which a black man can receive a majority of the white vote, and, more importantly, one which can, and should, happily purge from its bowels the Jackson-Sharpton race-baiting opportunists that have benefited from, manipulated and exacerbated racial divisions, fears and stereotypes for far too long. This is a country that rewards individual achievement, intellect and ambition, and the rise and success of Obama is testament to that fact.
(3) At the risk of seeming overly cynical, enormous swaths of "young people," first-time voters and the politically ignorant, many of whom view the "presidency" as some sort of all-powerful, prosperity-creating, gas-price-setting, wealth-distributing, divinely-inspired seat of control, are ripe for a rude-awakening and, ultimately, glorious disappointment. To them I will be waiting to say, "welcome to my world."
posted by thebokononist at 9:54 AM
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