Knockout, part Two

I grew up near right-wingers, and I know that arguing with them is futile.

Even if they can be proven wrong, they’ll just slip sideways into another tactic. They’ll continue down a path even if it’s wrong, because to them, they are America, and America is always right.

They are America, and those that disagree with them—even other Americans—are enemies and traitors.

So they don’t argue. They yell. They address their ideas to an airtight echo chamber—one that has been shrinking for years, in light of the Bush Administration’s failures.

They feel this shrinkage as their own martyrdom; and like many fanatics, will suicide bomb those they’ve been trained to see as their enemies.

Fortunately, so far that terrorism has remained merely psychological. The carpet-bombing of negative memes we’ve seen this week is designed to undermine the strength of the Obama-supporting worldview, to get us back to doubt and indifference, and pave the way for indifference to even greater anti-Obama actions. Will we let it? Will we fall back into the trained helplessness these past eight years of abuse have instilled in us? Or will we stop the bullet before it leaves the gun?

Some more myths:

5. Democrats were against Bush, not for Obama.

We were both. Bush sucks, and Obama rocks—those two concepts actually could fit into our tiny liberal brains at the same time.

This myth is part of that “Angry Left” thought-virus, born of the theory that if you tell someone that they’re angry often enough, soon they’ll become annoyed, and you get to feel vindicated. The irony is that an extremely enraged part of the country was mocking the other part for feeling legitimate anger at its abuses, and acting like the abused part had a character flaw, for being pissed and wanting changes. Psychologists call that “projection”.

Not to mention, that enraged part of the country could not even comprehend the thought of being politically passionate in a positive manner, or for a positive reason. They are motivated through fear and anger, and cannot conceive of the joyful, hopeful motivation of Obama supporters. They didn’t share that feeling for their candidate. Their angry rallies existed in a different universe than the fun and positive feelings at Obama rallies.

This myth’s existence is a reason to feel compassion for its proponents, but don’t let it feed self-doubt. That hope and enthusiasm were real, and they were right.

6. Black people supported Obama because of racism, and white people did so out of guilt.

This myth cancels out the compassion that I feel from the last one.

Just come out and say it, why don’t you: black people are a mindless, reactionary mob, and their white friends are gutless worms. Black people can’t think, and white Democrats are their prison bitches. Go ahead, say what you really mean, and quit trying to dress hideous racism up in philosophical costume.

I not only voted for Obama, I volunteered with his campaign. I did so out of optimism that our country can improve, racially as well as otherwise. I consider all people my equals—no one above or below. And I hate the bigotry I’ve experienced from black people just as much as that I’ve witnessed from whites against blacks.

I’m not operating out of guilt, because I have nothing to be guilty for. I’m no racist. Those who tell me what my motivations are, because of my skin color, are the racists. They can pretend to be making a sociological point, but Hitler probably thought he was doing the same.

7. The Clinton years were a speedbump in the neocon march to world domination, and so will the Obama years be.

That’s a lot of speedbumps, neocons. You sure you’re on the right path?

I find it amusing that a faction of this country likes to consider our most recent period of true peace and prosperity, just an accidental complication in their plans; and the recent election victory, based around hope and honesty, to be the downfall of the country. If those are the concepts and trends that they consider bad, do we really want to embrace what they consider good?

But who cares what we want—they know what’s right for us. And what quicker way to demoralize an enemy than to try to convince it that domination is inevitable?

I had my problems with Clinton, and I am certain there will be things to criticize about Obama’s administration. But we’ve seen the alternative. And you can’t dominate a world that doesn’t like you.

8. The Republicans let the Democrats win the election.

It’s true, their reluctance to clean up the mess they made is obvious. And I wouldn’t put it past some of them to be this conniving, or this petulant. Nothing saves more face, when you’ve been denied something big, than to claim you didn’t really want it anyways—that only an idiot would want it. That it was your plan all along to pretend you wanted it, just so the other retards would take it off your hands.

Do you really think, if Republicans had the chance to install John McCain in the White House right now, that they’d turn it down? That they’d graciously bow to the obvious will of the people, and renounce it? Power had to be wrested from their hands. And now, like Pee Wee Herman falling off his bike, they “meant to do that”.

Unlikely.

9. Democrats owe Republicans bipartisanship and balance.

Some say we need gridlock to prevent the government from doing damage to this country. Those are people who have accepted, consciously or not, the neocon truism that government is inherently bad…and have, coincidentally enough, watched the neocon government do poorly for eight years.

How does it stand to reason, then, that once a different form of leadership takes over, “bipartisanship” with the party that did all the bad stuff will lead to better government?

I don’t trust what Republicans call “balance”. Since when does the loser dictate the winner’s actions? They are entitled to nothing—if they want support for their ideas, they have to win it, which they just resoundingly failed to do. Being given half a say in the governing of this country, despite gaining less than half of the votes in this country, is an unacceptable political version of affirmative action.

For the past 8 years, Republican “bipartisanship” was limited to “we’re letting the liberals live, because we’re that generous.” Dissent was called terrorism, and those that disagreed were labeled traitors and threatened in a number of ways. This is not hyperbole. It happened to me.

And now I, and my party, are expected to give an equal place at the table to those who not only failed this country, but threatened its citizens when they complained?

Obama doesn’t have to prove, to those who seek to destroy him, that he doesn’t deserve destruction. What kind of sense of entitlement does a person have to have, to expect someone they just attempted and failed to victimize (and possibly still would), to concern themselves with their feelings of frustration? Let alone a sitting President. He’s got better things to do than put band-aids on the knees of Republicans, who fell trying to take a swing at him.

Republicans and Democrats are all individual human beings, and who all have their own personal beliefs and motivations. I am not trying to vilify one side and lionize the other. But our country is starting to gain good traction again, after almost a decade of wheel-spinning. And I am going to fight the people and ideas that would derail it again.

Knockout, part One

Nobody thought the spin machine would stop.

But we’re watching it completely leave reality behind, and many of those aboard seem completely alright with this.

Does an argument need a factual basis in reality? Is it perfectly okay to contradict yourself? Is it acceptable to make things up out of thin air, demand proof that they aren’t true, and then shout down whatever answers you get?

To put it simply: are the symptoms of mental illness acceptable, even desirable traits in our leaders?

Four days ago, America said a great big “NO!” to that assertion. But insanity rarely gets the message. And so we have the latest crop of myths, about Obama and the Americans who voted for him, calculated specifically to undermine the deep meaning of this election. Calculated to chaosify the message and destroy the momentum of progress, a momentum that obviously resonates with the majority of this country.

The spin comes in the form of insidious memes, designed to take root in the minds of Democrats and Republicans alike. Little myths to drain hope from the victors, and feed it, in the form of hate and contempt, to the defeated:

1. Young people are inexperienced and easily led, and we don’t know what we did.

Yes, we do. Burns your ass that we knew, and we did it on purpose, doesn’t it?

So the 1994 Republican freshman Congressional class was a “revolution”, but Obama supporters are mindless, country-undermining robots? We’re just kids, our brains aren’t fully formed, we fell prey to a socialist spell. And now the completely rational, fully-wide-awake grownups will have to deal with the fallout of our celebrity-worship. We couldn’t possibly know what we’ve doing, and be doing it for rational, well-thought-out reasons—as we all know, twentysomethings are still in the larval stages, and are not fully human yet. We have to depend on our oh-so-successful elders to figure out the right path, as they’ve been at it for so much longer, and look how well it’s all turned out.

How many years must one live in a country to know what’s best for it? 20? 50? 75? Yes, we may not have been alive as long as you, but all our lives, we’ve watched you fail extravagantly. Yes, we have more future ahead of us than past behind us, but we see you destroying our futures for the sake of worshiping your own fictional past, and we want you out. We’ll be here when you are gone. We learn quick, because the world you created makes us have to. And we act fast, and we’re replacing you. Circle of life, baby.

2. That we will regret it, because Obama will ruin this country.

What, worse than Bush already has?

What Obama is going to ruin is an America that never existed—an America that was created for bigots and spoon-fed directly into their brains. An America where straight white men belong on top, where everyone is on their own, where intolerance is rewarded and sincerity scorned. The imaginary country inhabited by the imaginary Silent Majority, the extremely vocal 30% or so who have screamed their heads off for eight years now, and hopefully screamed themselves out for awhile. That is the pretend version of America that I hope the Obama Presidency lays to rest once and for all.

It’s time for us to join the rest of the world in the 21st century. If anything gets destroyed, it will hopefully be the reactionary superstition that’s been holding us back for decades, and has recently made us a laughingstock even to our allies.

3. Democrats are lazy, and will be pissed when the handouts don’t immediately begin.

Yeah, we’re lazy. That’s how we mobilized the largest ground game of any election, ever. Our laziness accounts for all those hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours. It explains why we stood in pouring rain and heatstroke-sun to see not just our nominee, but his running mates and surrogates, as well.

And all we want is a free handout, which is exactly why hundreds of millions of dollars in donations flooded Obama’s campaign, and why such a large percentage of that was composed of $5-30 from little guys like me. People I knew ate ramen so that they could contribute more, and juggled school and work and other obligations so that they could canvass just one more hour, or make one more page of phone calls. That’s liberal laziness and greed for you. Guaranteed to fail.

4. Obama supporters are now empty and without purpose, now that their Messiah has used them to get into office.

Sure, when class gets out, I keep thinking I need to head to the volunteer table. Anyone who’s been part of any campaign—or really, any difficult team effort—kind of misses the “trench camaraderie” when the battle is over. But empty? Good lord, I’ve never had such a sense of empowerment and motivation in my life. I, and all the volunteers I know, have gone right into other causes we care about, with a renewed sense of accomplishment and hope. From marriage rights to sustainable development, international relations to child soldier advocacy, there is a whole world of things to help with. I predict that not only will volunteering not end with Obama’s win, but will in fact increase during his Presidency. After all, our Commander-In-Chief will have been a community organizer. It could possibly become, once again, a cool thing to do.

Sure, many people campaigned a bit, and are now back to their regular habits. But for many of us, activism is our regular habit, and an Obama victory only proved to us that our efforts are worth it.

These myths will keep coming, and eventually take on the character of white noise. But it is important, at the outset, to understand why they exist. It is easy to say that they are the disgruntled mutterings of the defeated, and that is partially true.

But it would be a mistake to underestimate either the hostility with which they are meant, or the undermining effect they can have on the most enthusiastic and hopeful person. They are not random memes. They are calculated to have this effect. Certain types of people have years of experience with this kind of negating, self-doubt-inducing, attention-distracting wharrgarbl.

Recognize it for what it is, and carefully replace lies with truth.

The Aftermath

courtesy Get Your War On…

Election Night: Speech

“Hello, Chicago.

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

“It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voices could be that difference.

“It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America!

“It’s the answer that — that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

“It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

“A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they’ve achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

“I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

“And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next First Lady: Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and I know that my debt to them is beyond measure. To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters — thank you so much for the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.

“And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe — the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best — the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America. To my chief strategist David Axelrod — who’s been a partner with me every step of the way. To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics — you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

“But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give 5 dollars and 10 dollars and 20 dollars to the cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth. This is your victory.

“And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime: two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education. There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.

“There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President. And we know the government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

“This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other. Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

“Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a Party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours: “We are not enemies but friends….” “Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.”¹

“And to those Americans who — whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your President, too.

“And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

“To those — To those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we’ve proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

“That’s the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

“This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

“She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons: because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

“And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

“At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot: Yes we can.

“When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose: Yes we can.

“When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved: Yes we can.

“She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “we shall overcome”: Yes we can.

“A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

“And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change: Yes we can.

“America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

“This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

“Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.”

Election Night: Speech Response

Election Night: Epic

The 2008 election watch party was held at Club Downunder on the Florida State University campus. We got ready in my friend’s dorm, then met our other fancy-dressed volunteer pals.

About 400 people showed at the party, Seminole Students for Obama’s crowning event.

Here students watch as Florida’s results come in…

…And celebrate when our state turns blue! Obama’s victory is assured as polls close and results come in from California.

Tears, hugs, and hollering mark the first Democratic presidential victory in twelve years. We heard the sound of fireworks going off around campus, and people honking their car horns up and down the streets. It lasts for hours.

Seminole Students for Obama…helping lock up Tallahassee for Barack!

Election Day 2008

I started the day early, volunteering at the FSU Obama table for a few hours, before flyering a couple of dorms with polling place information. FSU allowed students to vote in one of the dorms on campus, which made a big difference.

An airplane with a “Vote Obama” sign fluttering behind it.

This is the full parking lot of the Tallahassee Obama Headquarters. I had to park down the street to deliver some papers and pick up some stickers and signs to wave at the county courthouse.

There are 5-6 rooms, all filled with busy folks making reminder calls, sending groups of volunteers to various polling places in the city, and coordinating rides.

Here we are in front of the Leon County Courthouse. You wouldn’t BELIEVE the amount of screaming and honking for Obama we got. People’s eyes were just lit up with excitement and assurance. All the shouting and waving from the drivers actually began to convince me that we might DO this!

One lonely man. That’s bad news…for McCain.

Poll’s closed in Florida! God, this better be good.