And yet, in the midst of all this, there is good news.
For instance:
(1) Back in October, I wrote:
Many people who are tired of the mudslinging can't wait for the election to be over. But Nov. 4 is unlikely to bring much relief. The dogs of war are loose, and they won't be easy to leash. If, as seems likely, Obama is elected, a large number of people on the right will see him as a stealth radical who won thanks to media bias and rampant voter fraud. If McCain pulls off a surprise upset, at least as many people on the left will blame racism, Republican dirty tricks or both—and some will regard the results as proof that the right-wing cabal behind Bush will never let go of power. Either way, a substantial minority of Americans will see themselves as living under an illegitimate and evil regime.
And that's more frightening than the economic crisis.
I'm happy to say that I seem to have been wrong. With some exceptions (Sean Hannity, and Melanie Phillips), conservatives have been remarkably willing to give Obama a chance. Obama's judiciously centrist picks have had a lot to do with this; but credit also goes to McCain's and Obama's post-election graciousness. And that's a good reason to take pride in the American political system and its ability -- sometimes -- to bring people together.
(2) While Sarah Palin's candidacy proved to be mostly a dud, it did accomplish some positive things. It remolded the conservative "base" in a more feminist direction, by giving it a heroine who was a working mother, a self-proclaimed feminist, and an unabashedly ambitious woman. It also highlighted the need for a more ideologically diverse feminism. No less a feminist than Naomi Wolf (in full throes of Palin Derangement Syndrome this past election cycle) wrote, back in 1993 in her book Fire With Fire, that feminism should discard "litmus tests" on everything from gun ownership to abortion which exclude too many women. Wolf wrote that the beliefs of conservative and Republican women who embrace "self-determination, ownership of business, and individualism" should be "respected as a right-wing version of feminism." Hear, hear.
(3) In Russia, the crisis (accompanied by the steep drop in oil prices) may accomplish what the Medvedev succession did not: weaken the authoritarian state's grip on power. More on that soon. Of course, if there is a new "Russian revolution," it may not be bloodless, and it's far from certain that it will bring the good guys to power.
Stay tuned for 2009. It could turn out to be the best of times and the worst of times. May the "best" part prevail.
Happy New Year to all.
12 comments:
LadyKate - "I'm happy to say that I seem to have been wrong." Well I am very happy that you were wrong too. -fingers crossed- And a little sad that so few commentators would ever use those words about themselves.
And - a happy new year to you too.
Cathy,
I really appreciate your revised take on Palin. While I am so glad, so relieved that this woman is not our Vice President, I think you have a very clear-headed analysis of what her candidacy may have accomplished. Both of these things, the right wing pulling it's collective head out on working mothers, and the exemplification of the need for a more diverse feminism, have the potential to benefit us all. I am also looking forward, in light of little Tripp's birth, to the end of the illusion that liberals have cornered the market on "illegitimacy" and sexual promiscuity.
Happy 2009. I look forward to more of your common sense and wisdom.
Thank you, guys. Hopefully, this time around, I'll keep the blog active.
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