Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Well, that worked out okay.

Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to be young was very heaven!
Wm Wordsworth

History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.
Some Arrogant Jerk

Come on if you think you can take us on…
You forget so easy
We ride tonight.
Radiohead

First thoughts, late:
The triumphalist narrative is that the nation has at last Redeemed Itself for all that slavery stuff—and that’s a bit over-the-top, but I’m all too happy to go with the exuberant moment. (You don’t get too many of them, after all.) But this redemption goes all the way down to the prosaic level, which makes it more satisfying. The popular and electoral vote margins are much higher than either of Bush’s. My state, which was National Shame Ground Zero four Novembers ago, has put the shame behind it—almost matching the national popular vote margin. And though I can barely believe it, my county, as white as the day is long, except on its state university campus, has surpassed the statewide margin of victory, and maybe the national margin. Too soon to tell.

And yeah, of course, like a certain number of other people embarrassed and appalled by the result the last time, I managed to do a couple things this time around to maybe improve that outcome a little. I’m not gonna take all the credit. But I parked cars for Senator Biden. And I canvassed the home of Major League Baseball manager Jim Leyland’s…nephew. There.

2 comments:

Cecilia said...

the past two elections I did stuff - I canvassed and volunteered and stood watch at the polls, eyes wary for any suggestion of voter disenfranchisement. This time around, I had no time. I literally got back from the field a week prior to the election, and the time spent since has been getting my life back in some semblance of order before I start packing to move out of this godforsaken apartment. And I was feeling shame about my lack of involvement, esp last night at the dems' gathering in Lafayette, when local pol after local pol conceded loss to the GOP (one dem being a good friend of mine). However, the national race washed over that guilt with waves of rejoicing. At first I resisted, unsure of the certainty of the outcome. Finally I gave in. And what a joyous moment. So glad to be here, America.

david james keaton said...

i carved backwards B's into peoples' pumpkins!