On Monsters and the Election
From Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman in his blog at the New York Times:
[F]or the past 14 years America’s political life has been largely dominated by, well, monsters. Monsters like Tom DeLay, who suggested that the shootings at Columbine happened because schools teach students the theory of evolution. Monsters like Karl Rove, who declared that liberals wanted to offer “therapy and understanding” to terrorists. Monsters like Dick Cheney, who saw 9/11 as an opportunity to start torturing people.
And in our national discourse, we pretended that these monsters were reasonable, respectable people. To point out that the monsters were, in fact, monsters, was “shrill.”
Four years ago it seemed as if the monsters would dominate American politics for a long time to come. But for now, at least, they’ve been banished to the wilderness.
Amen.
Krugman's the Conscience of a Liberal is well worth a read if you haven't read it already. I listened to it on tape as I drove 1500 miles in a week and a half this summer. Not only did it put a lot of formerly disjointed annoyances and worries into rational framework for understanding the ultra-conservative takeover of the government, but it also made me realize that even W doesn't make Ronald Reagan look that good.
When Reagan proclaimed it "Morning in America," he did so on the tails of a campaign that got its start in Philadelphia Mississippi with a speech about States' rights. You don't have to be a Southerner to recognize that code-phrase for racism.
Today, it really feels like morning in America. Yeah, it comes with a hell of a hangover from the last 8 years, but at least it's here.
Hugs and Cheers,
Indy
Blue State Resident
Posted by: Indy | November 05, 2008 at 03:18 PM
And a lot of us outside the USA are proud of and pleased for the American people for electing President Obama. Let us hope that you (President and people) can succeed in changing things for the better.
Posted by: Peter Herrick | November 09, 2008 at 09:52 PM