Another Virginia Primary Election

Today's Virginia primary election brings back vivid memories.  In June 1969 I was 21 and newly eligible to vote in that year's gubernatorial primary.  And what an election it was.  An insurgent liberal state senator was a candidate for the Democratic nomination, challenging the ordained candidate of the Byrd Organization which had dominated state politics for the past four decades and was notable for its support for segregation and extreme fiscal conservatism.

But in 1969 Harry Byrd was four years dead and Virginia, along with the nation, was changing.  The incumbent governor, Mills Godwin, was an Organization stalwart who introduced Virginia's first state sales tax, and increased spending for highway construction,state mental health facilities and a newly-created community college system.  Enough to make old Harry spin in his grave.

The Organization and its traditional politics still held much sway in Virginia and the Lieutenant Governor, was its preferred candidate.  State Senator Henry Howell from Norfolk was a long-shot candidate backed by labor unions, civil rights groups and Virginians who wanted to build on and expand the previous four years.  Howell challenged the prevailing political attitudes in Virginia and decried the cozy relationship between state government, big business and utilitiy companies.  That was shocking enough for Virginia.  Even worse, Howell was loud and brash, running a campain to "Keep the Big Boys Honest" and pointing out that "Mrs. Moneybags" didn't pay sales tax on her hair-dos but even the poorest Virginians paid sales tax on food and medicine.  Virginia ladies and may have haughily dismissed him as "Howling Henry" but I and others loved him for just that reason.

So concerned was the Organization about a possible Howell victory that some of its leaders encouraged a the son of a former governor to run as a centerist "moderate" candidate.  His primary qualifications were a recognized name and service as ambassador to Australia.  It was enough, though.  He eaked out a narrow victory over Howell in a three-way race and a slightly higher margin in a run-off election.  In the end, though, Virginians were ready for a change and elected Linwood Holton, the first Republican to serve as Virginia governor since Reconstruction.  In many respects, Holton was the second most liberal candidate for governor after Howell.

The 1969 gubernatorial election and Henry Howell pretty much defined my politics for the rest of my life.  Howell never did become Virginia's governor but he was a public official with a genuine concern for the disposessed and excluded.  His skepticism of the established order has always resonated with me.  So this year, when the entire nation is watching Virginia and Democratic candidates are as liberal as ever ran for governor, I can look back and see where it all started.

That Election Thingy

A week after the fact and I finally get around to commenting on the election results.  Not that there's any shortage of opinion and commentary.  I am particularly enjoying the Republican circular firing squad that has followed their electoral debacle.  I am relieved that we dodged a return of the Republican wrecking crew.

As elections go it was one of the better ones for me.  I'm happy that Obama won.  Head-to-head with Romney, Obama was (and is) the better choice.  And despite my disappointment at too many of his economic and national security policies, I believe he's done a credible job as president and earned a second term.  Still, I ended up voting for Jill Stein, a vote which had absolutely no impact on the result; Obama carried Washington's 12 electoral votes by almost 400,000 votes.  I thought my vote to help the Green Party vote will help create an alternative two-party monopoly.  And if it doesn't, nothing was lost.

It took until Friday to learn that Washington elected a Democratic governor .  The other statewide offices went handily to Democrats  except Secretary of State (that race wasn't decided until Saturday).  It seems odd that a state that has not elected a Republican governor since 1980 has also voted to keep Republicans in charge of the election machinery since 1965.  We also voted to retain the same sex marriage law enacted by the Legislature and approved an initiative to (kind of, sort of) legalize marijuana.  The initiative is pretty flawed but it's a step in the right direction and a strong statement to the federal govenment that the war on drugs (America's longest war) is a failure.

I also took great satisfaction in seeing my former home state, Virginia, vote Democrat for president and and US Senator.  Seeing Tim Kaine defeat George Allen, one of the more odious Republicans of our time, was also very satisfying.  Prior to his 2006 defeat by Jim Webb, Allen was considered a prospect for president.  I think that this year's defeat may close that door permanently.

My other former home state, Arizona, went Republican but Kirsten Sinema won the District 9 seat in Congress in a tight race.

About my only real disappointment was that the Thurston Public Power initiative went down 2-1.  The initiative would have authorized the county public utility district to provide electric service to portions of the county.  Our local investor-owned utility was purchased by a foreign (Canadian/Australian) holding company in a leveraged buy-out that added substantial debt for customers to pay along with electric service.  The initiative was a grassroots effort that was outgunned by a well-financed fear campaign.

 I can live with the results.  I always live with the results.  This year the living is easier.

Best Election 2012 Moment

Russia questioning US elections:

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov explained. “The human rights situation in the US is far from being ideal, and sometimes from another epoch at all,” he said. For instance, the Russian high-ranking diplomatic official named the electoral system in the US archaic, “The US approves the legislative acts, which toughen the rules of the access to the polling stations, the election system through the electoral college polls result in the votes of the residents of some states to have a larger weight than the votes of the residents in other states.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry had serious questions to the issues of the access of international observers to the monitoring for voting, as well as “the absolute monopoly of the two parties in the US.” Ryabkov was supported by first deputy head of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs Vyacheslav Nikonov, who noted that “the opportunities of small parties are very restricted in the US, as for running in the elections a party should pass registration in each state, meanwhile, this procedure is quite more complicated than the condemned filters at the gubernatorial elections in our country.”

Keep in mind that Russia has its own electoral shortcomings--those condemned filters noted in the statement--but the assessment is accurate.  Any number of Americans, myself included, would say the same. But I do enjoy the irony of hearing it from the Russians.

Election Eve

The deed is done.  My ballot is filled out.  I am no longer undecided.   Well, exept for a couple of judicial races where I could not think of any good reason to vote one way or the other; either one will do fine, I am sure, so why waste the ink?  Maggie will drop my ballot off at the collection box tomorrow with hers.  Tomorrow evening around 8:30 PST Washington State will go strongly for Obama.  Four years ago that was the end of it; Obama had won and we could all go to bed early.  This year, I hope but don't expect that we will have a final result that early.

For these last few hours, though, all of the possibilities remain open, even if they are the merest chimera.  In the next 24 to 36 hours half of those possibilities will be ended.  Unsuccessful candidates and their supporters will be wondering Why?  How come?  If only...  I've been on the short end of  enough campaigns to know the feeling well and fully expect to experience it again.  Maybe even tomorrow

Once more unto the breach, dear friends...  The game's afoot...

The Best Government Money Can Buy

Are you ready for 2014?  They are.

Echoes of 2008

Four years ago I wrote these words: 

 'Tis the night before election and I do care. John McCain and Sarah Palin would pretty much finish the wrecking job on America so well carried out during the past eight years. That cannot be good for anybody except the corporate moneyed class that has waxed so fat and happy at the expense of everyone else. Barack Obama and the party he represents have many flaws that have dampened my enthusiasm for him but put him and Joe Biden next to McCain and Palin and the choice is disturbingly clear: sheer madness and mayhem with McCain or a remote chance that we can turn around before we drive America off the cliff. 

Change McCain and Palin to Romney and Ryan and the words still fit.  Romney and Ryan will no doubt be more calcuating and cold than "madness and mayhem" but the wrecking crew that brought this nation to military exhaustion and economic catastrophe would be back in the saddle.  As in 2008, a Republican victory would bode ill for economic freedom and social justice in America. 

I also wrote, "No matter who wins tomorrow, nothing is assured."  The past four years of Republican obstructionism combined with Democratic hesitation and ineffectiveness is proof of that.  Tuesday's results (or whenever the final tally is in) only mean a change in the line ups.  The contest will continue. 

Still, I'd prefer to the lesser evil to win. 

My Name Is Rez Dog And I Am An Undecided Voter

My ballot arrived in the mail the other day but I am still undecided how to cast my vote for President of the United States.  Not that it matters.  I live in solidly Democratic Washington where Barack Obama has an 11 percent lead.  My state's electoral votes are not  in contention.  Much like Arizona's and Virginia's electoral votes were not in contention in all previous presidential elections I knew before moving to Washington.  At least this time around my single vote is irrelevant in favor of the lesser of two evils; Virginia and Arizona were dependably Republican.

Let me make one thing clear:  my indecision does not extend to Mitt Romney.  In no way do I want to see him elected.  If Washington were remotely competitive, I would vote Obama, as I would if I still lived in now highly competitive Virgina.  Not because I am pleased with Obama as president but because Romney would simply accelerate the distribution of wealth upward and the burdens of civic society downward.  Obama is always preferable to Romney.  That is not in question.

But Obama over Jill Stein?  If I follow my heart and values, Jill Stein walks away with my vote.  I was impressed with her in the alternate first presidential debate presented by Democracy Now!  She spoke in Olympia last weekend and gave me some good reasons to vote Green Party for president.  The Green Party platform is a vision of an America far closer to justice and founding principles that either major party candidate offers.  She would end our "slavery to the fossil fuel economy", "bail out students, not banks" and end the George W. Bush militarism so readily embraced by Obama's administration.  How could I not vote for such a candidate?

If I needed more reason, Stein pointed out that a vote for her and the Green Party strengthens an existing that has potential to offer an alternate voice.  I know the odds against a third party in this country.  Not all that good.  But long odds do not diminish the appeal of creating a voice for what Jill Stein called "truth, justice and solutions".  Nor do long odds lessen my commitment to creating that alternate voice.  Casting a vote for that seems more meaningful than padding Obama's victory margin in Washington.

So I guess I'm not entirely undecided.  I'll keep an eye on the Washington polls; if nothing changes between now and election day, I will vote Jill Stein.

Till then I won't say for sure. 

Undecided Voter

After a week of seeing Romney and his party's roll-out of the 2012 Republican campaign for president and congress, I know my preference.  I want neither Romney nor a Republican Congress.  Pure and simple, no way.  In the past 30 years Republican presidents and congresses have given this nation more debt, more inequality and greater economic insecurity for a growing number of Americans.  Oh sure, the one Democratic president and cowed Democratic congresses have been complicit but Republican orthodoxy set the agenda and circumscribed the alternatives to favor wealth over the larger community.  That is why I do not want Romney or his party to succeed this year.

That said, I remain undecided.  Jill Stein and Rocky Anderson speak to my heart and values.  So does Barack Obama but he has not governed with those values.  Still, he is the only one of the three who stand a chance (a very good one) of being elected and if I thought for a minute that Romney might carry Washington, I would vote for Obama in a heartbeat.  I don't want Romney that bad.

A President Romney and Republican Congress would indeed "turn the page" as the nominee declared in his acceptance speech.  But the page will not be turned on what he calls a "failed" presidency, the page will turned on the idea of a society where all prosper.  Electing Romney and further empowering the radical conservatives will return America to the Gilded Age, a time of fabulous wealth and widespread misery.

Barack Obama will at least moderate the plutocratic feeding frenzy even if he cannot control it.  I don't buy that he will have much more flexibility in a second term; he'll still be shackled to congressional Democrats who are always facing another immediate election.  They will exist in an uneasy dance and Obama, being a good corporate Democrat will not want to tarnish the party's image by behaving too radically.

What I would very much like to see are candidates committed to creating social and economic justice, who would dismantle the National Security State, downsize the military and end the Empire of Bases.  Public resources now squandered on bloated military and "homeland security" boondoggles would create real and lasting economic growth in place of  the dead-end military investment that creates nothing productive.  Instead of weapons, war and domestic surveillance, America could invest in essential public goods--health care, education, infrastructure.

Living in Olympia, I will have some opportunity vote for candidates whom I believe share these values.  On top of that I will also vote in favor of Washington's same sex marriage law and most likely for the (kinda, sorta) legalization of marijuana under state law.  And since I do not have a television or listen to commercial radio, I won't experience much of the campaign advertising blitz.  Except for the outside chance that Romney could actually win the election, the remainder of may be tolerable after all.

Good Choice

For once, I can say something good about Mitt Romney.  I appreciate Romney selecting Paul Ryan as his running mate.  Ryan has articulated a clear vision of America.  It's not a vision I agree with but now that it has been officially introduced into the presidential campaign, Ryan's vision (and all of the economic changes that go with the vision) may actually  prompt some real discussion of the role of the federal government in 21st century America. 

Highlighting Ryan's "Path to Prosperity" only says that Romney is a "More of The Same" candidate.  Ryan's budget plans continue the concentration of wealth in America that began with Saint Ronald the Reagan and has continued ever since.  All the tax cuts, deregulation and military spending that was supposed to create prosperity for all gave great profit to some at the expense of many. 

Mitt Romney hopes we will be stupid enough to believe that fairy tale once again. 

And So It Goes

Reality did indeed happen while I slept after writing that last post. When I awoke Wednesday morning, Republicans were a majority in the House and making a close run at the Senate. By the end of the day Obama admitted to a shellacking and Russ Feingold was defeated. Here in Washington, one of the bluest states, redoubtable Patty Murray was barely leading her challenger. She pulled it off quickly enough but by any measure the results are an ugly turn of events. A most dispiriting result.

But the sun rose in the east in the following days and life continued. I had some nice views of Jupiter in the evening sky and a waning crescent moon one morning as I walked to work in the dark. The election was hardly the end of the world. Washington Congressman Norm Dicks who will lose the chair of a powerful defense appropriations subcommittee in the next Congress said, you play the hand you’re dealt.” So I’ll do that and hope for the best. It will all work out one way or the other. Good or bad. Somehow, America will muddle through.

As an antidote to the ugly election returns, I attended the Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation fall retreat Friday evening and Saturday. The retreat centered on WWFOR’s “Bring the Billions Home” campaign which advocates bringing the war spending home to America. Progressive activists in the Puget Sound region shared their experiences taking that message to the larger community, including a guerrilla bake sale to support Seattle libraries that are reducing hours due to funding cuts. I attended useful workshops on framing issues and speaking with public officials. The latter workshop was conducted by our local state senator.

So that’s my take on the election. It sucks. But last time it didn’t suck and nothing really changed so the next two years probably won’t be any worse than the last two years. The screeching heads and nonsensical, non dialogue that passes for political discourse in this nation will continue. Here in Olympia I’ll keep talking and writing sense.

Beyond the workshop, the weekend was highlighted by a showing of Buster Keaton’s silent film, “The General” at the Capitol Theater, complete with live piano. I’d seen the film as a video but it is much, much better on a full screen. In one of life’s little victories, I got in line barely under the canopy on a rainy night. The line quickly lengthened behind me.

Another victory came this morning when the rain which had been steady off and on since Friday afternoon and heavy last night, ended and skies cleared enough to get out for an early bike ride.

Life goes on.

Election Night Blues

So far this election day is looking pretty ugly. The Republicans are doing well in the early returns, just as predicted. I don't expect it to get any better. Even if the Republicans don't gain a majority in either the House or Senate, the fact that my fellow Americans give them any credibility at all is simply beyond belief. It's as if the train wreck that occurred under CheneyBush and their Republican Congresses never happened. What the fuck?

Of course, the Democratic did little or nothing with their goddamn super majority. Sure, the Republicans used every trick in the book to stymie the few Democratic initiatives that were tried but those initiatives were mostly lame. Maybe if the Democrats had shown some spine and offered some real alternatives, like single payer health insurance or an end to the two shooting wars, they might have had a chance. But we're talking about the Democratic Party which should never be confused with real alternatives. O'Hollern at Bad Attitudes sums it up all too well.

Time to go read a book and listen to some music. Reality will occur whether I pay attention or not.

In which I cast my ballot and embrace the damp.

Yesterday was voting day in this household. I deposited my and Maggie's ballots in the Thurston County secure ballot box at fire department headquarters. That location is close by so I walked over. The morning was wet, on the verge of rain but hadn't quite made that decision. Walking reminded me of times when people always walked to the polls. It's not exactly the same experience if I'm walking to a ballot drop box but I feel at least a bit of civic continuity.

After casting the ballots I walked a few blocks north and east. The steady dripping led me to think I'd not find a window in the weekend rain for a bike ride. The extra blocks kept me out long enough for weather to become definite rain. By the time I made it home, my parka and shoes were wet but I warmed and dried quickly.

The rain ended but the air and sky were still wet, with plenty more precipitation in the forecast. But it wasn't actually raining so the idea came to mind of a short bike ride to see what I could get out of the day. The worst that would happen would be that I might get wet and be cold for a short while, an acceptable risk. I planned a loop that offered several bailout options in case of a downpour.

I headed west and south to the Capitol and looped through the campus which offers a dramatic view overlooking Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet to the north. On a clear day the Olympic Mountains are the far horizon. Today, though, the horizon is all cloud. A few raindrops fall as I head south on Capitol Way, across I-5 and into the neighborhoods along Carlyon Drive toward Olympia High School.

By the time I reach my last bailout, rain is falling. Not a hard, drenching rain but steady. Faced with the choice of a) cutting my ride short and riding the remaining miles on a busy street or b) maybe wet by the time I get home but riding a few more miles on neighborhood streets and the Chehalis Western Trail, I choose the latter.

Riding on a day like this is a pleasure for the eyes. The low, subdued light adds a brilliance to the fall colors. Reds and yellows are surprisingly bright. Maybe it's the contrast to gray skies. Colors this year seem more muted to me but in today's light, the colors are striking. Fall is well advanced in Olympia these days. A few trees are already bare, others beginning to show open branches but many haven't dropped leaves yet. The big drop will come in the next few weeks.

The Chehalis Western Trail is particularly pretty in this low light. I always feel like I am riding through a forest tunnel in many places which are notably dark on a day like this. I see more runners than cyclists today. Maybe that's because it is raining. By the time I reach home, though, the weather is back to just wet rather than actual rain. I'm a bit damp but not soaked. My gear held up well today.

This is the second weekend of heavy rain that I pulled off a ride. Last weekend, I found a 90 minute window of not only dry weather but clearing skies with sunlight between some of the heaviest showers I've seen here. I got a bit wet at the end of that ride, too, but it was worth it.

A Lesson in Reality

Two likely outcomes:

Next month's midterm elections will leave the president with fewer friends in Congress, and possibly a Republican majority in one or both chambers emboldened to thwart his plans.
[...]
Democrats will probably return for the new Congress in January more cautious.

I would like to think that the prediction is wrong. I want it to be wrong but I don't see anything that gives me reason to believe that the next Congress will be anything but hostile to progressive ideas. Especially so, in many cases. As for the congressional Democrats, I cannot imagine how they could be any more cautious but I am sure they will find a way.

This year's elections will likely end what has been the longest string of electoral victories of my life. I've not been disappointed by national election results since 2004. In 2008 I actually looked forward to the election just because it felt good to see a preferred presidential candidate not only win but win but also win big.

But none of this made a difference. American economic and social policy remains firmly based on mass consumption, corporate interest, economic polarization and militarism. "Change" has been minimal and superficial, if at all. Health care reform, the signature accomplishment of the 111th Congress and Obama Administration, serves the health care and insurance industries as much or more than the general public. The US government is still planning on fighting wars well into the next decade. Economic insecurity in America is reaching levels not seen since the Great Depression even as great personal and corporate fortunes accumulate ever more wealth.

So now I've learned that winning elections in America doesn't change policy. Democrat or Republican, we don't get much choice, just two sides of the same coin. Something more is needed. In the meantime, though, I'll cast my ballot this year. In a choice between "less bad" and "more bad" candidates, less bad is better.

My Thurston County ballot arrived in the mail Friday. We have some interesting races and decent candidates for state and local offices. That part of democracy still gives me some hope.

What a Long Strange Trip It Will Be...

The 2010 political season is heading into high gear with all the momentum and enthusiasm on the side of reaction, wholly unencumbered market capitalism and eternal war. It's not a pretty sight. All the more so because for the past two election cycles, the opposite has been true.

This means that a Democratic majority in congress for two years followed by 15 months with both Democratic president and congressional majority, has certainly failed to do its job. The fact that military-corporate-Republican shills like Palin and Gingrich can call Obama a socialist and "the most radical president" in American history and still retain ANY credibility, much less a mass following, shows how ineffective Democratic control of the national government has been.

Unlike the Tea Partiers, Democrats are demoralized and unenthused. I know I am tired of continually finding that my best efforts gain do not secure economic justice or or end war. It doesn't seem fair that after some modest success, that our gains are so tentative and fragile that they can be swept away by a mass movement based on fear and ignorance lead by a bunch of entertainers like Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh.

But that is the nature of our society and our time so, fair or not, we deal with it. History shows that power concedes nothing without struggle, so we shouldn't be surprised that for every gain in social and economic justice, the monied interests will resist and undermine those gains.

Tired or not, if my values mean anything, then I can't simply quit because powerful interests find more profit in an a society characterized by extreme polarization of wealth, exploiting human beings, consuming our planet and constantly waging war. Nor should I be surprised that our supposed two party system offers no real alternatives. It's all part of the landscape. I can either challenge it or acquiesce. Silence equals consent.

The late Howard Zinn taught me that popular movements can, in fact, overthrow the tyranny of entrenched, vested interests. Zinn also taught me that no victory is permanent. Gains must be defended not only against the profiteers who would reverse them in pursuit of their profits but also against complacency that leaves us thinking that the job is done. The job is never done as long as greed is part of the human psyche.

How to continue the fight is a matter of strategy and tactics. The many progressive organizations that fill my email every day offer plenty of opportunity. I can't join every campaign or actively support every cause but I know that I will always be active in support of peace and justice. So let the Tea Baggers have at it. Their challenge simply means that I must demonstrate why my ideas merit consideration and theirs do not.

But constant agitation and controversy are difficult. Everybody needs a break to rest and recover. That's where Edward Abbey offers a good corollary to Howard Zinn.

Do not burn yourself out. Be as I am-a reluctant enthusiast... a part time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.

See you on the barricades and on the trail.

Election Eve, Sort Of

From all the accounts I read, Virginia Democrats will not repeat their string of electoral victories on Tuesday. (The accounts are mostly Washington Post but I've seen the same consensus in other stories.) Not only will the Democrats not win the governorship but a truly dedicated conservative activist will replace winner-designate McDonnell as attorney general. My satisfaction in seeing Terry McAulife lose the primary in June is certainly dimmed by Creigh Deeds'lackluster, unfocused campaign.

McDonnell, on the other hand has been very focused. So focused that he tries not to look too much like the conservative activist he is. If the Republicans are looking for a come-back strategy, they seem to be doing pretty well by not talking about what they really believe. R emember Grover Norquist's statement about "drowning government"? That kind of rhetoric only appeals to a limited minority of zealots and tends to drive away the more pragmatic voters. It's best not to be too vocal about those beliefs, no matter how dear.

Out this way, something of the same is going on in King County, where a former news anchor turned conservative Republican activist presented herself as a non-ideological moderate to win one of two non-partisan nominations for King County executive. (King County is most Democratic county in Washington and the state's overwhelming largest. It is Seattle, its exurbs, suburbs and a whole lot more, including a severe budget deficit.) She was the top vote getter in the primary and has led in all the polls until just last week when it seems that voters are beginning to realize what a shipwreck she would we. I hope so.

I would like to hope that Virginia voters would be as prescient. But I don't think so. My (mostly) native state committed heresy last year by voting for Obama, not to mention two Democratic (no matter how conservative) senators and two Democratic (also conservative) governors in a row. I will not be surprised if Virginia voters step back from that Democratic abyss this time around.

You'll Have to Pry Power from My Cold, Dead Hand

"Democracy won't come by the charity of the governing class. Fighting is the only way to gain democracy. . . . People are doomed to be slaves unless they are willing to sacrifice their blood."

message board comment from Suzhou, China about Iranian protests.

Governing classes rarely cede power willingly. If they cede power at all, they do so under duress, compelled by events. When it cedes power, some combination of forces has eroded the governing class’s authority or compelled it to accept a less advantageous position. Sometimes that less advantageous position is death. It is certainly a diminishment of wealth and self-importance. No wonder the governing class resists change.

In Iran a governing class that is itself a legacy of revolution that toppled another governing class, is now challenged both from within and from the street. The coalition of forces challenging Iran’s governing class is a potent one. That’s why the mullahs are fighting so hard against it; they recognize it for the danger it is. The real danger is that the demonstrators are challenging individuals rather than the system. They echo the same commitment to Islamic government and law as do the theocrats.

The brutality and force used against the demonstrators may well keep Ahmadinejad and Khamenei in power for the time being. Repression and violence worked for the Shah—at least until it didn’t work and his governing class was swept away by the Iranian people led by a determined band of Islamic nationalist revolutionaries. That history offers no certain answers for the future but human nature and individual behavior tell me that as long as Iran’s rulers allow a system in which most Iranians can meet their basic physical and emotional needs (which they have managed to do now for 30 years despite a few glitches) the ruling class will hang on.

That hold is tenuous, though. Right now, it looks like many Iranians have little or no faith in the current system and are no longer willing to acquiesce to it, willing to risk life, limb and liberty in their defiance . That lack of faith is the smoldering ember that may yet force a change.

All this makes me wonder why Americans weren’t out in the streets, protesting a stolen election in 2000. Maybe we still had faith in our national institutions. With today’s hindsight, we should have been shutting down the nation rather than allow CheneyBush to claim “victory”. With only foresight at our disposal, we somehow assumed that the stolen election was simply a matter of procedure and that CheneyBush was little different from Al Gore. Instead of taking to the streets, we sat back, chortled at the concept of hanging and pregnant chads and grew weary of the whole affair. The only ones on the streets protesting were paid Republicans protesting anything that would challenge their claim to Florida’s electoral votes. Most of us acted as if everything was normal.

The Iranians have already shown more initiative than Americans did in similar circumstances. I hope they get a better result.

Tuesday Night

An election almost fulfilling my wildest dreams! I may have doubts about President Obama, but I had no doubt about my enthusiasm at seeing him elected president. Not just elected, but winning by the biggest majority since LBJ. That a mixed race American could achieve that kind of victory reminds me of what is actually good and decent in this country. Of course, many tens of millions voted against Obama. That so many Americans could somehow think that John McCain would end CheneyBush’s policies of “borrow, spend, attach and kill” is disturbing. But at least they are on the wrong side of events these days, not the other way around as has been the case these past eight years.

Cynic that I am, even I felt a sense of hope Tuesday night watching the returns. Early on, there was some suspense; McCain actually had more electoral votes, Virginia was close. That didn’t last long, especially for us Left Coast viewers. Trends were moving toward Obama toward 8:00 pm but no sooner had polls closed in Washington, Oregon and California than all the networks called the election. In almost no time, John McCain was giving a concession speech. Parties broke out across the nation. Olympia closed several downtown streets for Democratic revelers. Fireworks. I’ve never seen anything like it.

From then on everything about the evening was hope and pride. Hope that this one man can actually salvage something from the wreckage of the past eight years. Perhaps he will reverse the past 30 years of social Darwinist, anti-government Republican ideology (abetted by Democrats all along the way, I will add). In my dream world, President Obama will dismantle the National Security State has ruled this nation for six decades. For all the blather about America’s strength and willingness to take on any foe, we live in fear of the world. A truly confident America would engage the world with the strength of her ideas and the dynamism of her people. On Tuesday night, I felt hope that this will come to pass.

The evening reminded me of John Kennedy’s election in many ways. I was barely into adolescence and only marginally aware of issues but the sense of change was palpable, especially to a Catholic, seeing his co-religionist break a longstanding electoral barrier. Eight years of Eisenhower left the nation ready for something dramatic. During the 50’s we feared the Commies, who not only wanted to invade our homes and shut our churches but now had more missiles (an early version of Iraq’s WMD’s) and whose satellites mocked us from outer space. Maybe adults took a more measured view of Kennedy who, after all, barely won the election (my nominally Protestant father and Catholic mother canceled each other’s vote) but for a young American, all things seemed possible.

How all that turned out serves as my cautionary tale for this week’s events. All the good intentions and lofty ideals, all the brains and all of the power at America’s command at the zenith of her power crashed and burned in the jungles of South Vietnam. The wound was hardly a fatal one but it has festered ever since, with many Americans still wanting to avenge a stolen victory. The vengeance has poisoned our politics with divisive rhetoric, wedge issues and scorched earth campaigns while it also distorts our foreign policy toward some redeeming “victory”. The first Bush president thought he accomplished that mission when he claimed to have “kicked the Vietnam syndrome”. Apparently, premature declarations of accomplishment run in the family). That’s a long way to say that for all the hope and joy on Tuesday night, actual results may vary.

That’s where we—anyone who believes that America should be a nation the uses its wealth and resources to promote social justice and peace—come in. If we ever hope to accomplish that, we need to keep on speaking out. We need to make it impossible for President Obama and the Democratic congress to continue the policies of the past. Franklin Roosevelt said something to that effect; if you want it, make me do it. For now I have the hope that we might just be able to pull it off. The battle is already joined. Today’s Washington Post carries an article about the foreign policy choices President Obama must make, choices between continuing or abandoning CheneyBush’s policies. That the latter option even exists tells me that the possibilities for change are already contracting. So too do photos of Obama surrounded by the Democratic version of the Usual Suspects on economic and foreign policies. The Owning Class and National Security Democrats are well organized and connected. We must do no less.

The increased turnout, especially among voters under 30, also gives me great hope. These new voters must live with the world we leave them so It’s heartening to see them passionately involved. I saw them in person at the February caucuses and was impressed with their enthusiasm. I’m damn happy to see that continue. Last night, turnout for our weekly vigil was 30 to 40 (compared to our usual 10-15; this on a dark, wet evening, no less). The increase was mostly young people. More reason to hope.

Seeing Virginia go for Obama was especially pleasing. I felt proud of my former home state, if for no other reason than I know many people who made that happen. Virginia may also be rid of one of the most odious Republican congressmen—Virgil Goode from my old congressional district—in favor of an intelligent representative. Last I saw was the challenger leading by 700 votes. My current home state, Washington went big time Obama and handily re-elected a well-regarded Democratic governor when all the polls showed a too-close-to-call election.

Possibilities? Hope? Change? Yes. But only if we make it happen. One election does not alone do anything other than open the door. But at least the door did not slam shut in my face.

This is One Long Day

Man, I can't believe how excited I am on this Election Day. It's like Christmas and and the chance of finding a good gift when I open that present marked "president" has me on pins and needles. Trying to stay focused at work is getting more and more difficult. Only three more hours to go and then it's finally time to fully immerse myself into this campaign.

Here's wishing everyone a Big Blue Blowout.

'Tis the Night Before Election

...and I do care. John McCain and Sarah Palin would pretty much finish the wrecking job on America so well carried out during the past eight years. That cannot be good for anybody except the corporate moneyed class that has waxed so fat and happy at the expense of everyone else. Barack Obama and the party he represents have many flaws that have dampened my enthusiasm for him but put him and Joe Biden next to McCain and Palin and the choice is disturbingly clear: sheer madness and mayhem with McCain or a remote chance that we can turn around before we drive America off the cliff.

I kept my distance from this campaign as much as a political junkie can. Partly to keep my sanity--two years is way too long to give over to this kind of foolishness--and partly knowing that national elections in America offer little real choice. I did not think it a wise use of my time to become heavily invested in candidates who offer variations on corporate welfare, the National Security State and perpetual war. That said, I still want Obama to win and I do still hope that he will be the change that I want to see in America and the world.

No matter who wins tomorrow, nothing is assured. If I want an America capable of bringing food and medicine to beleaguered nations rather than an Ameriaca capable of destroying remote targets and civilians in other nations, I will have to work just as hard on Wednesday and every day after as I have done in the past eight years.


(h/t to Jim Yeager for bringing this to mind)

Civic Duties

Last night was busy with public affairs. I attended the weekly vigil for peace downtown. Later in the evening, I exercised my franchise when I walked to the ballot drop box at the fire station around the corner. The evening’s events pretty much summed up my philosophy these days. The 2008 election is over—my vote is cast—but my commitment to economic justice and non-violence will be as active tomorrow as it was yesterday.

Of course, the election isn’t actually over; we still have a few more days of ads, phone calls and media attention yet. And the aftermath could offer some ugly surprises. No one in 2000 expected the Florida clusterfuck and Republican strong-arm tactics (certainly not the first but surely the most public of the schemes that turned them into Rethuglicans). But Florida would have been an interesting sideshow if the election had not been so close, if nearly half of the American electorate had not deluded itself into believing that CheneyBush and his cabal were either compassionate or conservative. Same with Ohio in 2004. Supposedly, this election won’t have that problem because polls show a substantial Democratic win. I hope that’s true but I won’t rest easy or celebrate until I see results on Tuesday.

For the most part, I can ignore the hoopla. I don’t have a TV and listen to mostly to community and internet radio so I don’t bet the barrage of ads I hear people complain about. I get snippets in the news but they are not all that intrusive or and madding. (Turn off the TV, people, and virtually all the noise goes away! Read a book.) Washington votes by mail so I don’t even have to congregate at a public place festooned with signs placed at a pre-marked distance from the voting booths. I’ve already done my serious thinking about candidates and issues. We have an extremely close governor’s race—a grudge re-match between a Democratic incumbent and the Republican she defeated by 133 votes and three court challenges in 2004. My Washington political history is sketchy but I don’t think a Republican has been governor in a couple of decades, which makes me think that a big Obama vote will help the our incumbent. I would like that.

The Friday peace vigil was, as always, fun. Not a lot of folks turn out—maybe 15 altogether--but most of us are regulars and about half are the band. Yes, we have a regular group of musicians who are part of our assembly and give the affair a festive, enthusiastic feel. The line-up varies: last night we had a trumpet, soprano and tenor saxophones, trombone and various percussion, including a good drummer. Their repertoire is limited and they’re not always quite together but they add a lot of sound to our presence. When they are together, they really cook! The rest of us dance and wave signs at the rush hour traffic and generally have a good time.

Across the street is an equally dedicated regular group of,,,I’m not sure what to call them. They call themselves Patriots but I think I have an equal claim to that title. Support the Troops, maybe, but I support the troops by insisting that they not be wasted in ill-thought foreign interventions that do not—I repeat, do not—protect this country in any way commensurate with their sacrifice. Pro-War? Anti-peace? I don’t want to sound snide because I don’t doubt or question their motives. I just don’t know how to reasonably characterize them. They usually number about four or five, mostly regulars. So regular that some evenings we exchange “good nights” as we decamp. Last night they were supplemented by a mother with a McPalin sign and her three small daughters waving pom-poms in rhythm to our music, which at the moment was a version of “Tequila” with the shouted tag line “Impeach him!” I don’t think they heard that part. A couple of Obama signs made their way through the vigil but I think they were just part of mobile hoopla on the last weekend before election day. I also saw a few Jamie Moore for District Judge farther up on the bridge during the vigil. I suspect I’ll see more in the next few days.

In addition to our vigil and the folks directly across the street, Women in Black hold a silent vigil farther down the block at Heritage Park. Usually about seven to ten women standing silent in a single row. Very somber. A few hold signs. One holds a folded American flag in a display box. I’m pretty sure it came from a military or veteran’s coffin. The women are striking enough on their own but the flag gives them even more gravitas.

Standing vigil at a busy corner on Hallowe’en also made for an interesting evening. My favorite part of vigiling (is that a word?) is watching the people drive by in all their diversity and uniqueness. Lots of folks went by in costume last night, including one cyclist dressed as a bee, complete with yellow-black bustle tipped with a stinger. I saw adult vampires and child fairies, the Bride of Frankenstein and Satan himself in a big white pick-up. Half of our band wore masks or costumes and our gathering was graced by Joe the Plumber, complete with pipe wrench. Maybe, too, the occasion mellowed even the Haters—no one gave me the finger last night.

Watching the dogs go by in the cars with their people is also fun. They look at us even if their driver does not. Unless, maybe, they’re sitting in the driver’s lap. No matter what the people do, I consider their dogs to be strong supporters of peace. It seems only right.

The evening’s weather was subtly glorious. Much of Friday was rainy but the rain ended in the early afternoon, giving way to cloudy skies and occasional sunshine. Still, the air had moisture aplenty and as the temperature dropped, the fog began settling in the low areas of Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet. The fog, autumn colors and crisp air were most pleasant. Later, as I walked to the fire station, fog was everywhere. Not thick but pervasive. Just right for the small groups of trick-or-treaters out in the neighborhood. I passed one group of about six older kids all dressed as delivery persons—DHL, FedEx, pizza and Chinese food. It took a minute for me to figure out what I was seeing but once I figured it out, I thought the concept pretty clever.