January 20, 2005, Today is the first day of the rest of your four more years
The Snow Man, by Wallace Stevens
One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frist and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;
And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter
Of the January sun and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,
Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place
For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.
Congratulations to the President and his able team of cronies and donees and donors and owners as they party on in a huge, wildly profligate "in your face" to the rest of us, such as and especially those of us who are paying their salaries. If recent "second terms" are any guide to what's coming (Vietnam, Watergate, Iran-Contra, Whitewater/Lewinsky)... well, let's just say it won't be pretty.
In fact, I think that's the best, and most apt prognostication I can make for the next four years. I will say this: those of us who don't have our heads up our asses (and it's a smaller number than I once would have thought) have to stop whining, and take forward action on our own. Simply opposing the now overwhelming majority party for the sake of opposing is dumb.
A commenter wanted to know what the strategy reason was for getting out of Bush's way on some things (like cabinet appointments). It's simple: the minority will be assaulted as traitorous or worse for daring to dissent on anything. It will be exhausting at times. Best not to waste energy on things (1) we can't win and where (2) we offer no principled alternative . And that's the key. Blocking nominees seems satisfying, but it achieves nothing (unless leaving the office vacant is somehow preferable; certainly leaving the Oval Office vacant would be preferable, but that's not happening).
First thing we do for the next four years is tell John Kerry and St. Hillary and the rest of our pro-war sellouts in Congress is to go f*** themselves: we must make a pro-Iraq-War vote a disqualification for our presidential nomination. If we do not, we will lose again-- no matter who the Republican is-- because it would show we have learned nothing. We must dare to assert positive alternatives: we must be an opposition party with a (principled and consistent) agenda of its own besides "everything they do is wrong". And truth is no defense, btw.
If we do this, the next four years will be painful-- but mostly for the people who deserve it to be painful. If not, then it will more likely be people of good will who will suffer. Let's go get 'em, and let's be careful out there.
Welcome to Dodge. Stay alert. Stay alive.
Comments
The "frist" on the boughs is obviously a typo; but I kind of like it, if you know what I mean.
Posted by the talking dog at January 20, 2005 10:10 PM
Now's the time for you and me...
Got to revolution, GOT to REVOLUTION!
Posted by Thomas Ware at January 21, 2005 12:29 AM
we must make a pro-Iraq-War vote a disqualification for our presidential nomination.
Excellent start. I would also add that the candidate/nominee should have been too young to have served in Vietnam (God, no more SwiftBoat Liars and TANG memos, etc). He (you know it's not gonna be a she) should hold or have held an elective office that does not entail numerous votes on morphing variants of dirty bills (eliminates misleading commercials on the candidate's voting records). That elective office should also enable him to take credit for all the good things that happened during his term and escape blame for all the bad things that happened during his term. (Some governors manage to do that.)
If he is/was a governor, he should have never granted clemency nor authorized an execution (and never increased the sales tax on toilet paper and gasoline). He miraculously should have avoided declaring his opinion on abortion, and miraculously will never be called upon to do so. He should be religious in a secular way and secular in a religious way.
He should NOT have an MBA.
And, finally, he should be fluent in two foreign languages, but this should never be generally known because Americans think its freaky.
Posted by Grace Nearing at January 22, 2005 12:16 AM