The times they are-a changin'

[Guest guest]

fa, Toni, Dan, all,

Not to worry. Keep in mind that the American people have not been

advantaged by 28 out of 40 years of Republican executive rule. Dan is in

an odd position because as the political subject matter has waned here

over the past years, it is also true that the neotheocorporatecon

revolution led by King and Cheney Inc. over 8 years has imploded.

The reality is: the conservative moment initiated by Reagan is drawing to

a close for mostly demographic reasons. The US has, since 1980, become

more diverse, more economically dynamic, more tolerant, and more

'globalpolitan.'

The overwhelming factor in US population growth is immigration of both kinds.

This could be put concisely: the era of the white businessman serving as

the iconic symbol of national entrepreneurial vitality and self-reliance

and rectitude and righteousness has become decadent and dessicated.

The demographic realities are startling in comparison to the peak of the

earlier, traditional spirit of the times. Today there is no single manly

wage-earner leading the nuclear family. The sea change in how the

household is configured posed the death knell to the masculine, kingly

model, itself a product of the pre-suburban industrial city and the

agrarian 19th century.

I propose here a reflection on the spirit of our modern, even post-modern

times.

It's psychology is: creative, spectral, egalitarian, global. Granted this

is Dan's worst nightmare, and it is also nightmarish for neocon and

theocon and radical islamicist alike.

***

fa, you asked about the youth vote. In the US, voting participation in

national elections closely tracks, in order, age-education-income-race.

Elderly, highly educated, affluent, white adults participate the most.

Young, uneducated (drop outs,) poor, minority voters participate the

least.

College kids do not participate at near the levels they will should they

finish their education and secure a solid career and get some seasoning.

But, nevertheless, they are an incredibly ripe low hanging fruit for a

candidate to focus upon.

The thing is: most politicians don't pay much attention to them. Usually...

***

My opinion, counter to that of Dan, is that Obama presents exactly the

kind of feel good, forward-looking visionary candidacy that nostalgic

Republicans ascribe to Reagan.

Change. It seems at the moment that the Republican field has embraced the

" change " meme and now are rushing to the right of Bush, barely criticizing

him and not mentioning his name.

I would assert that the unconscious collective wish for change is not at

all (as in: zero) about doing a better job at being right wing than Bush

has managed.

I don't believe for a second that the majority of American people want to

do worse economically, be subject to extra judicial surveillance, have

their tax monies fuel more growth in the government, have their tax monies

squandered, stolen, and thrown into imperial black holes, have more

truck-sized holes punched in the Constitution, have the numbers in poverty

and uninsured increase, etc..

Personally, one of the legacies of 28 out of 40 years of Republican rule

is the Nixon, Reagan, Bush II. track record on public corruption and the

deaths of non-combatants, and war crimes. Nuff said: no comparison with

the record of Democrats.

***

So, change coming from the right wishing to inspire the polity to go

farther right? No possible.

How to run against Obama? Southern strategy? Appeal to what's left of

America's lingering racism? Maybe mendaciously pimp ludicrously inflated

credentials as The Rudy and Willard have done?

Huckabumpkin won't survive the effort of the Republican elite to insure

he's not the candidate. The Republicans never allow an insurgent to be

the candidate. But, a race between the creationist Huckabee and an

emeritus professor of US Constitutional law from the University of Chicago

would really be something.

***

The Republican Party is heading over a cliff. After all a Republican

congress rubber-stamped the policies, overlooked the criminality of the

Bush administration. Then there was their own record of corruption.

The character issue won't arise until the parties have their nominees, but

even Huckabee will have difficulty escaping the sorry record. However,

Huckabee and whack job Ron are the only Republicans who have had the

guts to point the finger where it needs to be pointed.

Change.

....probably is felt deeply inside as: not more of the same old crap

promoted in absurdly glib sound bites by patently phony liars.

Take heart. Obama will surely roll.

regards,