The arc of the universe bends towards the sane (=justice). Remember when Connecticut voters brought Lieberman back to life? Yes, I know he is a thorn in our side to this moment. But he's a diminishing thorn. And, most importantly, just like sane voters recognized their mistake in voting Bush in again in 2004, and Connecticut sane voters have recognized their mistake in voting Lieberman back in, Massachusetts' sane voters will figure it out when they see who Scott Brown is, what he stands for, and the people he has around him.
The arc of the universe will bend towards justice. I'm sad and disappointed in Mass. voters, but I also understand that many folks don't know where to turn with their anger and frustration at banksters and health gangsters and the like, and so take what seems to be the easy way out via a guy with a pretty shell and ignore the rancid core (or worse, the minority who agree with him). I also understand that the fired up progressives let our disappointment and lack of patience take us down the dopey road, in this particular election. Yeah, complain like crazy, but campaign like crazy at the same time.
But this puts lots of useful stuff in stark relief.
First: it's clear to me that Mass. voters will speak again - this is not the last election of the state's lifetime folks. And the backlash, which will come from real experience with this Brown person, will be beautiful, and real enough to stick. Pain now, for intense progressive pleasure later. I don't like it, but sometimes, it's necessary. Huh, one could almost say that mine is a 'conservative' view on this;-)
Second: while the President and some in Congress have made good political moves, in terms of pissing off the base they've miscalculated. Ultimately, it's not Rahm Emanuel's or the Blue Dogs fault: it's the President's and Majority Leader Reid's: this loss lies at their feet. The base is a lot more important, and a lot bigger, than they realized - or hoped for. And we, the base, are also responsible: our smart, principled bickering led us astray. Surely, we realize now that making sure Democrats are everywhere and ensuring the better Democrats get elected are job one for us: and we have to do both at once. Well, if we didn't get that before, this experience should help do the trick. Shades of 2004.
But here's where I trust that my President is a smart man, and he doesn't like to lose, least of all this seat of his dear friend. I think this loss is going to fuel a serious internal review of what went wrong and why. And, progressives (his fired up base) and the majority of the American people who are sane (the vast majority who brought him the Presidency), are going to benefit from that in the long run, though that may seem unlikely now.
And here's where I trust the American majority. We voted in this remarkable president. Our disappointments notwithstanding, it was still the right choice. We're going to suffer for a while longer, because many of us didn't realize that bitching has to also be accompanied by standing up in your precinct, and going to Town Halls, and engaging neighbors and all the rest of the constant outreach and persuasion that opens people's eyes to our side. Progressives have no choice but to multitask if we're going to be effective at all.
Hey, ya know what? I'm a Deaniac. I understand the disappointment of seeing where things could have gone and seeing them temporarily shut down. But I also was trained in the fire of a modern grassroots campaign and I see what Gov. Dean is doing now, despite being dissed by the administration (um, y'all might want to remedy that, Mr. President. Gov. Dean gets it, in a way that many of the most prominent people in your cabinet don't seem to). Not only does he not give up. He doesn't go away. He keeps his eyes on the original prize: a sane, healthy, fair, intelligent, compassionate nation, whose power comes from those very qualities. He doesn't give up, and I won't either.
Third-and this is why this insanity is temporary and sanity is inevitable: the American electorate is changing, and changing fast - from the kinds of people who could gleefully vote in a Scott Brown or a Joe Lieberman or a Mr. YouLah!, the electorate is getting smarter, more aware, younger-minded, and more diverse. People who lie like they do, who hate like they do, who are corporate-fueled without any hint of people-power like they are, are on the way out. I don't mean it's all going to be unicorns and butterflies laced with kitten smiles. I mean that the large group of Americans who vote is going to weigh the results of this vote, and President Obama and Leader Reid are going to look at the base and understand at least in part where they went wrong, Senate comity and DLC stupidity notwithstanding. The bad consequences of this election are going to be clearer and clearer as Sen. Brown lies and tries to legislate his agenda. You know he will, we can count on that: or the 'baggers will put someone more rabid up to run against him, and I bet he knows that. The sane, but angry and not as politically involved Mass. voters who voted for him are going to be more than ready to vote him out, so it'll be a short tenure. As the netroots, we need to be ready to help them do that and to make sure they understand the consequences of his every breath. He will be a favorite cautionary tale. And we need to help identify a real progressive who deserves Uncle Ted's seat. And all the sane folks need to do it right this time, myself very much included, all the way up to Pres. Obama. Not scrambling at the last minute. But fighting for every inch, for every step, for every gain. I'm not religious at all, but that's the kind of constant fervor we need to deploy. We are in a real fight for the soul of America. At the micro level, the macro level and everywhere in between, we need to play a longer game than the right wing, and fight to win next time.
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