Chekhov's Mistress

I Spent the Mourning in San Francisco…

by Bud Parr

or where I diverge a moment from books and get these swarming thoughts from my head.

November 2nd was inauspicious in so many ways. Two out of the three of my group destined for San Francisco missed our flight (I being the one that made it), and the last thing I did before going to sleep in the wee hours (of my time zone) was to see Awnold gloat over his many ballot issue victowees.

I am in SF for a variety of reasons, one of which is to attend some fund raising events for my friend and client, Mitch, a documentary filmmaker, whose weblog I recently created.

But despite the fun of being here and meeting new people, we are all walking around with a Charlie Brown cloud over our heads.

The Man You Elect Today May Get You Killed Tomorrow.



As we all know, November 3rd didn’t start well either, and I share the grief felt by so many people around the country and world. Interestingly, I heard a caller on NPR voice my own feeling that “don’t those people [that voted for Bush] get it?” My guess is that sentiment is wide.

But I realize this collective gut reaction of grief and amazement needs to be brief and informative. Mourning should never last too long. We must put aside the emotion and sport of politics and begin today to fight for the next election. It simply isn’t enough to get hot and bothered once in a while and talk about how you think this president is stupid.

The fact is, for all his lack of intellect, he’s been an uberPresident in pushing his agenda against all opposition and solidifying his constituents. All the Bruce Springsteen concerts in the world can’t change that.

I heard one commentator say that the lines at some polling places were too long for many of those young impatient people who were supposed to rock the vote. I have a hard time reconciling that statement in my head when I know that there are countries around the world where voters stand in line for woefully long hours, often in intense heat, and often too, risking their lives or limbs.

If anything, this year’s election cycle and the events surrounding our unfortunate invasion of Iraq should inform us that politics is not a quadrennial superbowl with playoffs every two years. The man you elect today may indeed get you killed tomorrow.

So don’t give up all you “blue-state” smarties. Stay informed, vote in the local elections, write a letter to your representative – in fact, make a habit of it. Pardon my tone of condescension, but I find it striking the number of impassioned people out there who don’t understand that politics happens everyday, and I feel like these fair-weather johnsons are the reason why we thought we could win, but didn’t.

We need to forget about swing states and swing voters and do as the Republicans have done; build a solid, wide reaching base of un-swaying voters.

And now, back to books.

posted November 04, 2004

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