Sherry Chandler » New beginnings
New beginnings
from May Sarton The House by the Sea: A Journal (W. W. Norton, 1977):
Sunday, July 18th [1976]
…We did stay up to hear [Jimmy] Carter’s acceptance speech [at the Democratice National Convention] and I’m glad we did. In bed afterward I thought that what he represents is the gentle revolution I talked about in my commencement address at Clark last year. The words “simple” and “compassion” were often used by him, and simple compassion is something we have not seen in government for a very long time, since Lincoln. It is hard to imagine what it will be like, if he is elected—the sense of a real new beginning.
I happened upon this passage on Tuesday morning, when the narrative of Obama’s inevitability was at its height, and reading it, I couldn’t help but pause to reflect how many of these shining men we’ve elected (or tried to elect) in my lifetime. How many gentle revolutions. How many mornings in America.
And how, in the end, it has usually not been the President who shaped events but events that shaped the President.
I don’t love my country any more or less now than I did when I was sixteen and star-dazzled by John Kennedy. It’s like family. I was born into it, I’m in it and of it, for good and ill.
But I have lost my faith in and my need for heroes.
The woman who moved Hillary to tears, a woman of my own age, said she voted for Obama because he moved her to tears with his promise of a new beginning.
I’ve been moved to tears by an episode of “Laverne and Shirley.”
I want some reason to vote for Obama other than his youth and golden tongue. Something more than sentiment and nostalgia.
Or, for that matter, the fact that he’s a socially acceptable black man, one we could elect and pet ourselves on the backs for our liberalism without too much fear that we’ll have a White House full of dreadlocks and rap lyrics.
What’s more I want some reason not to vote for Hillary other than press-corps schadenfreude. Something more than the conventional narrative of a cold manipulative bitch who can somehow cry on demand.
I don’t know whether it was Hillary’s emotion or her good ground organization, or maybe a little bit of both, that won her New Hampshire but I’m glad she won it.
I’m glad the woman showed that she could stand up to the fight. I’m glad we’ll have no coronation this year. I’m glad we’ll have a real primary. I’m glad we’ll get a longer look at the candidates before one is chosen. I may even have some hope that I’ll get to cast a meaningful vote this year.
I don’t want the press corps choosing my presidential candidate. And neither, apparently, did the people of New Hampshire.
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4 Comments
1. Tommy replies at 10th January 2008, 9:37 am :
I am sick and tired of all the bashing that the Emm Ess Emm have committed on Bill and Hillary for lo, these past 17 or so years.
They didn’t stop when she got elected Senator from New York. They won’t stop if and when she’s elected President. In fact, I think they would really like for her to be elected; that means the next four years are in the bag; they won’t have to think hard in order to come up with nasty things to say about her.
I just wish I knew why they hate her so. Is it because she’s a woman? They don’t call Condoleeza Rice a frigid bitch; in fact, they cover for her shopping trips in the middle of crises. Is it because she’s “from” Arkansas? She’s “from” Arkansas like I’m “from” Tennessee, but perhaps they don’t care.
They howled for 8 years because this likeable lump from Hope and his preppy wife beat their favored candidate, George “Wimp” Bush, Republicans and media mavens both.
I think, “I won’t vote for Hillary because I don’t want to see Falwell’s posterity pimping more of the Clinton murder hack job,” but then I realize that means that Falwell is making my choices for me.
On the other hand, I think 24 or 28 years of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton is bad for the country.
Sorry, longish comment. Maybe I should get a blog just so I can get tired of my own voice.
Love,
T
2. Max Chandler replies at 10th January 2008, 9:39 am :
Hillary now has my vote. I had committed to Edwards, but his and OBama’s continued piling on Hillary prompted me to change the day before the New Hampshire election. I liked Edward’s populist position. I view OBama as having empty message because; he berates Hillary on the Vote to authorize GWBush/Cheney to take the country war in Iraq. OBama touts good judgment on his part, inferring that Hillary doesn’t. He wasn’t even in the Senate when the vote took place, and recently it has been reported that when he was in the Illinois senate, he voted Present (which means No Vote) on bills that were controversial. How convenient for him to take any position he wishes, to me this does not bode well for a president.
I was also considering Huckabee, until Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, and he proceeded to show his lack of foreign policy knowledge.
I have full confidence in Hillary.
3. sherry replies at 10th January 2008, 10:34 am :
Likeable lump from Hope?!? Oh Tommy, yer teh funny. But I do see your point. The other day a commenter, I think at Political Animal, said he was supporting Obama because he’s 27 years old and has never known a president who isn’t a Bush or a Clinton. The dynasty question carries some weight with me, too, and I am better than twice your age.
And some one else said in an e-mail to me that s/he hates to lose Hillary as “an anchor in the Senate.” Sometimes, senators can get more done than presidents.
And sometimes losing an election can be the making of a great leader, reference Al Gore. I don’t think Hillary is so weak that losing this election will crush her.
Still, Obama hasn’t convinced me yet. Nor has Edwards. I obviously love Dennis Kucinich, talk about change and idealism, but have no illusions that he’ll ever win. I’m glad he stays in the race, though. Gives me something to do with my vote in May when everything has been decided.
And I like Richardson but ditto.
Tommy, by all means, get your own blog. I’ll read it.
4. sherry replies at 10th January 2008, 11:18 am :
Hey Max — I’m pretty tired of Obama’s “I was against the war” trope, too. Okay, we got that message. Now tell us something positive.
I find Edwards attractive myself. I may be educated but my roots are working class and I think it’s way past time something was done for the working people of this country.
Actually, I like all three of these people. And Richardson. And I’m trying not to get too vested in one because, like I keep saying, I don’t think I’ll get to choose.
What I don’t like is the press narrative that’s coming down about them and I am beginning to think maybe we, the people, don’t like it either.
I read about Iowa that it was word-of-mouth more than media presence that drove the vote.
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