Post-primary pondering
I haven’t been talking about politics much because it just ends up depressing me, but now that the primaries are all over but the shouting…
I supported Clinton in the primaries, for several reasons. Although I didn’t think she was a perfect candidate, I thought that her proposed policies were set out in more concrete detail than Obama’s. I liked her position on gay rights a little better than I liked Obama’s. And given that both candidates had about equal amounts of experience as elected officials, I thought that her time in Washington and in Arkansas government did give her something of an edge (though not as much as she tried to make out). And yeah, I really did want to see a woman become president.
However, it’s been obvious for some time that she probably wasn’t going to get the nomination. It sucks when you lose. It sucks worse when you suspect that one of the reasons you lost is that this country is still a bit more misogynist than it is racist. But it’s only one of the reasons, and the nature of politics is that someone loses. And what I totally fail to see is how the solution to either a misogynist or racist society works out to voting for another conservative white man.
Which, make no mistake, is exactly what McCain is. He may have been something of a rebel within his own party at times, but being a rebel conservative in no way makes one a liberal, or a progressive, or whatever the hell we’re calling ourselves this week. Being somewhat less overtly anti-gay and anti-immigrant than the average Republican doesn’t make him a champion of the causes of women, or ethnic minorities, or GLBT types. It’s not going to make his economic or environmental policies anything but the usual small-government cry of, “Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.” (Government never gets any smaller, no matter who’s in office. It’s all a matter of where the resources get directed.) And it sure as heck isn’t going to make him reconsider his determination to keep us in an unwinnable war.
So am I going to vote for McCain in protest, as I’ve seen some Clinton supporters proposing? In a word, no. Honestly, I think McCain would make a better president than Bush has. But I think a small lump of moldy oatmeal would make a better president than Bush has. I’ve got nothing against McCain personally, but his policies are nothing I want to see inflicted upon this country for another four to eight years. Have certain of Obama’s followers irritated the snot out of me? Sure. But I’m not voting for them. Policy-wise, there’s not that much to choose between Clinton and Obama, and I wavered for a long time before I finally cast my vote. Both of them have said and done incredible things, and both of them have said and done stupid things. But if anyone can show me a politician who hasn’t, I’ll give them a nickel. (I guarantee that no matter who we elect, two years on, we’ll be bitching about them.)
It sucks to lose. But it would suck even more to make that loss the justification for a far more grievous loss. Because right now, this is about more than winning and losing one contest. It’s about the direction of the country for the next four, eight, twelve, sixteen years. While I’m not about to tell anyone not to be sad or angry, I do hope that sorrow and anger is not all that leads us to make our choices as to what that direction will be.
I supported Clinton in the primaries, for several reasons. Although I didn’t think she was a perfect candidate, I thought that her proposed policies were set out in more concrete detail than Obama’s. I liked her position on gay rights a little better than I liked Obama’s. And given that both candidates had about equal amounts of experience as elected officials, I thought that her time in Washington and in Arkansas government did give her something of an edge (though not as much as she tried to make out). And yeah, I really did want to see a woman become president.
However, it’s been obvious for some time that she probably wasn’t going to get the nomination. It sucks when you lose. It sucks worse when you suspect that one of the reasons you lost is that this country is still a bit more misogynist than it is racist. But it’s only one of the reasons, and the nature of politics is that someone loses. And what I totally fail to see is how the solution to either a misogynist or racist society works out to voting for another conservative white man.
Which, make no mistake, is exactly what McCain is. He may have been something of a rebel within his own party at times, but being a rebel conservative in no way makes one a liberal, or a progressive, or whatever the hell we’re calling ourselves this week. Being somewhat less overtly anti-gay and anti-immigrant than the average Republican doesn’t make him a champion of the causes of women, or ethnic minorities, or GLBT types. It’s not going to make his economic or environmental policies anything but the usual small-government cry of, “Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.” (Government never gets any smaller, no matter who’s in office. It’s all a matter of where the resources get directed.) And it sure as heck isn’t going to make him reconsider his determination to keep us in an unwinnable war.
So am I going to vote for McCain in protest, as I’ve seen some Clinton supporters proposing? In a word, no. Honestly, I think McCain would make a better president than Bush has. But I think a small lump of moldy oatmeal would make a better president than Bush has. I’ve got nothing against McCain personally, but his policies are nothing I want to see inflicted upon this country for another four to eight years. Have certain of Obama’s followers irritated the snot out of me? Sure. But I’m not voting for them. Policy-wise, there’s not that much to choose between Clinton and Obama, and I wavered for a long time before I finally cast my vote. Both of them have said and done incredible things, and both of them have said and done stupid things. But if anyone can show me a politician who hasn’t, I’ll give them a nickel. (I guarantee that no matter who we elect, two years on, we’ll be bitching about them.)
It sucks to lose. But it would suck even more to make that loss the justification for a far more grievous loss. Because right now, this is about more than winning and losing one contest. It’s about the direction of the country for the next four, eight, twelve, sixteen years. While I’m not about to tell anyone not to be sad or angry, I do hope that sorrow and anger is not all that leads us to make our choices as to what that direction will be.