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Wake me when it's 2012
We've known for months that the Republicans were going to make a lot of gains in this year's election. Ever since Scott Brown won that special election, the gloating / hand-wringing / "It's just a little airborn! It's still good! It's still good!" / What Does It All Mean? rhetoric began, and it doesn't seem to have stopped.
Me? I had an important meeting at my son's school on election day, and the intake meeting for his outside evaluation on Thursday. I never say this. I don't always like to hear other people say it. But I think it's possible that I just don't care. I don't care what dumb-ass thing Fox News is saying, I don't care how many heads they stepped on or how many Hitler mustaches they drew on the President's face. I guess I care about how much gridlock they'll try to cram up our asses for the next two years. But mostly I'm feeling like I want this to just go away and let me worry about my actual life for a change.
At least that's how I've been feeling for the past few days. When primary season starts in...what, three months or something...I'm sure I'll be back with my usual level of enthusiasm.
Anybody else feeling like this? And if not, what's your secret?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by hermit crab on -
My feeling is that this is the time for retrenchment at the grassroots, organizing and learning from currently successful movements. If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem, etc. etc. That helps me feel positively motivated.
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Permalink Reply by Andromeda on -
Floor Pie, i'm with you. personally, i don't like politics much to begin with. i believe what i believe in, although i'm open to hearing thoughtful, considerate opinions from others. but really, i just don't fucking care anymore because when i start really caring, i get really angry. i'm angry enough all the time anyway. i'll stand up for what i believe in, but seriously, i don't need (my normally loved) NPR breaking down every single repug or dem strategy/win/loss, what it means, blah blah blah from every angle and side. i just don't give a fuck anymore.
although, HC, i often say "if you aren't part of the solution you are part of the problem" too. i just can't be a part of every solution. there are a few things i care very strongly about (gay rights, environmental sustainability, women's rights) and for those things i will do what i can. otherwise, i'm out.
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Permalink Reply by The Oracle on -
I'm with you, FP. I can't be plugged into everything all the time, and there are times when tending to the people and things in my immediate surroundings takes precedence over worrying about the next swing of the political pendulum. I'm part of the solution in the ways I think are important and that work for my life right now (the way we're raising our boys to be feminists, for example, or the efforts we make toward keeping things out of landfills, or the fact that we participate in community life). That is the most I have and the best I can do right now.
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Permalink Reply by StitchyWench on -
FP, as you know, I describe myself as an activist but at the beginning of this General Election campaign season our county party paid coordinator (who is a friend of mine) actually rudely asked me if I planned to sit this election out. This AFTER I'd already been in contact with my state house district rep, worked in the primary on a non-partisan county commissioner's campaign (after working hard to recruit a candidate), and worked to coordinate my neighborhood leaders for the primary. It was a really nice way for the county party members to remind me that my lack of meeting attendance (due to family obligations) and non-desire to partake in elbow rubbing at high-ticket dinners, pisses them off. Mind you my county chair does a great job at going to meetings and rubbing elbows - and she's never been successful at recruiting candidates who can win for the Dems in her district.
So I won't campaign for my Congressman, he's not an advocate for women and I won't ever campaign for a woman hater - I don't care if he is a Democrat. I always work hard to know my district. I always make sure I know which seats (non-partisan and otherwise) are opening up and I work hard to recruit people to run for office. I also work with my community of fantastic volunteers to make sure that we win every race down the ticket - and in my district we always have since I've been the district leader for the party. I cut turf like a mad woman, I target the areas that need to be targeted and I embrace the volunteer efforts of anyone in my community to whatever capacity they are willing to give. And it works. I get progressives elected.
But whatever. My point is that this election I just did not give two shits about the federal elections. Wyden was safe, I hate my Congressman and refused to vote for him or help his campaign in any way. Nationally, I cannot do a damn thing or have any influence over how people vote in their own districts and if I'm any indication as to how everyone was feeling our votes this year for Congress were NOT related to national politics rather a response to how tired we are of feeling like we have to vote against somebody horrible by voting for some asshole we hate.
I don't believe the talking heads' thoughts about this election. I think people are just like you or me - we're tired of the same old bull shit and we have real lives to worry about. I finally wrote a blog post this week with my thoughts on the subject. Basically my belief is that this was an election to split power in hopes that those who are most beholden to their electorate (and who are easily voted out in two years) will do something for the people for a change. We will see.
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Permalink Reply by GreenLantern on -
FP, wouldn't it be nice if most of government that intruded in your life went away forever and just left you alone so you wouldn't have to worry about it?
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Permalink Reply by kommishoner on -
Yeah, I feel you FP. I just try and turn off the news for a while and read something centering, and spend some time with my friends. I'm always trying to reroute my politics from being reactionary (sort of our culture's default position: look what they did! what assholes! let's start a movement!) to being proactive, building the world I want to live in around me, treating people the way I want to be treated, and deciding to let Fox News and NPR and all of that work its own stuff out. Sometimes it gets really hard, like when I turn on the radio to find out about a local tax initiative and have to listen to John Boehner choking up about how great personal responsibility is. I recommend reading Barbara Kingsolver's book "Small Wonder" - she wrote it following 9/11 and it's all about recognizing slow, beautiful moments, nature, human kindness and connection, and all that stuff that's so easy, from a political standpoint, to dismiss as emo liberal hogwash. I read it when I start to get frustrated and sad, and I find it really helps center my heart back where I want it to be.
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Permalink Reply by Boring User Name on -
I admit I checked out after the 2008 election. My thought was that I had worked my ass off (ok, not that hard, but I did work) to get these people elected (for the prior 3 elections, really) and it was their job to get the work done that we elected them to do.
I don't know where I'm going from here. Obviously, checking out (which a lot of people on our side did) was not such a good plan. But I don't know how many more times I can do the election cycle.
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