Her glory shall rest on us all...
Nov. 5th, 2008 10:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shewhomustWell, that's a relief.
Eleven and a half years ago, we sat up and watched the election results come in, until Michael Portillo lost Enfield. Then we opened the champagne. It was a great feeling, but we knew, even then, that that was as good as it got. The Labour Party that had been elected had changed a long way from any party we could wholeheartedly endorse. We were happy - no, we were euphoric - that the Tories had lost, but, as the saying goes, no matter who you vote for, it's always the government that gets elected. Inevitably, after that post-election rejoicing, it would be downhill all the way (though I had no inkling how far downhill...).
It's hard not to think of that today; this is, after all, the day we raise a glass to Guy Fawkes, "the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions!"
And yet.
Well, for one thing, let's not underestimate the sheer relief that McCain didn't win; that the US voted against a candidate who broadly represented more of the same, a man who thought Sarah Palin would make a good running mate, all that. And that it appears to have done so wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm. It's been fascinating, over the last week, to watch my f-list registering their votes, but my f-list is scarcely a representative sample - except that all over the country a record number of voters turned out, they voted as they told the polls they would vote (no Bradley effect this time) and maybe, just maybe, the country isn't quite as divided between red and blue states as we feared.
For another thing, while voting for Obama because he's black is no better an idea than voting for Clinton (or Thatcher) because she's a woman, it's still a pleasant surprise to wake up and discover that the US really has brought itself to elect a black president. And nothing he does when it comes down to the realities of government can change that.
For a third and final thing, whether because Obama has been such an exceptional candidate all along, or just because hope is a stubborn little thing, there remains that hope that he will do some of the things he has promised. With the support of a mass of people who thought they weren't interested in politics, or who thought they were burned out and cynical about the whole process, perhaps he will be able to gain some control over the machine, the entrenched interests, perhaps those who try to impose their beliefs on others can be persuaded to relax their grip? Perhaps. That's going to be the question.
And, through the magic of YouTube, here's Phil Ochs to sing it for us once more.
Eleven and a half years ago, we sat up and watched the election results come in, until Michael Portillo lost Enfield. Then we opened the champagne. It was a great feeling, but we knew, even then, that that was as good as it got. The Labour Party that had been elected had changed a long way from any party we could wholeheartedly endorse. We were happy - no, we were euphoric - that the Tories had lost, but, as the saying goes, no matter who you vote for, it's always the government that gets elected. Inevitably, after that post-election rejoicing, it would be downhill all the way (though I had no inkling how far downhill...).
It's hard not to think of that today; this is, after all, the day we raise a glass to Guy Fawkes, "the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions!"
And yet.
Well, for one thing, let's not underestimate the sheer relief that McCain didn't win; that the US voted against a candidate who broadly represented more of the same, a man who thought Sarah Palin would make a good running mate, all that. And that it appears to have done so wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm. It's been fascinating, over the last week, to watch my f-list registering their votes, but my f-list is scarcely a representative sample - except that all over the country a record number of voters turned out, they voted as they told the polls they would vote (no Bradley effect this time) and maybe, just maybe, the country isn't quite as divided between red and blue states as we feared.
For another thing, while voting for Obama because he's black is no better an idea than voting for Clinton (or Thatcher) because she's a woman, it's still a pleasant surprise to wake up and discover that the US really has brought itself to elect a black president. And nothing he does when it comes down to the realities of government can change that.
For a third and final thing, whether because Obama has been such an exceptional candidate all along, or just because hope is a stubborn little thing, there remains that hope that he will do some of the things he has promised. With the support of a mass of people who thought they weren't interested in politics, or who thought they were burned out and cynical about the whole process, perhaps he will be able to gain some control over the machine, the entrenched interests, perhaps those who try to impose their beliefs on others can be persuaded to relax their grip? Perhaps. That's going to be the question.
Here is a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom
Her glory shall rest on us all (on us all)
...
Yet she's only as rich as the poorest of her poor
Only as free as the padlocked prison door
Only as strong as our love for this land
Only as tall as we stand
And, through the magic of YouTube, here's Phil Ochs to sing it for us once more.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-05 05:13 pm (UTC)Here's hoping.