The mid-terms were far closer than I expected. So there is some good news. It wasn't the Red Wave the GOP was hoping for; and the Liars and Accelerationists were - in some places - repudiated. But the Chief Liar (Trump) isn't deterred, apparently. That's bad news for all of us who care about democracy. The House seemingly flipped - that's bad news for justice re: the January 6 Committee and the work it has done. McCarthy is probably preparing the bonfire for that. I wonder if Moscow Mitch will show for it. He's probably being sullen and, no doubt, concocting new plans to subvert the Senate Majority. He'll likely succeed too - he has Manchin in his pocket, and that splits the Senate down the middle. I'd hate to be Joe Biden - his tough job just got tougher. And he doesn't have a firm base anyway. And I've seen/heard nothing from center or left that promises anything better.
As a country, we seem riven and sullen, if not down right self-destructive. If shared values are a basis for nation (a word I use advisedly), we don't have one. In the current political environment, we might all be using the same words, but definitions are all wonky. Not that they've ever been really clear - going back decades, I distinctly remember hearing Dan Quayle utter 'traditional family values' and choking on my beer. My mother glared at me when I said 'well, that's meaningless' (probably less politely). She was sure she understood what he meant. When I asked 'okay, can you see any politician or person saying they aren't for 'traditional family values?' Poor Mom, she got so tired of me parsing BS. I was so tired of people accepting platitudes and easy phrases without paying attention to the manipulation I saw. She just wanted a quiet, peaceful evening, and I was far more political and critical than any one she'd ever known.
My education sharpened my critical skills - it's purpose, as far as I'm concerned. But this country doesn't trust intellectuals, or critical thinking. Never really has. I theorize that that attitude is part of our public education goals: I was taught to be curious, but not critical. Oddly, I think it was one reason I was the student I was. I did well on paper, got good grades, but was dismissed as anything more than mediocre. Told I wasn't college material. My rebellions were small, but from a distance, telling. Those are other stories, but the point for this piece is that college and university sharpened my critical thinking skills in ways that Traditional Power Structures have found less than desirable. And the current US political system seems so dysfunctional and so transparently subverted that I am astonished it is still standing.
The mid-terms aren't yet finalized, even a week after election day. The Democrats have the barest of majorities in the Senate, the House is still in the balance: Republicans have 217/218 they need to dominate there. McCarthy is sharpening his knives and gathering tinder. Locally, we've elected a developer's lackey to the Development Board, but managed to retain the contested Senate seat. McConnell's hand picked choice for that seat came far too close for comfort.
And on the global level, human population has reached 8 billion. The earth is groaning, and natural balance (whatever that might be) seems dangerously out of balance for our species. And we'll likely take a huge chunk of life down with us when we go down. That's an ugly prospect.
Gee, what a happy thing. I'm going to go get my head out of doom & gloom and try to enjoy what looks to be a glorious fall day.
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