2008 The No Joy CLub
posted by on October 1 at 13:59 PM
The first comment to a post called Sarah Palin—The Damage Done:
Whether or not McCain loses the election, the Palin nomination is the end-game for the cynicism that has been the life-blood of the GOP for more than 30 years.I’m a small businessman, a gun owner, a multiple property owner. I’m white, middle class, and (mostly) live in the suburbs. I’m pro-military. I have nothing but contempt for the anti-commerce position of the left.
But I’ve never voted for a GOP candidate for national office, and even went as far as registering as a democrat in 2004. As much as the GOP might seem to represent my interests, I simply cannot stomach their ongoing cynical appeal.
Maybe now, and finally, with the Palin nomination, the GOP is exposed for the farce that it has been for more than 30 years.
If the GOP is the party of cynicism, then the DP is the party of doom. I have yet to hear or feel any real excitement about how well Obama is doing in the polls. Even now, with so little time left, with each day bringing brighter and brighter news, the Dems refuse to be cheerful. If McCain where in Obama’s position, the GOP would be ecstatic to the hilt, the reporters on FOX drunk with joy, and the fundamentalist clapping their church-happy hands. We would never see an end to this intoxication. But now that McCain is down, all of America (the GOP and DP) is gloomy. If McCain was up, at least some Americans would be dancing and clapping.
There would be Democratic celebration if the economy didn't look like the barrel of a large shotgun right now
I'm happy.
Charles, that's cause you live in Washington and hang around people at The Stranger, who are cynics even in victory.
"If McCain was up, at least some Americans would be dancing and clapping. "
This is one of the more ridiculous things I've ever written. Charles- Deal with the anxiety and "doom"iness for another month, kay?
I don't think anyone wants to set themselves up for the disappointment that was the 2004 election-- I was SURE Kerry would win. I don't want to have that same elated feeling flattened by the bulldozer of the GOP yet again. So I'm trying to reserve my hope/excitement for AFTER the election... and prevent some sort of post election mental breakdown if something goes wrong and McSame wins (God forbid).
read The People's History of the United States & tell me you're optimistic about an Obama presidency. especially in the light of the coming deep recession & peak oil.
what do YOU think will change, Charles? my hope is that things will get worse more slowly.
@4- i meant "read", not "written"
surely you remember the past 2 elections, where it seemed the dems had it locked, right down to the exit polls. some of are are still reeling. personally, i'm going to wait until all the votes are counted before getting too excited. but that doesn't mean i'm unhappy; quite the opposite. i'm just not going to do my victory cartwheels until it's official.
Ask Chicago Fan the meaning of the term "guarded optimism", as it relates to Chicago Cubs baseball and presidential elections.
Ever since I partook of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge I have left behind the blissful state of the animal.
I'd rather see Dems working to build on Obama's lead. The dancing in the streets can commence on November 5th.
Charles, are you going to go back to being crazy again after the election is over? It just seems like your posts have been making sense lately.
Believe me, when Obama wins it's going to look like VJ-Day in Democratic households. The past eight years have been a fucking nightmare. To paraphrase Sam Kinison: I'm not afraid of hell. I've lived through two Bush terms. Hell would be a fucking resort compared to this.
Well, it's really cool to have him win, but what he wins is still just the Presidency. People who take that job don't usually get improved by it.
I think it makes perfect sense that Dems would be a little cautious. Not only did we all get screwed over in 2004 (and 2000), but the presidential race numbers have been all over the map from the beginning. One ill-timed gaffe is all it takes for these mush-brained undecideds to flip their vote.
But make no mistake: If the numbers hold and Obama does become the next president, you will see an unparalleled outpouring of weepy glee from the left. The party that ensues would put to shame anything those clenched-up GOP losers could muster.
Charles is right.
This election IS exciting...Four years ago sucked because who the hell was that excited about a John Kerry presidency? (and frankly, I wasn't that surprised he lost; I mean, c'mon...the man is a stick.)
Things look good for the Dems and pretty shitty for the Republicans...revel in it a little.
I mean Jeezis Fuck... what, exactly, are we supposed to be joyful about?
Maybe we allowed ourselves a few glimmers of hope when it looked like a smart young black man was gonna win the nomination, but now everything unique has been squashed out of the guy. He sounds just like one more status-quo politician - not exactly the kind of thing that gets us dancing in the streets.
Plus, the way things seem to be headed this war will never cease, the economy will never recover, and it just doesn't matter who wins - we're gonna have a third Bush term regardless.
I'm too scared to be happy. The disappointment of the past two elections burned me badly enough.
There is a secret part in me that is running around, with a party hat and a nose maker, banging on pats and pans, while simultaneously dancing the jig, doing cartwheels in my underoos, and doing any variety of end zone dances. However, there is still that one pervasive, deep rooted, insidious element in this campaign that has us all sitting on our hands about to wet our pants. It need not be mentioned AGAIN, but we all know it's there. It just remains to be seen whether this country will actually vote based on its best interest or to cut off its nose to spite its face. So, let the ballots be counted, and the states called, and the electoral tally announced. THEN - if Obama is indeed our president-elect, I think the guy on the space station will wake up and wonder what happened on the planet that's causing all the noise.
A chicken and an egg were in bed together, The egg turned to the chicken and said, "I guess that answers THAT question."
Sorry for the sports reference, but nobody wants to look like a dumbass football player running down the field for a sure touchdown and celebrating and taunting the opposition before fumbling on the one yard line.
I'm not celebrating until we break 270.
We don't want to get our hopes up. If we actually entertain the notion that Obama could possibly actually win, and then he doesn't, it would crush us beyond recognition. Literally. We'd all be smashed. How? I don't know. But we don't want that to happen. So we won't get our hopes up and celebrate before all the Electoral College votes have been counted--twice.
It's kind of funny that the bit that Charles is quoting is by Tony Comstock, who may be a white male gun owner, but is also a professional pornographer. He doesn't feel that the GOP has his best interests at heart? Well duh.
(Which is not to say that the Ds are much better for the business.)
The GOP has circumvented the will of the American people in the last two elections. Why would this be any different? The fact is, the Repubs OWN the electronic voting system. If the victory of McCain and Palin teaches America anything, it will teach us that, no matter who the Repubs run, no matter WHAT the Repubs run, there will never again be a Democrat occupying the White House.
sorry charles but any one who has a griz rug in her office gets my vote.
You are just hanging out with the wrong people Charles. I'm positively GLEEFUL at the self-destruction of the GOP (Is it just me or is McCain displaying early-onset Alzheimer's symptoms) and cannot WAIT to see Palin get destroyed.
And haven't you seen the positively INSANE reaction of people to Obama? It's like he's the second Christ. Only with better teeth.
Get out more Charles, really.
I'm not going to celebrate until the Supreme Court agrees that Obama won the election.
I'm not counting my chickens until they're hatched.
The GOP has already started suppressing the vote, and amassing lawyers for recounts. They've stolen the last two elections and I don't believe they will "go gentle into that dark night."
If and when Obama officially wins, THEN I will be drunk on happiness.
I dunno about the rest of the bleeding heart liberal elite, but I personally still suffer from PTES - Post-Traumatic Election Syndrome. I'll be doing my victory dance on November 5th... well, actually probably November 25th, once the GOP is done throwing up spurious challenges to the election and Obama is finally declared the winner.
...Even saying THAT makes me nervous. Don't punish me, o vengeful election gods! Now I have to go sacrifice a pair of crocs to make up for my hubris.
Echoing everyone who said, "I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch."
But, I also brought a special bottle of wine home from my visit to America last month... Hoping to toast with my roommates on Nov. 5th.
"And haven't you seen the positively INSANE reaction of people to Obama? It's like he's the second Christ. Only with better teeth."
My theory is that he's the return of JFK, who wasn't killed in Dallas, but only suffered a near-mortal wound and went into a state of magical repose, to return again in his country's hour of need. The message of his coming has been presented in code in crop circles, for those who know.
As I explained to a friend of mine, I am a Seattle sports fan and a Democrat so I am naturally a pessimist. I grew up in the 70s watching the Seahawks give up a 3 touchdown lead halfway through the fourth quarter. I've watched the M's give up a huge lead in the 9th inning with a lousy bullpen.
Obama can have a huge lead in the polls up to Election Day and even be declared the presumptive winner by the press on Election Day, but until he takes the oath of office I feel something is going to go wrong.
Comments Closed
Comments are closed on this post.