We’re winning.
I think we all know that we can’t solve our
problems merely by throwing money at them, or more pointedly, that more money does not necessarily equal more solution. Ironically, it has been the strong
suit of old-school conservatives to point this out, ideally helping keep government
programs and bureaus streamlined, efficient, and accountable. I say ironically
– because the new-school neo-conservatives
running the GOP are throwing money at their campaign like there’s no tomorrow.
(Well, there obviously is no
tomorrow in the Radical Right’s worldview, for example – its pathological lack
of responsibility toward our planet’s environment and future generations.) I
think it’s a promising sign, actually.
It means that their usual fight-or-flight mentality (which
in its low-grade, day-to-day state merely keeps them unimaginative yet
calculating,) is in full panic mode. They’re being just plain stupid now. Like
the Chimera when she realizes Odysseus just isn’t falling for it. Or Mystique
when the Wolverine has bested her.
The “omney yan” yard signs should be the first clue that something is out of balance. Have
you seen them? So poorly designed that the “R”s are almost invisible. Maybe the campaign couldn't find a single graphic designer with an ounce of imagination who would work with them. Or perhaps some clever graphic artist sabotaged the logo by
underdesigning it, and still brought home a good paycheck. (Kudos, if some
artist pulled that one off!) The Republican Party can probably afford to dust every street corner in the nation with these yucky signs. But does more yuckiness mean more votes?
The coup de grace, though, is the new spate of Republican ads on YouTube. Now, I’m not sure of the
exact demographic that tunes in to YouTube, but I’m guessing it’s one that is
generally more informed, creative, engaged, critical, and interactive than the
one vegging out in front of The Tube at prime time. In other words, the Far
Right is probably not going to find a large fertile field for its narrow,
selfish platform here. On top of that, the ads they’re running are the
obnoxious kind that can’t be turned off after a few seconds. I guess this type
of ad costs more money. So of course they can afford it. And the ads are bad! The color schemes, the editing, the
writing… just plain bad art, funded by
people whose aesthetic sense is blinded by fear-based ideology.
So what they’re doing is using their superior spending power
to create an ugly and obnoxious presence on YouTube that will probably turn
people already unsympathetic to their agenda even more strongly against them.
Spend away, boys! Keep those big bucks rolling in to populist online
information hubs! We can endure your ugly ads for another month, I suppose.
My hope is, of course, that this annoyance will get young YouTube
watchers to actually vote.
What’s really exciting about this phenomenon, though, is
that it’s a harbinger of a potential sea change in consciousness. The less it
feels the need to hide behind a mask of average American values, the more the
Extreme Right is showing us all what it truly is and who is behind it. It’s the
same way the villain in an epic adventure takes off his disguise for the final
confrontation, when he’s sure that he’s winning. It’s a sign of overconfidence
and narrow vision. (For those who feel my references to fictional stories
weaken my argument, remember that our mythologies are a reflection of real
processes in our psyches. And our institutions are a macrocosm of ourselves. Or
so Socrates implies.)
We may be coming to a point in time where the majority of
voting-enabled Americans will be presented with a fresh new choice. And God
knows they’ve been longing for one. The choice is no longer between two fairly reasonable political ideologies. As well, it is not between two puppets spouting differing policy stances but still in the pockets of corporate power - the "lesser of two evils." Please get over these old scripts; one is antiquated and erroneous and the other is debilitating to the spirit.
The choice we have before us is between beauty and ugliness.
Between love, music, creativity, intelligence, responsibility, care,
compassion, diversity, fertility, aliveness, sexiness, and humor, and a pale, fearful, monochrome worldview that negates all of these. We are coming to a time where
our survival as a democratic state may actually depend on the electorate going
with their gut. The Right no longer feels
accountable to factual truth. Yes, that’s another sign of pathological
thinking and moral bankruptcy, but maybe there is a bright side; when facts become so clouded and
inaccessible that rational choice becomes difficult, it forces one to go with feelings
and intuition. (It’s the whole point of a Zen koan to confound the logical brain, hence opening the
doors of the mind for spontaneous wisdom.) The overworked, underpaid,
malnourished, ill-informed, frustrated majority of Americans with no time to research
the issues is going to have to decide, on feeling, whether to go with those guys who are beating us
over the head with excessive, ugly, divisive, negative ads, or the ones who
can’t afford as much airtime. Since the life-affirming doesn’t get much voice
in the mainstream, the average American may have to gamble on the ones not making as much noise, may have to step into The
Unknown.
Yes, I’m talking about the Big Shift here. Most of those
still reading this have done some sort of inner work that required them to step
outside of their comfort zone for the sake of their souls, whether through
mainstream therapy or through spiritual work. In the lives of most adults there
comes a point where, for the sake of health, survival, or merely happiness, we
are faced with a choice to let go of old destructive behaviors and beliefs. This
process always requires surrender to feeling and intuition. I think we as a
nation are coming to the same place in our collective story. (Remember Plato?
The larger is a reflection of the smaller, and vice-versa.)
Will we make the step? It’s anybody’s guess. I think
something else is being challenged, too. Our faith. It’s a sad side effect of
critical thinking that it can lead to a pessimistic outlook on the future of
humanity, or at least for America. So the challenge for critical thinkers is to
stay positive, trust that one way or another we’re going to be ok, and remember
that there is a younger generation of people not so hardened by disappointment;
they’re the ones who got Obama into the White House in the first place, against
all odds, purely on innocent faith and youthful energy. Remember that. Remember
that the way Christians remember that “Pharaoh’s army got drowned in the Red
Sea,” or the way Jews remember the Menorah candles staying lit. Try some faith.
You don’t have to be religious.
What can we do on the ground? Encourage voting. Vote. It’s
not just about the Presidency – we need a Congress that can work with Obama or
we will suffer four more years of struggle and stagnation. We can’t afford
that. And we need state governments that will not waste our time and resources
bucking national policy based on localized bigotry. Work for progressive
congressional candidates in swing districts. There’s one near you, no doubt,
worth a few hours’ drive if necessary - here's a good place to find out: House races: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/house/2012_elections_house_map.html
Senate Races: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/2012_elections_senate_map.html
Senate Races: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/2012_elections_senate_map.html
