Hope

[plumtreeblossom]

Here we are, another anniversary of 9/11. Most years, I spend time remembering and registering the changes that have come about in our country since that day. This year, it's weighing more heavily because there's so much more at stake.

This morning I got a big belly-ful of discouraging articles and doomsday blogs, and I really shouldn't have been reading that today. I have a big political post in me but I'm going to save it because I don't feel it's respectful to go full-barrel on this day. I just want to say two brief things.

I really wasn't scared about the election until Sarah Palin appeared on the scene. On the first day of the announcement, I thought it was a laughable nail in McCain's coffin -- a sexy, young fundamentalist neo-con from the 19th century, picked largely in an insulting attempt to lure Hillary's supporters through gender and absolutely no other similarities. Then the numbers began to shift.

As far as I know, most or all of my friends who are Hillary supporters are remaining loyal to Hillary and her vision for America by voting the way she's voting -- for Obama. They know that Palin is NO Hillary, and is in fact the polar opposite, regressive to Hillary and Obama's progressive, and that she would rip to shreads everything Hillary and her generation of feminists did for us. I know well how painful it can be to vote for the candidate your 1st choice candidate endorses, even if they rub you the wrong way, because I usually have to do exactly that. I want to thank all of you for remaining loyal to Hillary's values and following her lead to getting a Democrat into the White House and ending the insanity of war, corruption and economic ruin. In the end, we all want the same things for our country.I assure you, if the primary had turned out the other way, I would have put on a Hillary button and joined you.

That's all for today. I hope everyone has a good day.

Comments

[dabroots.livejournal.com]

I'm very pleased that my big sister near Indianapolis, now 59 years old and a Hillary supporter until the bitter end, is now actively working for Obama. In fact, just last night she called me to say she was going to be meeting Michelle Obama before a rally, this after spending several days making phone calls to registered voters.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I have huge respect for your sister, and I know how hard it is to continue the good fight under a different person's banner. During the primaries, I often thought about this -- even cried about it once -- but I knew that if Obama lost the primary, I would grieve for a few weeks and then get behind Hillary. He would have expected nothing less of me.

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

I've forgotten how to be optimistic lately.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Volunteer, donate, blog, help. Any way you can.

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

I meant in general.
Volunteering, donations, and blogging will not easily affect my state of mind.
Only when we find out, once and for all in two months, will I maybe feel better.

[kalliejenn2.livejournal.com]

i honestly didn't even remember that today was 9/11. i guess that's a good thing.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I think I'll always be aware of it on some level every year, but this year moreso.

[mindflankr.livejournal.com]

Palin is NO Hillary, and is in fact the polar opposite, regressive to Hillary and Obama's progressive, and that she would rip to shreads everything Hillary and her generation of feminists did for us.

AMEN SISTER! I was hoping that Hillary would get back in the White House. That woman has been a crusader for causes long before it was 'fashionable'. I admire her greatly.

That said, I am now an Obama supporter....not just because Hillary asked me to be.....but because I think he will take this country in a far better direction.

I am hoping that Palin's luster will fade fast as more facts about her come to light.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to hear that! And believe me, Hillary is not going to fade into the distance. She will be working tightly with Obama, and is already at work on other initiatives to help ensure healthcare availability and reproductive freedoms (join HillPAC with me!). She'll need the support of ALL of us. Together, We Can.

Dead Cat Bounce

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

The more I learn, the more I feel any McCain lead is fleeting, if real in the first place.

There's no doubt McCain made up some ground with Palin. We would all have liked him to pick some boring old white man moderate and leave the base asleep, but he activated his base. We were spoiled all this time expecting a cakewalk.

However, there is real question as to whether any McCain gains are confined to traditional red states, and that Palin might have helped Obama in the swing states that matter.

No, I don't wish the election were held today, but I'm beginning to see more of the things I like about Obama, and McCain still has a very uphill electoral battle.

I also think Palin will do nothing but tarnish over time. This is their high water mark, and the race is a dead heat.

So avoid the hand wringing liberal blogs. Defeatocrat liberals and old, pre-2004 Red Sox fans are cut from the same cloth.

Re: Dead Cat Bounce

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Over in obama_2008, where I am a Moderator (1 of 10!), we sometimes see strings of gloomy posts that shouldn't be taken as seriously as they get taken. It can cause waves of OH DOOOOOM and it sometimes even gets to me. We have to keep an eye on it because when things get emo over there, it can lead to in-fighting.

We used to have a guy there who made an LJ career out of "officially" announcing Barack's defeat and the Democrat's "definite" failure in November. This was like back in March. After every state victory, he would post something with a title like "Bad News" dismissing every win as useless, and that we were idiots to keep trying. Finally the then-Mod kicked him out. We haven't had a real Tokyo Rose like that since then, but the general group emo waves can be disheartening now and then.

Re: Dead Cat Bounce

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

During the Primary Wars, I spent a lot of time on MyDD and Daily kos; two of the larger progressive blogs. On MyDD in particular, we were very much prone to Concern Trolling and pumas. They still show up from time to time, and are now promptly flagged down.

These people were either real pumas or red staters undermining democratic unity by spreading demoralization. Liberal blogs and conservative blogs operate very differently. Conservative blogs have very strict membership and heavy moderation. If you can even join one, should you say anything suspicious or don't tow the party line, you're out. Conservative blogs are very fascist, just like their party philosophy. Liberal blogs, on the other hand, are more, well, liberal, and thus more open to such cyber attacks.

In the mean time, I'm going to try and go canvassing with the local Obama people in New Hampshire this Saturday.

I think McCain made up some ground, but I'm not sure the polls were accurate beforehand showing Obama with a lead. The race is essentially tied, and I give Obama any tie breaker assuming nothing else changes. McCain is having a dead cat bounce, and I do think Palin will lose her luster the more people know about her. I'm hoping this more aggressive Obama can pick up 2 points on McCain nationally by next Monday. If so, then things are looking good and the bounce really was a dead cat bounce.