Geodog

An optimistic look at the political scene

I often feel unrelieved pessimism about current politics, for reasons that should be clear to anyone who has read much of what I have written. I've actually gotten to the point where I don't write about a lot of the news I read, because it is so depressing. A là Robert K Brown, a lot of it would be funny if it wasn't so serious. That's why it was a pleasant surprise to read Anil Dash's changing the channel . Anil argues that seen in historical context, us lefty/liberals are winning. For example, he cites the Trent Lott affair to make the point that now, "association with racist ideas is just plain unacceptable for people in public office." He has a bunch of other examples:

George W. Bush put out a message from the White House in honor of Kwanzaa. We're winning.

It's probably that sense of a slow, inexorable loss that makes conservatives terrified, causing them to respond with a desperate clinging to the past that only serves to further doom their cause. The best solutions, of course, lie in the future.

The future is what America's about. This is not a country about Traditions. Slavery was a tradition. Servitude to patrilineal monarchs was a tradition. The closest thing America has to a tradition is the phrase, the philosophy, "F**k You".

You get the idea. I'm not entirely convinced, but it was a refreshing read. Recommended.