Here's the actress Debra Winger, in an interview with today's Observer, on why she campaigned so hard for Obama this year:
"I still remember where I was when the supreme court decision came back four years ago," she says. "I stared at the radio, and I couldn't believe it. I felt such sorrow and such shame. We never believed that Bush would get re-elected, and we were asleep." She wasn't going to let that happen again.
The supreme court decision she's referring to took place eight years ago, of course. Well, OK, that's an easy enough mistake. But then when you read her last sentence you realise that she seems to be conflating Bush's reelection with his first election into one horrible nightmare.
But anyway - who is this 'we' that never believed Bush would get re-elected?
The whole thing is very confusing. I need a lie down.
No employer of the royal "we", she.
Despite never having met Ms Winger and always recalling correctly that the infamous Supreme Court decision changed history in 2000, not 2004, I count myself as part of her "we". After my candidate won the popular vote but "lost" overall in 2000, I thought, "OK, we have to put up with four years of gaffes from this bozo and then elect a real president." After the U.S. invaded Iraq, I thought, "Yeah, he's definitely toast in 2004." And then in 2004 the Swift Boating started...and I thought, "Who's going to care about such poppycock when Bush himself never even set foot in Vietnam -- and hey, why are they arguing about a war from decades ago when Bush started one by choice, now?! Dubya is toast, for sure!"
Boy, were we wrong. But mustn't grumble now, because the nightmare will end in just a few weeks.
Posted by: Lyle | December 29, 2008 at 02:24 AM
Happy New Year!
As Obama more and more seems to be preparing us for "4 more years" of a Bush/ Obama victory in Iraqi Freedom, I'm feeling better and better.
Swift-boating ... hah! How many days did Kerry spend in the hospital while collecting 3 purple hearts? Wasn't it zero? none? nada?
Well, as the many corrupt Dems either slither away or fight it out in public or courts, it will be fun to be able to criticize and criticize, like Reps haven't been able to do wholeheartedly for the last 8 years, despite the Biggest Spending Pres. of all time.
I guess Lyle must be feeling good about the 'no-war' in Darfur as the slo-mo genocide (Bush called it in 2004) continues; and the impotence of the UN as Zimbabwe's people starve. I don't, but I believe in Just War, and that's sort of been voted down.
Posted by: Tom Grey | January 05, 2009 at 06:20 PM