The Morning After

It was a giddy five days, wasn't it? I remember it well. There were blogs, and jokes on the Internet, and bets were made about how long it would last, how soon there would be a resignation. I made one of those bets myself. I said, within the month. Gone within the month. But five days passed and the vice-president was still there.

I'm referring, of course, not to our short happy fling with Sarah Palin, which ended last night with her completely terrifying speech in Minnesota, but to the week that Dick Cheney shot a friend in the face, didn't even go to the hospital to see him, and somehow, after a week, was still standing, as powerful as ever. These Republicans don't go away, and they never admit a mistake, and sometimes, when I remember this, I wonder how I ever forgot it, much less how I ever bet against it.

I forget what I know about conventions too, until I'm reminded every four years. The Democrats are always messy, multi-colored, a civics lesson in democracy, at times a nightmare of what can happen when people find their voices and won't stop talking. This year they had an abbreviated roll call, and the states all went through their introductory paragraphs ... the great state of Whatever ... the home of the God-Knows-Where Water Gap ...the place where daffodils bloom all year long ... and it made me misty thinking of the first night I ever heard a roll call. It was 1956 and I was camping on the rim of the Grand Canyon, listening to the radio and writing down the numbers on a piece of cardboard as the states decided whether Estes Kefauver or John Kennedy would be the vice-president on a ticket headed by Adlai Stevenson, whom I loved with all my heart. It was a thrilling night, and alone in the dark with my portable radio, I felt as if I were part of absolutely everything that was great in the universe.

Then of course, there are the Republicans, and I always forget them too. I forget how white they are, and mean-spirited, and thin-lipped. I watch them and I think, is anyone buying this? Does anyone think we're better off today? That we're "winning" the war? That teaching creationism is simply a matter of exposing students to both sides of the question? That it's sexist to wonder whether a mother who just months ago committed to a Down syndrome child ought to be running for vice-president? Does anyone think that executive experience trumps wisdom and intellect? And who are these people who rise to their feet and cheer loudest when they hear the words "Off-shore drilling"?

But the Republicans do it better. They present a united front. They wait for the applause, they don't roll over it in the interests of keeping the speeches short and on time. They ride the news cycle, they twist the truth, they stick to their talking points, they blah into the wind, blah blah blah blah blah, and in the end, they're still standing.

Now what?

Comments

[jumpjumphalt]

From "Roseanne of Tennessee: "The Republicans have always been short-term thinkers. They want vouchers for private schools, which will cause our public schools to deteriorat­e...". I agree.

The Republicans in power want Americans to remain ignorant and stupid. That way, the public is easier to sway with propaganda, and subsequently, easier to control.
Look at the RNC 9/11 video. Well, there ya go.

[HBeachbum]

Our public schools deteriorated decades ago. Vouchers are one of the last hopes of getting our children into decent schools.

[learnsomething]

What you said does NOT make sense. Whose children get the vouchers? Why not make all the public schools quality schools so ALL children can get a quality education.

[LeftRight]

Of course, since the REASON that our schools are performing as bad as they are is due ENTIRELY to republicans cutting funding...­...

And by the way, one more point. Public schools, in spite of everything that is wrong with them, are performing BETTER than the average private school!

[mezz1962]

Yes our Public schools are running at peak efficiency now why would we need vouchers LOL

[AshevilleVoice]

HuffPost's Pick

When we're at the point of seeing Repubs as hopelessly stupid and incomprehensible, we're giving in to the fear that Michelle Ob ama warned was the only thing standing in our way of victory.

I remind myself how many years and billions of dollars went into the think tanks that craft the Repub strategy. That these low tactics work say something about us all, about humans, not just about Repubs.

What I see in O is a rare man who frames the issues that the better angels of all of us respond to. You and I only need to keep articulating that vision, keep calling it into being with our words. The vision of living the American dream is very powerful. Perhaps more powerful that repub fear.

Learn to move the way justice moves you, and learn to quit moving the way fear moves you. Rumi said something like that.

[PhDiva]

I'm an African American, kind-spirited but tough talking, full lipped woman. I say everybody who thinks the Republican ticket is even scarier than Bush Cheney (which I do. McCain is more of warmonger than Cheney. Palin is more of bible thumper than bush) should do everything in our power to defeat them. This is a great wake-up call to democrats. Many of us preferred Obama to McCain, but only found him somewhat frightening. Now that he's combined with Saracudda Palin, he's absolutely terrifying.

I also don't think this played very well to independents. Let's hope they wake up and vote with us.

[Kahill]

Having a Down syndrome child is not a disqualification for vice-president. Not sure how anyone, specially a woman, can say that. And to be quite honest, Palin's personal story is an interesting one, and she has a number of endearing pages in it. How Palin has surprised us is showing an incredible skill in using all the twisted lies and talking points from the right-wing TV hosts and radio talk-show nuts, and gleefully directing them with a razor blade precision at Obama. Its becoming scarily effective, specially in rousing their base. The Dems need to find an effective way to ridicule Palins achievements, rather than attack her persona in any way for that is bound to be a losing proposition.

[Kassandra]

" I forget how white they are, and mean-spirited, and thin-lipped. "

AND, they can't DANCE EITHER! That was the most pathetic part for me!

[iluvsam]

They are still standing, because we Dems seem to know nothing about human behavior. Dems expect that all people are like us: smart, rational, inquisitive, and will vote on the issues. However, people are sheeple. They are pack animals. They have to be told in very simple terms what to think and what their opinions should be (hence the existence of churches and talk radio) and most always vote against their best interests. Most vote for the person and not the issues. Dems don't understand this. We find sinple thinking highly frustrating and almost can't physically do it. The Dems need to hire some social scientists for their campaigns. Author Sam Harris recently said it best: "If you want someone just like you to be president of the United States, or even vice president, you deserve whatever dysfunctional society you get. You deserve to be poor, to see the environment despoiled, to watch your children receive a fourth-rate education and to suffer as this country wages -- and loses -- both necessary and unnecessary wars."

http://www.richarddawkins.net/article,3068,Palin-average-isnt-good-enough,Sam-Harris-Los-Angeles-Times

[maddocbrown]

Much love for the Dawkins link. However noble the intention, I don't think this provides a convincing sociobiological account for why the Dems are losing. There is an element of hive mentality to the individual, but it is not by far a strong force. Why else would we have communities with mixed political affiliations? Hive mentality can be discounted because it is observed in those who don't care about the political process one way or the other or whose lives are comfortable regardless of the outcome. We should observe a strong geographic clustering of Dems and Reps. The distribution is close, but it isn't uniform.

Voting for the person not the issue is the human problem which will always be with us. The problem that is amenable is that people vote for the party, not the person. The "maverick" McCane had to reinvent himself as the conservative to garner the nomination of his party. The party, being a private organization, bears no liability toward those who are not its members, and you can only belong to one or ther other. There are being only two major parties that affect political change. Both are quite to the right of center if you judge not the slogans judging by the fact that we still don't have universal health care. The recent problem of superdelegates that can veto a candidate they don't like who has gathered public support, as undemocratic as it is. That CAN be changed.

[schmuckwithearlaps]

I was very touched by your reference to 1956 and the idealism of a young person caught up in the Stevenson and later Kennedy movements. Then compare that with the young folks at the Republican convention who cheered wildly for off shore drilling and the hate speech that came out of the mouth of people like Palin, Thompson and Gulianni.

[MajorKong]

The Republicans are extremely good at running an election campaign. Unfortunately that's about all they know how to run.

[Jon Raymond - Huffpost Blogger]

USA! USA! USA! USA!

Republicans don't need no 26 letters. Three is enough.

[GOVSUX]

Latest Rasmussen poll Mccain up by 4%. Your hate is gonna doom you fools again and thank god for it.

[GOVSUX]

All the traits you proclaim the right has, you people display! Fascinating

[BigSid]

I SEE WHY SOME WOULD BE SCARED

As someone who was born and raised in Virginia and then moved to California to be corrupted, the kaleidoscope of the Democratic Party is what I see everyday, but the blandness of the Republicans doesn't scare me since I've spent a lot of time around it as well.

Here's a few answers to the questions in the column:

The Dems buy their spin and the GOP gets hyphy about the spin on their side. In my opinion the GOP had the better one-liners this year.

For some, everything has been downhill since 1989, but I actually think I am better off this year than last. For real.

The War was a catastrophe overall, but we are winning it, if it can ever be said that someone wins a war. Remember, Joe Biden voted for it as well.

Creationism shouldn't be taught from a pulpit in the school gymnasium, but it should at least be taught to make young people aware of what it is. We can't hide from the fact that some people believe in God.

It may not be sexist to ask the question, but sure as heck is sexist to say Palin can't be a mom and Vice-President.

The people who get excited about offshore drilling are the same ones who get bummed about $5/gallon gas...ther­e's more of them out there than some would at first wanna admit...pr­obably exactly why Obama is excited about it now.

[deepbreath678]

Republicans have been attacking Democrats forever. However...­Democrats have been attacking Republicans forever too. You are all the same. Just read the majority of comments posted here on Huffinton Post. As you all cry out how Republicans are mean and always attacking, you are the ones who are doing the attacking. Hateful and meanspirited attacking. Unfortunate personal attacks. Then you whine when you get the same thing right back at you! Just as Obama gets "so upset" at the "attacks" from Republicans as he goes on and on attacking them! The facts are that Obama spent much more time in his speech attacking John McCain than John McCain did attacking Obama. The facts are that Obama was the first candidate to come out with an "attack ad". As McCain did not respond, did not respond,did not respond...­his numbers went down! So, he finally started responding. Obama has never taken the high road here. He is the perfect Democratic and/or Republican politician.

[TheKat]

These very white, thin-lipped and mean-spirited people are the ones who elected the president twice.

In the last 30 years they put a bad face on religion.

They keep running at Roe v. Wade.

They made the Supreme Court scary.

They rant on cable all day and all night.

Unless every single independent and democrat and undecided and hillary supporter gets behind mr. obama, they will continue lying and twisting and they will win. . . again. . . and that is truly terrifying.

[tyrdofwaitin]

Amen. That is the bottom line: Truth doesn't matter; right and wrong doesn't matter; splitting iedological hairs doesn't matter; even evil and good doesn't matter any more.

What does matter is how many of us --- people of good will--- will get to the polls on November 4 for Barack Obama. Not because he's the Messiah, but because he's the best antidote to evil at the highest levels of government that we've had in many years.

REGISTER, VOTE & GET EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO REGISTER & VOTE Silence=Death

[athenasword]

Absolutely. Someone posted earlier... we all need to vote as if our lives depend on it. And, that is quite honestly the likely truth.

[AliLiz]

Well said. Now...what is the action plan...my fear is the Repubs will win and the country will take another turn in a direction most do not want to go and we will never be able to come back to a democracy.

[AmandaSo]

My plan, though admittidaly narrow in scope, is to take my meager savings and move to another country if the Republicans win. Sorry, but I tried to tell all y'all about these people years ago, and nobody was listening. Not even the scared-o'-­Nine-Eleve­n Democrats.

Come November, that'll be three presidential elections I've slogged through, waiting for middle America to grow a brain. I'm turning fifty just before the election. I'm old. I've got neither the strength nor the patience to tolerate another four years of Republican facism.

Ireland's nice. Don't you think Ireland's nice? Yes.... Ireland...­.

~A~

[dadw5boys]

YOU FORGOT TURNING THE PENTAGON INTO "RELIGIOUS WARRIORS".

THE NEW "RELIGIOUS CRUSADERS"

[Kassandra]

"These very white, thin-lipped and mean-spirited people are the ones who elected the president twice."
Let's be clear: No, they didn't elect him either time. 2000 was a clear coup de etat`, '04 was won in Ohio by Ken Blackwell. Let us never forget how we have been hoodwinked by reciting unfacts

[maddocbrown]

None of it matters, you ninnies. We elected the Democratic Congress in droves, and reversed the Republican hold on the legislative branch of a decade. And what? They did diddly squat with it, that's what. Bush would have zero power even with his usurpation of executive orders and unitary power if the Congress did not stand behind him to pass his laws. Do you think your Congressmen are bad guys? They are not. They are doing what is politically expedient and playing to the middle. This middle is what you are railing against - this middle is the one that votes against its own economic interests, this middle has been hijacked by the free market deregulation ideology, this middle does not care or is not capable of looking into the issues beyond two-bit slogans. This middle is now the majority, it appears, and we are the minority. The only way to reverse course from a totalitarian nightmare is for it to get worse (for the middle) before it can get better. Alas, we don't live in a country of humanitarianism and rationalism any longer. The Englightenment is over, folks.

[Goodmom08]

Norah, Norah, be honest. I've heard you speak, and I've read your excellent column for years. I know you are a feminist, as well as a wonderful mother. I remember how you once felt about Mrs. Clinton. Now if it were Mrs. Clinton who had an infant, I think you'd be all "Wow, you go, girl, Hillary went back to work in 3 days!" And if you found out the baby was born with special needs, in this case Down syndrome, you would never, ever--be honest, now--ever, ever, say about Mrs. Clinton back then, "She oughta stay home and take care of that baby. She's got a lotta nerve thinking 'career' now with everything on her plate personally­.'

[YogiBarrister]

GoodMom, you lost me. When did Norah(sic) say Palin ought to stay home and take care of the baby?
The GOP, Grand Old Palindrome, backwards is forward to them.

[lisangela]

Not just any career...t­he second most important job in the country. I don't know about you, but I would like the person that fills that job to give their full attention to it. To think that we dismiss Sarah Palin as part of some anti-feminism thing is intellectually dishonest.

We're talking Vice President, people! I'm a Dem, but even I know that there are so many other Republican women infinitely more qualified that have paid their dues and deserve the opportunity more. Picking her was about political game playing, period.

She's NOT good enough, she's NOT smart enough and dammit we don't like her.

[Melissa]

I can't believe the women who are coming out against a working Mother. Thank God for women lijke Geraldine Ferraro, though not voting for her, supports her decision to run.

[cadbury]

"That it's sexist to wonder whether a mother who just months ago committed to a Down syndrome child ought to be running for vice-president?"

I totally agree with goodmom. Does Ms Ephron really have to wonder about this? What about the child's dad? What about the older siblings? What about the grandparents? And yes, what about paid childcare providers? Does MS Ephron seriously think that Gov Palin hasn't already had to deal with parenting issues in her current position? Bottom line: What year is this?

[Pennsylvanianne]

Your argument is silly, as Hillary did not seek office until her daughter, who did not have special needs, was grown. She has done a MUCH better job raising Hillary than Sarah Palin has done with her son, who reportedly was arrested as a minor and later packed off to the military, or teen daughter, who is pregnant out of wedlock. Hillary had fewer billable hours as an attorney than her partners during the years Chelsea was young. She CUT BACK on her work, unlike Sarah Palin, who has enthusiastically agreed to take on MORE work during her youngest son's infancy. What a contrast. There are many feminists out there who have had to weigh their family and career priorities and cut back on career. These are the women who see Palin for what she is: a woman with unbridled ambition who would throw her teen daughter under the bus of media scrutiny to further her political goals, and a hypocrite.