roachboy

today marks the official passage of the bush administration onto the ant-heap of the past.
already the chewing sounds of forgetting are audible.

how are you feeling about this, about the transition into something else (else but not other)?

tonight i am going to a party. there's a ritual i remember from the new testament that i've liked for a long time--when you leave a town, you stop on the border and kick the dirt off your shoes.
that is my plan.

but i am not one of those people conservatives like to project into the world who understands obama as a break with the past, nor this as a zero-moment that marks a transition from one cognitive regime into another.
that is the stuff of hegelian fairytales.

i'm cautiously optimistic in that side of me that lives day-to-day in this machine, who tries to manage a material life and relationships knit within that, who like anyone tries to simply continue and in the process manage to do what is important to me.

==========

but there's another side as well, and i post this even though i don't have time at the moment to do this justice.

before the chewing sounds of forgetting get too loud:
and you can almost hear those sounds beneath the approbation being heaped on transition by the same media apparatus that heaped approbation on the period of fascism-lite that issued from 9/13/2001, the same apparatus that was fully participant in generating a climate of nationalist hysteria adequately dense to entirely disable the vaunted systems of checks and balances that folk who believe in the machinery of state as machine point to as central to their faith, the same apparatus that later pointed to the debacle in iraq--after they were willingly participant in selling that debacle---and katrina--and the other fiascos that followed---as aspects of this system, like in the end democracy has been supplanted by the workings of some god and that god is a royalist. the legitimacy of the monarch is reflected in the way fortune smiles or does not--ultimately such checks as there are functionally unfold in response to the matching of inward and outer attributes--so the litany of debacles that is the record of the bush administration amounted to a demonstration of illegitimacy--and the sycophants in the dominant media, protecting their own institutional interests, acquired a degree of detachment by watching this process unfold.

and "we the people" are nothing more or less that spectators.

there is something deeply, fundamentally wrong with the american ideological/political machinery.

to my mind the main thing demonstrated by the bush administration is the magnitude of this problem.

and nothing about this transition changes that--what you're seeing is the same framing machinery changing direction, following it's basic imperatives: what's real is rational.
what matters is the continued flow of advertising dollars.

it's time for a new politics, well outside what currently is, that departs from and loops back onto the myriad problems generated by this ideological machinery, which has assimilated the american pseudo-democracy wholesale into itself.

and which undermines the idea that democracy and a culture of spectatorship have anything to do with each other.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

Baraka_Guru

It's too soon for me to comment on this; I'm one who usually tends to evaluate things when they're settled a bit in the past. It helps to see the contrast between the past and the present, and we'll see how things go in the coming months.

I will provide this. I originally posted this in Found on the Net, but it helps to contextualize this thread. The danger of it, of course, is in its summarized format, but it does give us a decent snapshot of what went on during the Bush years:

The Accomplishments of George W. Bush — Keith Olberman


If anything, I'm looking forward to a more moderate approach to governance and politics. Of course, the claim will be that Obama is turning America into a socialist state, but it may only appear that way when we compare what he does directly to what Bush has done. Juxtaposition can sometimes be fascinating.

If anything, I expect Obama to bring America back to the realm of sanity.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Derwood

I'm an Obama realist. I think his basic ideology is a better direction for this country than the ideologies of the past 8 years, but I don't expect miracles.

In fact, the only people I hear spouting the "Obama will solve all the problems, he's the Messiah!" nonsense are the bitter right, who have been the poster children for "sore losers" these past few months. If I read one more snarky, sarcastic editorial or message board post I think I'm going to scream.

But I wish Mr. Obama luck; today is about accolades and celebration, but tomorrow the real work begins (and with it, the criticism of every move he makes).

ratbastid

Yeah. The right-wing framing machine is broken. Bush broke it. That's the best thing you can say about the end of the Bush Era--he successfully destroyed the most powerful political force our nation has ever seen: the ability of the far-right to control the framing of national discourse.

I'm watching the inauguration on CNN right now. Obama and Bush just walked out of the White House together and got in a car together. Our new guy just OOZES class, doesn't he? Also, does Cheney's appearance in a wheelchair mark his complete transformation into a comic book villain? IS he Dr. Strangelove?

Cynosure

Wow. I usually can't stand Keith Olberman. But that video, in its 8 minutes, summed up every issue I've had with the Bush administration – and then some! Furthermore, I found Olberman to be pretty reserved in that video, compared to his usual self.

dlish

im with RB on this one. im hoping for some changes. im expecting some minor changes, but nothing major. as much as id like to think so, i doubt much will change.

Obamas popularity will plummet once the honeymoon period is over, and all the hype over his inauguration will be forgotten.

you can paint a car all you want, you can change the driver, but at the end of the day its still a beetle. i might be pessimistic, but what options do i have to make me optimistic? the only reason why i'd be content with obamas is to keep the other guy out.

__________________
An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere

I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay?
- Filthy

Derwood

I won't lie, I enjoyed seeing Bush sit there while Obama skewered his policy. Thanks for nothing

guyy

I got a letter in the mail not one hour before the swearing-in saying my "services were no longer needed", which made me a little more cynical about the whole affair. There have been a lot of references to the origins of the US and the spirit of its founders, but this society is very different.

As for Bush, the Onion has been making him into a sort of Kenny: spiders eat his brain, he nails his eyelid to the wall, and so on. In a different time and place, he would have disemboweled himself; it would have been the only way out. That said, i didn't attend the local Bush-toppling. The idea seemed amusing just a couple weeks ago, but all of a sudden it seemed petty and backward-looking. In a way, Bush was never "there" in the sense that Saddam Hussein was, which means any toppling would have had made him more legitimate than he ever was.

Willravel

Cautious optimism had been my default philosophy since I was a teenager, but really recent (the last 8 years) events have shifted my view of the US government's behavior to one of cautious pragmatism; if we're all very lucky, the government will at the very least act in a manner which isn't overtly destructive and counterproductive. I've been cautiously pragmatic for maybe the last 3-4 years.

President Obama is a great speaker. He has a lot of ideas that stand in stark contrast to the neolibs/neo conservatives. He has a lot of ideas that seem to be heading in the right direction. Sure, some of his ideas seem a bit naive, and he's ignoring a lot of big problems... but there are so many big problems, and each of those problems requires such work to at least undo, let alone correct and start heading in a better direction. My hope is that he will act in a pragmatic manner, addressing as many problems as possible without imploding.

It would be nice to be cautiously optimistic again, but I'm not there yet.

filtherton

I'm excited to see how the country might work when the people running it aren't qualification-less.

I don't really expect all the much from Obama-- the last eight years have set the bar pretty low for me.

dksuddeth

Olberman lost any shred of credibility he had left when he decided to berate Scalia over his heller ruling.

As for me, Obama is now president, not president elect. If he can adhere to the oath he took and move the country forward, i'll support him. If he ignores the oath, i'll oppose him bitterly.

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

Derwood

the oath is 35 worlds long. that leaves a lot of interpretation of "adherence"

highthief

You got fired by mail?

That's harsh ...

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

Charlatan

No. He is Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Tully Mars

I like Beetles.
-----Added 20/1/2009 at 08 : 58 : 05-----
I completely agree.
-----Added 20/1/2009 at 08 : 58 : 48-----

Ditto again.
-----Added 20/1/2009 at 09 : 02 : 54-----

Seriously? Mail, fired by mail? Really sorry to hear that.
-----Added 20/1/2009 at 09 : 07 : 25-----
I like Olbermann, Scalia not so much.
-----Added 20/1/2009 at 09 : 11 : 04-----
Reminds me of the "Penguin"-

__________________
I used to drink to drown my sorrows, but the damned things have learned how to swim- Frida Kahlo

Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

guyy

Yep. It was one sentence -- one clause even. No "We regret to inform you...", no "Due to circumstances beyond our control...", not even a "thank you". They were weird from the start, but i was still surprised.

I did manage to line up an interview about an hour after Obama was sworn in.

Milnoc

So you were fired while Bush was still president, and lined up an interview after Obama became president.

Man, the new guy doesn't waste any time!

dlish

we'll obamas put a stop on guantanamo trials for 120 days, which is a good sign...

i do hope he can make a change..but he's got 4 years to become stale. lets hope he makes a change for the better though. the US has fallen to lows nobody can deny in the last 8 years.

__________________
An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere

I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay?
- Filthy

guyy

The shoe throwing really did seem to sum it all up, so much so that there were re-enactments around the world yesterday:

Video, Once last time with sole: shoe-throwers take parting shot at Bush | World news | guardian.co.uk

roachboy

that's a fantastic clip. kinda makes me think we should organize little carnival booths everywhere we are and film the proceedings---maybe offer shoes for free or something---no reason not to join in on the fun and excitement.

this remains the only unequivocal aspect of all this.


an aside:

i kinda like elizabeth alexander's reading--not so much the whole of her poem--but the way she read, with emphasis placed on each word so that the sentences were more a matter of the timing of pauses that the arc of speech, tonal modulation, etc. i liked that she resisted being Epic, that the piece had a sweep to it, but remained locked in a single, located perspective. and i liked that the organizing committe broke with the awful, tremulous hallmark card model of folk like maya angelou.

in the overall scheme of things, liking the ceremonial poet more than most such ceremonial poets is not the biggest of issues--but still i wonder if there might be a creeping in, by degrees, of some (much?) of the more "experimental" work that's happening off the monotonous radar of official reactionary culture in the states.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

dksuddeth

'support and defend the constitution of the united states' shouldn't need a whole lot of thought to interpret or adhere to.

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

Tully Mars

If the constitution doesn't need any thought or interpretation why do we need a SCOTUS?

__________________
I used to drink to drown my sorrows, but the damned things have learned how to swim- Frida Kahlo

Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

Baraka_Guru

Wait, isn't the Constitution just a piece of paper?

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Derwood

as shown in the gun thread, the constitution is open to a wide spectrum of interpretation

dlish

the clip doesnt really translate the arabic fully. what the guy said was that they were happy to see the back of bush, but that those that come after him are worse. and that there isnt one of them who is decent or respected. he ended to say that no matter where we go, america remains the head of the snake.

this clip is coming from jordanians who are supposedly allies with the US. interesting.

__________________
An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere

I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay?
- Filthy

Derwood

My theme song for 2009

I got a brand new car that drinks a bunch of gas
I got a house in a neighborhood that’s fading fast
I got a dog and a cat that don’t fight too much
I got a few hundred channels to keep me in touch
I got a beautiful wife and three tow-headed kids
I got a couple of big secrets I’d kill to keep hid
I don’t know God but I fear his wrath
I’m trying to keep focused on the righteous path

I got a couple of opinions that I hold dear
A whole lot of debt and a whole lot of fear
I got an itch that needs scratching but it feels alright
I got the need to blow it out on Saturday night
I got a grill in the backyard and a case of beers
I got a boat that ain’t seen the water in years
More bills than money, I can do the math
I’m trying to keep focused on the righteous path

I’m trying to keep focused as I drive down the road
On the ditches and the curves and the heavy load
Ain’t bitching bout things that aren’t in my grasp
Just trying to hold steady on the righteous path

There’s this friend of mine I’ve known all my life
Who can’t get it right no matter how hard he tries
He’s got kids he don’t see and several ex-wives
And a list of bad decisions bout eight miles wide
Trouble with the law and the IRS
And where he’ll get the money’s anybody’s guess
He’s a long way off but if you was to ask
He’d say he’s trying to stay focused on the righteous path

Trying to keep focused as we drive down the road
Like we did back in High School before the world turned cold
Now the brakes are thin and the curves are fast
We’re trying to hold steady on the righteous path

We’re hanging out and we’re hanging on
We’re trying the best we can to keep keeping on
We got messed up minds for these messed up times
And it’s a thin thin line separating his from mine

Trying to hold steady on the righteous path
80 miles and hour with a worn out map
No time for self-pity or self-righteous crap
Trying to stay focused on the righteous path

"The Righteous Path" by Drive-By Truckers (2008)

Redlemon

They say that he injured himself packing files. I think he was injured while being forcibly removed from his undisclosed location.

__________________
I can't read your signature. Sorry.

powerclown

I didn't really think about this. He was a good target because he never threw anything back at me. I really like that in a target. And he never moved. Just stood there. I like throwing rocks at people that don't move. I hit them. Bush wasn't just a good target, he was a great target. Not many people are stupid enough to make great targets that don't throw anything back at you, you know. But, I don't know what it means to me. Makes me feel sort of empty, I suppose. Like I don't have any purpose anymore. My stomach feels funny. Bush gone? What are people like me supposed to do now, anyway? Did Bush ever think about that? No! He's left me standing here in the rain with this pile of rocks and nowhere to throw them. Come back here Bush! Come back here, you! Those were the best eight years of my life. I had something to live for. And now you're gone.

I hate you Bush!

dlish

hey theres always an israeli tanker..

__________________
An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere

I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay?
- Filthy

roachboy

you're right, powerclown.
being paperthin is difficult.
what a man that george w bush was, being paperthin.
a virtuoso. a master. someone to look up to if thinking thin as paper is what you're after.
someone to be proud of.

i mean, it's not like he left behind a trail of disaster or anything.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

dksuddeth

The supreme court was just one check on the power of congress and the executive. If a law passed congress that violated the constitution, it was basically nullified.

The constitution was written in a very straightforward and easy to understand manner. It took a bunch of lawyers to screw it up.

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

Derwood

don't forget liberal activist judges, damn their eyes

dksuddeth

and souls. lets not lump me in with the whole neocon bunch though. I'm very critical of some conservative justices as well. They are as bad, if not some worse, than liberal activist judges

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

guyy

Yeah, i never figured out why the shoe-thrower and all those other Iraqis didn't just strew His path with rose petals. And those ungrateful bastards in his own country! He did so much for them and what do they do? They've forgotten all about Him now that they have their magical negro to hero-worship in fascist style.

mixedmedia

I am happy that my Haitian (via Germany) last.fm friend is happy.

Otherwise I haven't really been paying attention. Which, I think, counts me officially amongst the ranks of the 'good 'muricans.'

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

powerclown

I look forward to an epic diplomatic initiative to inform the rest of the world that we love them and We Care™ about every citizen of the world. I think Obama must act quickly: I would propose a renaming of the Dept. of Defense to the Dept. of Outreach, with the American Psychological Association replacing the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He must fire all the generals and soldiers and replace them with social workers, psychologists and ululating mystics.

He must launch an airlift immediately to drop millions of "We Luv You" packages containing baked goods, viagra and prozac on all the countries upset with us. He must act soon to regain their trust. This nation must shed it's image of Warmongering and Criminal Actions against all of Humanity. From Jan. 20 on, all aircraft carriers must be made into "World Community Outreach Centers", and painted white or pink with a big picture of a smiling Obama on the side, maybe with a caption that says "Hi there, buddies!" These ships must remove all of their weapons of War and Murder. They must replace all of their munitions with pallet-fuls of cash, to be used to make reparations to everyone in the world. They must provide free health care to everyone who needs it, on land or at sea.

I look forward to The New Age, an age when the lion lies down with the lamb, the killer whales renounce mackerel for seaweed, the barn owl abstains from the field mouse. No more lies to start wars with people who are our friends. No more giving Israel munitions to murder innocent Palestinians who only wish to live in Peace. No more warships patrolling the seas, committing acts of piracy and intimidation. No more CIA agents torturing freedom fighters in secret locations. No more spy satellites. No more spreading AIDS and other deadly diseases around the world! No more listening to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and Dick Cheney!!! NO MORE!!!

roachboy

i don't think anyone expects a new world, not that it matters to folk in the alternate universe you're stuck in, powerclown.

i think folk expect, with varying degrees of optimism, a concerted attempt to address the fiasco that conservatism in power has made, that neoliberalism has made.

the only population that is apparently incapable of taking in the magnitude of the fiasco that conservative ideology american-style has generated are those who continue to look around them and so no fiasco because they cannot face the reality that their own politics have created. but if you, for example, cannot face that, then you, for example, aren't talking about the political at all--you're talking to yourself in an increasingly irrelevant private sitcom.

generally, when a sitcom has jumped the shark, those involved consider ending the show. you can't keep confusing canned laughter with something it's not forever.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

mixedmedia

do you smell something burning?

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

roachboy

the guardian thinks that smell comes from torching the bush people's "war on terror"...

Obama shuts network of CIA 'ghost prisons' | World news | The Guardian

there's a shift with reference to israel and palestine, but it's not yet obvious how much of one--enough to torch the bush "policy" of total acqueiscence to the israeli right, but not enough to quite make sense at this point.

bit by bit, what the bush administration did not set on fire itself is being set on fire.

but that doesn't resolve much about the debacle they left behind.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite