politics, yes I'll cut tag

[minxy]

Benjamin Franklin said, without regards to that little kite extravaganza, that we get the government we deserve. Given that Americans have just voted for massive *change*, I suspect there are few of us who don't feel chagrin hearing that quote, whether we felt it during the last eight years or whether we felt it last night (I'm biased, of course. Who isn't?)

But here's the thing: our new commander in chief--this is fucking fantastic. The world is still picking up it's collective jaw that we did something right, I'm sure. I'm still crinkling my eyes up in glee and feeling pretty damn verklepmt at the reality of it. I thought the concession and acceptance speeches last night were some of the best I've ever heard. It might have been extraordinary enough of a night to wash the bitterness of the last two presidential elections out of my memory a little. And it is amazing, just amazing, to have such a long tradition of peaceful changes in goverment here.

We did some amazing things yesterday.

However. California's Proposition 8 has just altered our state constitution to strip validity from families, marriages and love from a significant portion of our people. It looks like it will pass by a few hundred thousand votes (which is a couple of percent. Last I checked, it passed 52% to 48%)

And, let's be clear: we let our guard down. No one expected progressive California to need tending, but everything important does. If we place all our faith in one man, that's too high a pedestal, and too great a burden for him. He has and will break down walls; he will be a unique and amazing roll model if he does not one other thing in his term. But he won't be idle, he has a crisis to fix, and a country to unite, wounds to heal. And a list of things he wants to do as long as the federal deficit account.

He'll be busy, guys. He'll have a lot of battles to fight (with great statesmanship, with eloquence) and this was our line to hold.

We've all just turned into the right direction, in my opinion, but California should be a warning sign to us all that the work is not done, and we do wrong to let ourselves get complacent and forget the system of checks and balances that let us undermine ourselves. It's a wonderous aspect of this country that we don't agree so mightily, except that we agree to disagree so relatively peacefully; it's unforgivable to forget this in the face of something we believe in.

Next time, California, we fight harder (and there will be a next time, of course.) We'll have President Obama in our disenfranchised corner, at least, though, and how cool is that?

Comments

[feather-autant.livejournal.com]

Oh damn. That makes me want to cry! One giant step forward, yet one huge step back. :(

I really thought Prop 8 would fail. It hurts my heart that it didn't. :(

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

I thought it was going to be close; I hoped it would fail. Honestly, though, we mobilized way too late.

I think we've taken many steps forward, actually. Obama will appoint supreme court justices, and that can't be bad for the rights movement.

[splash-the-cat.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. We can't expect Obama to do it for us. We can't think "I voted for change" and wash our hands of anything further. We have to take this chance and take these steps and work for change with each other.

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

I can just see all this idealism come crashing down, and I love that Obama, brilliant speaker that he is, is reminding people of the mountains of crises we're all facing.

It's just nice that we're actually facing them, instead of running away, you know?

[orca-girl.livejournal.com]

It hurts me that Prop 8 didn't fail. But I feel like... I feel like that entire question, both in CA and elsewhere, isn't over. (The Constitution of the United States was once amended to enshrine Prohibition. And yes, it took 13 years... but it was also repealed.) I hate what has happened to 16,000 couples in CA as a result of a vote narrowly won by a bigoted majority. But I just can't believe that's the last word on the subject.

I'm not in CA -- luckily, I am in MA, where we have felt strongly that the rights of minorities should not be put to a vote, when it comes to this matter. I think you're right, though -- the work is long, and hard. It isn't easy to accept that it will take years to be sure of rights that people have been given a taste of. But that's the way history has gone, and there wasn't really a reason to expect it would go that differently in this case. (After all -- blacks were given the right to vote in 1870, but weren't truly able to exercise those rights until 1965.) Part of me is amazed that gay rights have come as far as they have; I never expected it.

In my view, the best thing to happen for gay rights still happened last night -- Obama's win means that there is a VERY good chance that he will get to appoint two, possibly three SCOTUS justices. (Stevens and Ginsburg are fairly likely; Souter is possible.) The case of the 16,000 disenfranchised couples in CA may wind up before the SCOTUS, and I am damn sure that I would rather it be decided by possible future Obama appointees, than possible future McCain ones.

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

Oh certainly. And, actually, I see this as an ongoing debate in the form of writing and rewriting the constitution. It goes back and forth by a narrow margin, and the question will ultimately sit before the supreme court, no question.

It's never easy, is it? Sometimes it hurts.

And the Justices appointments... this might be my FAVORITE PART OF ALL OF THIS. Talk about a lasting effect. Oh my God, he could appoint *three*!

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

I'm so sad about the prop 8 issue.

And I'm so full of joy about Obama. Just. Plain. Wow.

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

It's not the last word in the debate. Not by far. And truthfully, I believe it will ultimately go to the Supreme Court of the US, and Obama will be instrumental in shaping the future of the court.

I am sorry for the people hurt by the statement. I wish I could make that better.

I think Obama's election will have infinitely greater impact, though, and that's *glorious*.

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

I hope hope hope so. I gather there are some constitutional challenges already up and running in CA.

And yes we can, so we will keep working and trying and climbing that mountain.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

And, let's be clear: we let our guard down. No one expected progressive California to need tending, but everything important does.

This, I think is the key. We got complacent, forgetting that you can't ever stop fighting for what's right and hopefully this will enflame people to start fighting on new levels to overturn this!

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

Yeah. We didn't start fighting this time until the eleventh hour, for certain. Next time, man, next time.

[amalthia]

I really wish I could have voted against Prop 8, but I'm not a CA resident. :(