Front Page > Issues > 2004> November

Thoughts about the election 2004: Election reflections and consolations: A better world is possible

On Measure 36

The Yes on M36 TV ads were remarkable, particularly the one by Steve and Mike (or some such names), a gay couple, long time partners, in fact portrayed very attractively in Pendleton shirts and a nice cutesy suburban home. Their point was, yes we’re gay, but we’re for M36 because marriage is so sacred, and for the good of America it has to be between one man and one woman. And further, they affirm, us gay folks can have all our rights protected in other ways; Steve in fact says he had the right to visit Mike in a recent hospitalization.

Amazing, the ad repudiated all the arguments that social conservatives have been making for these many years: that homos are decadent, foul, lewd, libertine, diseased, hate America and ordinary folks, and want to foist their “agenda” on all of us. Steve and Mike were portrayed as fine, upstanding, churchgoers living sterile in the suburbs, just good folks as social conservatives define them, and deserving of all the rights of Americans, except of course to marry. That does seem to set the stage for pushing for a quite comprehensive civil union law for Oregon.

Measure 36 was a serious loss. But it was relatively close, and what the Yes campaign did, anyway in this advert, was further legitimize gay and lesbian rights, full citizenship and rights for gays and lesbians, at least for the long run. Yes, next week the gay bashers might return to their old themes. But not too long from now, another constitutional amendment, granting rights to marry, will take away the bitter taste of this one.

On the Republican National Victory: Don’t Give Up on the American People

In the latest Gallup poll, just before the election, voters overwhelmingly supported Kerry/liberal policy on the environment, health care, Social Security, and education. In addition Bush supporters seem to think that Bush really represents the little guy: that his tax cuts went to them, that he supports labor and environmental standards in “free” trade agreements, that he wants to raise the minimum wage, and the rest.

The fact is that the overwhelming majority of Americans support a generous social safety net, well funded public edu-cation, arms control, real aid to the poorest countries in the world, and many other progressive positions.

As Abraham Lincoln said, “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”

The challenge for the Left now though is only partly the “facts,” and more importantly to help people come to more productive understandings about how the economy need be managed, the environment protected, and the world made safe and terrorism dealt with.

Four More Years But Another, Better, World Is Possible

Four more years, and they go in a hurry. Remember Florida in 2000. Next time the Rightwingers are going to be less convincing on “terrorism,” and perhaps the voters more sophisticated on how to build a safer world and more adept at seeing through their fearmongering. And Bush is in for big trouble. The U.S. is piling up unsustainable debt: both consumer debt like credit card and mortgage; and government debt most of which is held by folks overseas. To be able to get more money from foreigners so that Bush can keep his deficits going the U.S. will likely have to raise interest rates, but that threatens consumer slowdown and vast bankruptcy as their personal debt and mortgage payments become unmanageable.

And that’s short term. In the long run there’s global warming and the energy crunch, and recent reports demonstrating both are coming on fast, with oil prices now over $50 a barrel, and likely to recede only a little.

Of course, if in the long run the Right is going to find itself in deep trouble, in the short run they will be furiously trying to implement their agenda: a reliable reactionary supreme court and judiciary; ending Rowe v. Wade; privatization of schools and social security and medicare; intensified police militarization; end of progressive taxes. Ugh. For us the goal is to make sure our defensive movements (like preserving abortion state by state if necessary) are infused with political visions (Another Better World Is Possible) needed to mobilize when the long term crises begin to really be felt.

Saving Oregon

M35, having to pay property owners for any losses in value due to land use regulation is a huge loss. It’s not clear how it will play out, but it isn’t over. To be sure lots of property owners will see it as a signal to sue the cities and counties for damages because of regulation. Some cites and counties will give in, and some truly horrible things will happen, that is strip malls wherever they want to put them, river and stream ruination (though there are also some Federal laws), and hideous developments despoiling some pristine areas. People will soon come to recognize what they did, leading to groundswell of sentiment for an initiative that reinstates land use management. Maybe. Maybe the damage can be limited.

Bill Resnick is an Alliance board member and a member of the Old Mole Collective.