Why we are so exhausted...Our Historic Two Weeks.
Its been going so fast and furious that many of us may not really know what it is that makes us feel so drained right now. Alot of us have fought in campaigns before, but this seems like more than the usual 4th quarter blues.
Well, I gave it some thought. Let's review.
I think it is safe to say that the Democratic party was generally happy and energized after their convention. Glowing, crying, hopeful.
Almost immediately after, Gustav was brewing out in the Caribbean and had already killed some people. The storm was bearing in on the coast of the U.S. and millions were evacuated. You couldn't be human, or part of the movement to elect Obama, if you didn't identify with all the unfortunate people that had to pack up, leave, and spend money just to find a space to sleep, find gas, etc.
Then, with that low lying anxiety, and with Ike on the way, Bush jumped out of the circle and ran to Texas as the Republican convention started to "oversee things from there." We were robbed of our ability to see the incumbent standing next to one of his biggest supporters, proving to everyone watching that McCain would be more of the same.
Instead, we got a surprise distraction and a rollercoaster ride. An unprecedented number of people started very actively arguing about politics. It wasn't a fair fight. They're shorter, so there were alot of low blows.
Then the nation watched as Ike began to bear down. Barack canceled what was to be his Saturday Night Live appearance. (Now that just wasn't fair! I was really looking forward to that). But it was o.k., we were doing the right thing. Ike was on its way and, in a rare natural metaphor, was the size of Texas. No matter where it hit the U.S., work was going to have to be done to help alot of people.
No details needed. Wipeout. Same time, Palin was doing her press junket, shaking hands, and making friends. Miraculously, the other team seemed to start to take the lead.
Last weekend was sleepless for alot of us. I don't know about you guys, but at this point I was glued to my computer, reassuring friends the polls were going to prove wrong, feeling it in my gut, which was also full of coffee and fast food.
Monday morning we woke to the news that Wall Street had lost two of its major brokerage firms. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy after the government refused to bail it out, and Merrill Lynch employees bit their nails.
Barack had to swat some flies away (literally and figuratively), but the tables were turning.
Then, Bank of America bought Merril Lynch in a quickee deal and the stock market responded with a huge sell off, down 504 points for the day. There were fears about Washington Mutual, Morgan Stanley and other firms, so financial stocks tanked. Markets around the world took a beating. If you didn't know, trust me, we really wiped out everybody. Some of the markets weren't even able to reopen. AIG was on the precipice, looking out over the lemming Lehman's below, and they are huge in almost every world market, so this was going to be bad. If you watched the BBC, or any other major world news agency, THEY used the words 'earthquake, The Great Depression, Black Tuesday, and devastating emergency' to describe what was happening everywhere. I actually made the mistake of tivoing some shows from Fox News to get the other perspective and boy, there is no way for me to get those hours back.
But we rallied. We picked up. We really did folks. The more she spoke, the stupider she sounded. The more McCain spoke, the more he got things wrong in a pretty visible way. What went up, was starting to go down. Who had time for lipstick, when the house was on fire?
First, those who cared (wearing both red and blue) sat around a big table in Washington and someone said something, and someone else agreed, and someone took out a checkbook.
*The federal government jumped in Tuesday night and bailed out AIG to the tune of an $85 billion loan.
*The FCC put a ban on shortselling.
*The world's central banks took action, injecting $180 billion into the financial system to stem the losses.
*The market rallied, bounced, went back up.
*Even the government's #1 Deregulator was screaming for regulation!
So if you feel exhausted, it's not the election, it's not this fight we are in. Its all the unbelievable distractions, regrettable as they were, that hit the world the last two weeks.
Good news?
1. Their numbers are down, ours are up.
2. The judge in the Cheney lawsuit ordered Cheney to preserve a wide range of the records from his time as vice president. Oh, you didn't know he had a lawsuit against him? Well, the lawsuit alleges that the Bush administration's actions over the past 7 1/2 years raise questions over whether the White House will turn over records created by Cheney and his staff to the National Archives in January. And Cheney lost.
3. Alaska's state Senator Hollis French said the retired prosecutor hired by the Alaska Legislature to investigate Palin (aka Troopergate), Stephen Branchflower, will conclude his investigation by Oct. 10. So they aren't giving up. And it will be in time for the election.
4. The other team's lies are getting so transparent that incredible people like that female reporter on FOX, Carl Rove, and even Hardball has to call them out on it, daily.
Bottom line, this is where we stand,
COSTS OVER THIS LAST YEAR
Status: Inflation up 5.4%
Average Salaries: Down 3.3%
Gasoline: Up 35.6%
Household Energy costs: Up 17.3%
Food: Up 7.5%
Its bad, but not unfixable. We will have alot of work to do, but we'll have to do it from the Oval Office.
So, take a deep breath.... Right now. Breathe in, and then out.
Make a bubble bath, catch a rerun of The Daily Show from their website, catch a sunset, or see the funny short: 'Its time for some campaignin'
Funny no matter what side you are on.
http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htmThen remember why we're doing this. If you haven't already, see:
You Made Me Love You Obama!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW19otZgxY8Get some yogurt to settle your stomach, splurge and let yourself have some chocolate, and take just a second to rejuvenate.
and then....LET'S GET OUT THERE AND GET 'EM.
We will do it by registering MORE voters!
http://my.barackobama.com/vfcWe will do it by making the right points with our messages:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJThPjvscFsWe will do it by making people aware of Barack's actual financial plan:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/economyplanWe will do it because WE CAN!
