At the end of an interminable, depressing day in which I did my best to avoid all forms of news–except for the concession speech, which did little to assure me that we have anything but darkness on the horizon–I logged on to the only message board I frequent, one called indiebride. A friend turned me on to it when I was in the throes of planning my low-budget, not especially traditional wedding, and after nearly six months of marriage I still visit daily. It’s become a haven for me–the women there are so smart, and so funny, and so not what you find on other message boards. One topic in particular, called Nothing to Do With Weddings, is where I spend most of my time, and in the wake of the election activity there has exploded. Last night a thread entitled “So What the Hell do We Anti-Bush Americans do Now??” gave me my first inkling that we might be ok after all.
One woman posted this:
“You can go on. Make the most of the good things nearest to you. That’s what I’m going to do. And the Republicans now have all the rope they need to hang themselves with. They can’t blame us for anything now. In 2006 we’ll get Congress. In 2008 we’ll get Hilary & Obama. Keep hope alive.”
Another provided a list of links to get things started:
A third posted this, which struck me as incredibly wise:
“I join in the despair. But I have a thought about the despair. If you’re outraged and angry and hurt and overwhelmed by the results of this election, that’s not evidence that you should leave the country. That’s evidence of how much you care about the country. If you are like me, it’s the thought of the squandered possibility that gets to you most. There is so much potential in the United States; the worst parts of it have always, historically, been defeated by the best parts of it. And to think that we are now inhabiting a moment when the best hasn’t figured out how to defeat the worst is paralyzing, disorganizing, and infuriating. But we will figure it out someday soon. The Democratic party needs a lot of pressure put on it to work out a way of talking about its platform that will make it a national party again. Progressives need to put that pressure on the party. That’s the task for the next two years.”
And one woman actually managed to make me smile:
“In an effort to spread a little levity, and to ‘make the personal political,’ I’m planning on having some butt sex as a political statement. I’ve never had butt sex, but I feel if so many Bush supporters are against it, then it’s gotta be right. I’m tired of listening to people’s ridiculous arguments against gay marriage which basically boil down to ‘God hates butt sex.’ Screw that… once I prepare my virgin butt, I’m going to engage in plenty of butt debauchery and hedonistic pleasure in the face of my zealot countrymen.”
I woke up this morning feeling like not only can we suffer through four more years of this hugely wrong-headed regime, we can work to ensure its policies are as diluted and undermined as possible. It’s going to take a considerable amount of work, and it won’t happen quickly. We’re going to need a lot of energy, and a lot of balm for our wounds. For me, the first step in providing both those things was a big, warm bowl of oatmeal. This morning I went hog-wild (donkey-wild?) and topped it with dried cherries, raisins, toasted pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Perhaps this is a strange way to bring my little blog back to food, but you take comfort where you find it, I guess.