In the wake of the election you've probably seen multiple variations on the idea that it's now time to put aside partisan bickering and "come together," be it from friends on your social media feeds, or from politicians of both the losing, and winning side. Winners like Senator-elect Tim Kaine of Virginia, to pick one of many, who said something to the effect that "voters sent a message to Washington demanding 'cooperative government.'" Elsewhere grumpy scolds have been reminding us that "no one likes a poor sport" or a "gloating winner." To which I say: that sounds like a loser talking.
An election like this isn't something so frivolous as a baseball game, sportsmanship metaphors don't cut it here. The opponents weren't trying to score points on us in the playing field, they were literally trying to rob millions of us of our civil liberties, move the burden of taxation even further from the wealthy to the people who can afford it the least, and reframe the concept of women's ownership over their own bodies, and they conducted a systematic campaign to disenfranchise millions of poor and minority voters. Hoho, well played old chums. Nearly bested us with that sporting joust!
As Slate points out, there was a war on women, and women won. Same sex marriage was approved at the ballot for the first time in a number of states. Hawaii sent the first Asian American woman to the Senate ever, Wisconsin the first openly gay Senator. From labor issues, to tax issues, to war on drug issues, progressive ballot initiatives won resoundingly throughout the country.
As the Atlantic points out, The Tea Party's National Ambitions Are Finished.
As the Atlantic points out, The Tea Party's National Ambitions Are Finished.
It's not just that Mitt Romney lost, as did several Republican Senate candidates who should have won easily. The election was a victory for all kinds of big city liberal values: Weed was legalized. So was gay marriage. The rape apologist candidates lost. The first openly gay woman was elected to the Senate. The first black president was reelected -- on a platform of Obamacare, immigration, and raising taxes.For this we should be ecstatic, not accommodating.
I saw a colleague of mine tweet something to the effect that it was hard to not to feel for Romney since he's been working toward this for so many years. No it's not. All sorts of horrible people work toward all sorts of dastardly shit really hard all the time. Pretending to feel for them today is disingenuous.
False sportsmanship in the face of a win like this is a tacit admission that this was a reasonable discourse of worthy ideas from either side. It's the type of false equivalency horseshit that the mainstream media engages in so often. Just because one group of backwards people wanted something to be true really really badly doesn't mean we have to give any sort of credence to their racist, sexist, money-worshiping pig ideas now that we've scored a resounding victory.
That is the fatal flaw of the pushover progressive mindset. There is no working together when you're ahead. Working together is for losers. You put your foot on the opponents neck when they are down and you crush the wind out of them. This isn't a jovial sporting match where we're all going to be friends afterwards and meet again on a level playing field, it's actual life and death consequences. The conservative, past-glorifying, money-fetishistic, white-male dominated faction of the country is on the way out. As demographics move further and further away from that old model in future years to come, it's even more important that we recognize that we didn't just beat the old guard at their game, we're changing the rules.
But fine, if I'm forced to at least say something positive about the other side, I will say this: good job at losing, losers. You lost this one real good.
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8 comments:
Awesome! Well said.
Bravo, my brother
Losers gonna lose
As Josh Brolin's George Bush said in 'W.': Politics "is a kick-ass, skull-crushing sport," and they lost. Fuck 'em.
Christ this is confusing. How does it work in America? Do just tick a box on election night and now gays can get married in some states? Can some Mormon-Catholic coalition come along and change things?
(don't got google here)
Real talk
This should be on the front of The New York Times. O'Neill is the Lena Dunham of our generation for guys!!
My sentiments exactly.
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