The Point

A quote from gracchus, which I think needs more press:

The GOP is run by rich folks, and basically looks after their class interests; low taxes, no estate taxes, helping out business. However, there are not enough rich folks to elect a president, even if you count the toadies, the hangers-on, the wanna-bes and the folks who think they're rich but aren't. So the party has to use the religious right as its actual voters, and this group includes a fair number of folks who AREN'T rich.

To gather this group in, the GOP promises, but doesn't deliver, a return to a simpler age where abortion was done in back allies, gays were closeted family men who could be thrown in jail and the black folks and the Jews knew their place. It's been a 30-year exercise in stringing these folks along. The rich people who pay for the party have neither interest in making good nor incentive; once abortion is made nationally illegal a lot of the religious right probably won't bother turning up to vote.

Think about that last line:

once abortion is made nationally illegal a lot of the religious right probably won't bother turning up to vote.

Really, if you are one of the single-issue voters out there, one who started out not wanting either candidate because neither was firm enough on Row v. Wade, and who then embraced Palin simply because she didn't abort that baby, think about that. If abortion was illegal, would any of the rest matter enough to get you out to vote?

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No, abortion will never be illegal in this country. The only way to end it is to end the need for it. With education, birth control availability, financial help for those who want to keep their babies, and both incentives and a serious cultural shift toward adoption as an alternative.

You know, the so-called liberal, socialist agenda.

Thoughts on Grace

No, not that Grace. Although she clearly had the kind of grace I'm referring to.

And not definition #1 either.

Grace

Main Entry:
1grace Listen to the pronunciation of 1grace
Pronunciation:
\ˈgrās\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin gratia favor, charm, thanks, from gratus pleasing, grateful; akin to Sanskrit gṛṇāti he praises
Date:
12th century

1 a: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification b: a virtue coming from God c: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace

2 a: approval , favor barchaic : mercy , pardon c: a special favor : privilege d: disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency e: a temporary exemption : reprieve

3 a: a charming or attractive trait or characteristic b: a pleasing appearance or effect : charm c: ease and suppleness of movement or bearing

4—used as a title of address or reference for a duke, a duchess, or an archbishop

5: a short prayer at a meal asking a blessing or giving thanks

6plural capitalized : three sister goddesses in Greek mythology who are the givers of charm and beauty

7: a musical trill, turn, or appoggiatura

8 a: sense of propriety or right b: the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful

synonyms see mercy

That kind of grace. A number of housefrou bloggers have shown such grace in the wake of the election, even while a few have called this a Socialist coup. I have to say, I admire the ones who have show such grace, it is a truly admirable quality.

Sadly, it's one I'm still working on. For now I have to agree with John Aravosis:

After eight years of having Republicans call me an un-American troop-hating fag-loving socialist, after months of John McCain embracing the hate to a level where his own supporters were calling out for Barack Obama to be assassinated, no one is going to be permitted to tell me with a straight face that "oh you know, both sides do it."

Your side was abominable. Your side was hateful. Your side race-baited. Your side gay-baited. Your side lied like we've never seen in recent presidential campaign history. Your side used a tax-cheat who would do better under Obama's tax proposal to be your everyman on the issue of taxes. Your side, in a veiled effort at race-baiting, said Obama doesn't put his country first. Your side had the audacity to call Obama a socialist. Your side suggested he was a Muslim. Your side suggested he was a terrorist. Your side suggested he was Osama bin Laden.

Spare me the crap about how both sides do it. You people are a disgrace, you've been a disgrace for eight long years, and all your hate and lying and venom and vitriol finally bit you in your collective fat ass.

To lying, race-bating and gay-bashing, as the list of negative traits, I have to add bilking the country out of trillions to line the coffers of churches and corporate sycophants, and elevating ignorance and illiterate stupidity to the level of virtues to aspire to. As exemplified by insisting that GW Bush and Sarah Palin, who apparently thought Africa was a country and had trouble identifying the countries in North America, were the kind of leaders you wanted, and wanted to be like. So that would be eight years of lying, race-bating, gay-bashing, swindling and embarrassing us as a nation.

All of which was not only acceptable but so preferable you wanted four more years of it, all because they claimed belief in the same mythology you hold to.

Hopefully I'll have the grace thing worked out by January. I'm trying.