Given the Giants' World Series win on Monday and the disappointing election results on Tuesday, I have been on an emotional see-saw for the past few days, with many strong feelings to watch and process.
But here's a few things that I have been thinking about:
1. Obama, an ever introspective individual, is learning to be a stronger communicator and leader. Some fault him for his cool exterior, but in the long run, I think it is going to be a strength. He's got to communicate with the same level of skill and strength that he campaigned in 2008. I think it is important that he is touring Asia with a bunch of American businessmen, to clear his head and get a fresh perspective.
2. I can get angry all I want at the GOP about their homophobic policies, but their stance won't change until more of their large socially-conservative base ages and dies off (this Tea Party victory has shifted the party further to the extreme on gay issues). This may take 10-20 years, when younger and more homo-friendly people take over the party. But eventually it will happen. Most GOP and conservative leaders aren't bad people, they just don't have a strong moral or Constitutional compass inside. Instead, they pander to deep-seated fears and prejudices about gay people. Yep, the GOP is really hurting themselves in the long-term with Latino and LGBT voters, but that is the Faustian bargain they have made. We will keep pushing for full equality, at every turn, and relentlessly.
3. Millions of Americans are suffering from real economic hardship right now. This is our economic day of reckoning when we re-discover there is a real economic cost to gaming our financial markets, deregulating our banks to the point of self-destruction, creating a housing bubble, and encouraging consumers to go on a credit-spree. Dumb, with blame on both parties. Now, we all have create something of value, work hard and more smartly, and learn to find happiness in ourselves and in relations with others -- in addition to buying material things. Given today's historically low Federal tax rates and record-level defense and entitlement budgets, there is no silver tax cut bullet to ignite growth as there was during Reagan's time. We must do many wise and good things in concert, including better educating and retraining the workforce, investing in alternative energy and infrastructure, and finding ways to boost overall economic confidence.
We have a good future in this country. We need to be optimistic and act wisely. We need to treat all people equally under the Constitution, including the LGBT ones.
If Douthat is correct about his political premises, both parties had to choose between politics and policy. Democrats could have minimized their losses at the cost of sacrificing the health reform they wanted. Or Republicans could have minimized the scope of health care reform, at the cost of minimizing their potential wave. Democrats chose the best policy, and Republicans chose the best politics. I'm happy with the choice. Mitch McConnell won his election, and Democrats won health care reform. The latter is going to [be] around a lot longer than the former.
