Use Your Illusions
Žižek offers hope for those of us burdened by cynicism. He also touches on genocide, farming and the importance of awakening from our dreams. (Tom Waits might counter, “you’re innocent when you dream” and Zizek may reply, “Shut up you’re not real!”)
I wanted to be the one who links to a Žižek article for a change. I even went to Wikipedia to copy the funny Z’s.
Obama’s victory is a sign of history in the triple Kantian sense of signum rememorativum, demonstrativum, prognosticum. A sign in which the memory of the long past of slavery and the struggle for its abolition reverberates; an event which now demonstrates a change; a hope for future achievements. The scepticism displayed behind closed doors even by many worried progressives – what if, in the privacy of the voting booth, the publicly disavowed racism will re-emerge? – was proved wrong. One of the interesting things about Henry Kissinger, the ultimate cynical Realpolitiker, is how utterly wrong most of his predictions were. When news reached the West of the 1991 anti-Gorbachev military coup, for example, Kissinger immediately accepted the new regime as a fact. It collapsed ignominiously three days later. The paradigmatic cynic tells you confidentially: ‘But don’t you see that it is all really about money/power/sex, that professions of principle or value are just empty phrases which count for nothing?’ What the cynics don’t see is their own naivety, the naivety of their cynical wisdom which ignores the power of illusions.
…It is unlikely that the financial meltdown of 2008 will function as a blessing in disguise, the awakening from a dream, the sobering reminder that we live in the reality of global capitalism. It all depends on how it will be symbolised, on what ideological interpretation or story will impose itself and determine the general perception of the crisis. When the normal run of things is traumatically interrupted, the field is open for a ‘discursive’ ideological competition. In Germany in the late 1920s, Hitler won the competition to determine which narrative would explain the reasons for the crisis of the Weimar Republic and the way out of it; in France in 1940 Maréchal Pétain’s narrative won in the contest to find the reasons for the French defeat. Consequently, to put it in old-fashioned Marxist terms, the main task of the ruling ideology in the present crisis is to impose a narrative that will not put the blame for the meltdown on the global capitalist system as such, but on its deviations – lax regulation, the corruption of big financial institutions etc.
The End of the GOP Ticket
I feel bad for John McCain. I think he’s a great person who’s done great things. On the trail he had to concede some of his McCain-ness (I’d like to avoid that other M-word which became meaningless as soon as the whole GOP started to embrace it) and I definitely don’t agree with him on most policy issues.
But, he was the best Republican candidate in my lifetime, and maybe the last Rockefeller Republican the GOP will run for a long time. Unfortunately he ran against the best Democratic candidate in a lifetime.
His running mate on the other hand… you know the drill.
And when McCain and Palin split up in Arizona Wednesday, the personal differences were stark.
McCain drove himself home in a Toyota sport utility vehicle. Palin’s departure was a grander event. She left with an entourage of 18 family members and friends and a Secret Service detail, heading to the airport in a motorcade stretching more than a dozen vehicles, flanked by a dozen more cops on motorcycles.
Bob Dylan on The Election
“I was born in 1941,” he said, a wavering sentimentality in his scratchy voice. “That was the year they bombed Pearl Harbor. I’ve been living in darkness ever since. It looks like things are going to change now.”
If Bob says so, it’s good enough for me.
PUMA’s Damn America, Move to Canada
Posted at 4:29 PMSome of the most interesting reactions in last night’s election came from the supposed Hillary Clinton holdouts who chose personality over ideology and decided they just couldn’t vote for Obama. Here are last night’s comments from Hillaryis44, which quickly go from cocky to sad and then onto racist with the eventual cry of “God Damn America,” a phrase which was abhorrent to these bitter people, just weeks ago. I guess they hate America now because someone they think hates America was elected President, if that makes any sense.
They still claim his supporters must be puppets of the media. Even after an overwhelming victory, they refuse to accept the existence of rational support for Obama and denounce most of America.
These are the scum of the American Electorate. Swayed by personal attacks, rumors, and misdirection. Seemingly unattached to any real issues and more concerned with phony narratives and firsts than the direction of the country.
6 PM: Obama Simply Can’t Beat McCain.
moononpluto Says:
No way in hell is obama plus 15 in pa, noone ever has had it more than 5
wbboei Says:
What’s with Hillbuzz asking us all to “be nice” to Obots if Oliar loses??
Are they kidding me with that shit? I plan to gloat my head off and give the subtle O’liar finger to every bot I run across.
Right on. We will treat them with the same love and respect they treated us and hillary after the DNC stole the nomination from her and gave it to bambi. In other words, we have two good reasons not to be civil to those little bolsheviks.
JanH Says:
Memo to Media:
Wishing won’t make it so!
7 PM: Hillary Would’ve Won Kentucky
djia Says:
it’s way to early to call any of these states………i would love to see early called states for obama to actually be a Dewey/Truman moment
pm317 Says:
Yep, Hillary would have won KY.
confloyd Says:
wbboei, Obama has a picture of Che Guevara on his wall in his office that he has never moved into!
Ronald Says:
sadly, tragically and wrongly,
Hillary Clinton is not going to be our next president.
But, she remains my hero.
confloyd Says:
WTF, is the matter with Florida, Fox acting like its all over for McCain!
justmeinmountdorafl Says:
FL is 57-43?!?!?!?!? for Obama
HillGuy Says:
You guys, calm down. Only 2% reporting in FL.
HillGuy Says:
A Democrat needs to win WV to win the White House.
8 PM: WTF? FUCK OFF!
rickya Says:
With 14% in Obama is leading McCain in Florida by a wide margin. WTF????
lisaque Says:
fuck off
HRC2009 Says:
I am really discouraged. Obama projected to win PA..
mp Says:
I am kinda of down right now
Caroline Says:
Did you honestly think that McCain was going to win NH and PA. Get it together people. It’s too early to have a heart attact.
rickya Says:
The media networks would be racing to call states for BHO. But in the case of PA, they will all be wrong. This would be the Truman moment for this election.
HRC2009 Says:
So far, BO is only winning states that he is expected to win..
rickya Says:
“CNN hasn’t given PA to Obama.”
They will and they will be wrong.
meiyingsu Says:
I can’t believe that PA will go to BHO.
9 PM: Is That Mean It Is Over?
rjk1957 Says:
They are holding back calling states for Mccain in hopes of Obama hitting 270 before Mccain hits 100
HRC2009 Says:
Things are not looking good…. I am very disappointed. McCain is more fit to become president, just as Hillary was…
Paula Says:
If he wins OH it’s over.
admin Says:
Fox News projects Ohio goes to B.O.
meiyingsu Says:
admin, is that mean it is over?
clintondem99 Says:
Bye everybody! I had enough of politics and I am ready to go back to my trading desk. I am ready to go back to work. Admin i thank you for all your wonderful postings.
HRC2009 Says:
It’s OVER. I’m very disappointed. Going to sleep now. Hopefully all of this is just a nightmare….
meiyingsu Says:
clintondem99, it may be ACON.
HillGuy Says:
Paula, as much as I used to dislike him, I would take an eternity of Bush over one day of BO.
mp Says:
hillguy….yes I would take bush over BO… Just did not imagine it this way!
RobWI Says:
basil9, it would seem that the United States of America just got punked.
mp Says:
I kinda in a shock…..I did not think it would be like this!!!!!
jeleanoro Says:
It’s so unbelieveable…we all watched how he beat Hillary….there’s fraud involved here somewhere…he’s not winning fairly…Acorn definitely has something to do with it.
jade Says:
This is sad.
If BO wins this, he has Hill and Bill to thank for it. They may not have cared for BO but they were very convincing on the campaign trail for that ASS HOLE. I wish they would have showed the party their ass like the party did to Hillary. Those bastards don’t deserve to win tonight. I am done with the Democratic party and big media Fox included. They sold out the country for a Chicago Thug and stole the nomination from Hillary. This should very well be her victory tonight had the DNC, Big Media, and the RBC did their jobs. To hell with them all. They will get what they deserve. Many thanks to Admin and the rest of the contributors on this board for exposing BO for the lying, cheating, Chicago thug that he is. Being an AA woman, I should be happy that an AA man will be POTUS, but I can’t find it in my heart to celebrate his victory after all that I know about him and how he and Axelrod stole the nomination from Hillary Clinton.
May God Bless America (We are sure gonna need it)
10 PM: The Night America Died
moononpluto Says:
Isnt it funny that the states we were not worried about McCain will probably lose, like Florida and Ohio and the rest will probably be ok.
hwc Says:
Hillary is going to be kicked to the curb by the Bots so hard it will make your head spin. She’ll be lucky to get a seat on the knitting subcommittee.
You can pretty much kiss the moderate wing of the Democratic Party good bye.
ShortTermer Says:
The night America died.
Paula Says:
Frankly, this is closer than a lot of people thought it would be. Last I saw, BO’s up just 1 percent in the national vote, but that’s enough to give him a few swing states that’ll put him over the top electorally.
justmeinmountdorafl Says:
ShortTermer, I agree, its the night Obama died.
justmeinmountdorafl Says:
mean, the night America died, with Obama leading.
skmf12 Says:
SORRY ADMIN,
I believe hillary can personally take credit for this turnout. my opinion of her is forever changed… she chose party, over us and the country. i’m disgusted, but it is what is. oh well admin, for you i have nothing but praise. I have a feeling this has set race relations back a lifetime, i know i will never feel the same. anyway, see y’all tomorrow…
jithendra Says:
i dont know but mccain is catching up in OHIO.. 52 - 46 now
skmf12 Says:
oh one last thing,
i hope obama can redeem himself, i dont wish bad on him, if we do that, we wish bad on us… if he surprises us and carries out something good, more power to him…
(but i will never like that NASTY LOOKING michelle obama!!!! LOL)
justmeinmountdorafl Says:
remember ohio, they gave it to Kerry then took it back and gave it to Bush in 2004
moononpluto Says:
I’m surprised at Florida, really really surprised.
neetabug Says:
I was a presiding judge here in Cleveland. It amazes me how many people that came in to vote. They could not follow directions. We had the scan ballots where you fill in the circle. After the polls closed we opened up the ballot box to take out the scan ballots. More people checked the box instead of filling the circle in. Half came in that could hardly read. Oh how these people will be disappointed.
peppermintgirl4145 Says:
Street money won PA. ACORN for everything else. I’m cashing in my bonds. I’ll pay Bush’s capital gains. I can’t afford 28% tax. I held them as I didn’t want to pay 15% when I interest is so low. I am truly sick. I’ll bet we have 8 years of this. What was Hillary thinking? She will never be President now - plus - I am no longer proud of her. I can’t believe she and Bill supported him with his associations. I think America as we know it is gone……..
neetabug Says:
I will not be watching cnn, msnbc, fox, or any news channel ever again. I am done with the news media.
We will see who gets the last laugh
Hillary chose party over country!!!!!! I am done with politics forever. I will never trust any of them, including Bill and Hillary
11 PM: God Damn America (or “Fuck Obama I Hope He is…”)
henry Says:
iF NO ONE ELSE HAS SAID THIS YET GOD DAMN AMERICA. I am finished.
moononpluto Says:
Also, if I hear one more word about America being a racist country, i will personally slap them.
moononpluto Says:
well Racist as in all the aa’s voted for themselves, they were the racists in this.
admin Says:
Thanks to all you here.
Our hands are clean - we did everything to stop this horror from occurring. The kool-aid drinkers have what they wanted. Now the responsibility is in their hands.
We should all be proud. We issued the warning, but were ignored. The Dimocrats will now have no excuse to accomplish what they said they would do.
In the end McCain could not overcome the economic collapse which destroyed the lead he kept for 10 days after the Republican convention.
Congratulations to Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright and Emil Jones, etc.
moononpluto Says:
So Admin can you tell us who you are now?
debbie Says:
here’s my racist statement for the night
AA’s you’ve now been paid your $40 and a mule…ooops the one is only half black…you just get the mule.
henry Says:
Do not if this has been said yet this evening] But I say Goddamn America You are fucking idiots and deserve everything that comes your way’ I am beyond diswgusted.
henry Says:
Sorry i say fuck you you stole an election waffles is not my presicent and never will be
HillGuy Says:
Tonight proves that AA’s aren’t oppressed in this country; rather, they are given handouts. Never would an inexperienced, socialist, terrorist-loving, racist, sexist, gay-bashing, hypocritical, opportunistic WHITE junior Senator be given a free pass by the media like this son of a bitch has.
ShortTermer Says:
I know that fraud was rampant and BO will change this country - but into a place where those who dissent can not live. I also know that a Republican probably had no CHANCE to win, but John McCain is not BUSH and it is BUSH and the Republicans that have brought down the Republican ticket.
However, the only reason that Hillary is not President is because it was stolen from her. I have watched her face since June and she has aged beyond belief, and yes she and Bill had an effect on who won this election - party before country.
henry Says:
Fuck obama I hope he is……….
ShortTermer Says:
Agree with Newt. The media is dead, it can not redeem itself. We are the best media that America has now. We must hold his feet to the fire.
What happened to the PUMA votes, any accounting for that?
admin Says:
The California gay marriage ban is currently winning. 11% of the vote is in 56 yes, 44 no. Another legacy of this horrible night.
marie3548 Says:
They claimed on Fox tht they have no evidence that PUMA voters did not support Obama so they are claiming that they did.
But we know that is not true.
birdgal Says:
This is tragic. Stop the world, I want to get off.
pm317 Says:
I am stunned about OH and FL (and may be PA).
12 PM: The Islamic Brotherhood
UnLadyLike Says:
Folks….I feel truly depressed. I am a regular on PUMA site. The mask of BO will come off…it is just a matter of time…just as he revealed his true colors to Joe the Plumber.
Only a matter of time…..I will turn off MSM and the Government for at least 4 years. I did it with Bush because I could not bear to see him win in 2000.
I am not sure with all the “GOP internal polling”, how the numbers played out the way they did, except for massive FRAUD on many levels.
Can we keep sites such as this active so that like minded and spirited people like us will have a venue to continue our quest toward a fair and just political arena???
Please does anyone feel the same???
UnLadyLike Says:
No we will be watching Obama down in Hell.
JanH Says:
I only have one last question:
Is it too early to start impeachment proceedings?
confloyd Says:
Just a reminder folks, all those Obama supporters on the Gaza STrip are probably shooting their AK47’s in the air tonight in celebration of the “one” be elected (awarded) the Presidency!
All the Islamic brotherhood are saying to themselves that they are ready to take this country over from the inside NOW!
confloyd Says:
This is the FIRST time in my entire life I am afraid to be living in the United States!
1 AM: O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature’s soft nurse, how have I frighted thee bluegirl Says:
Peppermintgirl, I feel exactly the same as you. Right now I’m really feeling very sick. I feel so down, I could just cry. I feel like the bottom just dropped out from under me.
I KNOW if this election hadn’t been fixed, PA, FL, Ohio, VA and some other states, would have been McCain’s. He had PA for sure.
Right now, I don’t think I will ever be able to vote for Hillary again. I’m truly fed up with her and Bill. They left us down in order to stay with the party for any future elections.
The party evidently meant more than her supporters. We stayed true to her, but she didn’t stay true to us or the country. It was just politics, as usual to them and I don’t care what anyone says.
I just had to take a couple of sleeping pills to hopefully make me sleep, but I don’t think they are going to do the trick. I am so down.
2 AM: The Bill Ayers Book Cover Dress, On Sale Now
confloyd Says:
birdgal, just saw a picture of the book. The book is red with black flames, just opposite of MO’s dress. I do think that dress is a statement!
The idiots in this country that elected them are going to get the shock of their lives when they realize that just threw our country over to communists!
3 AM: NOT MANY INTERESTING COMMENTS THIS HOUR. THEY WERE PROBABLY WAITING FOR THAT IMPORTANT CALL.
4 AM: Goodbye Christmas, Hello Ammo
djia Says:
Dear Santa,
please bring my family a set of passports, lots of ammo, and each of us a ticket on a midnight train to canada
P.s. Oh and can you put a rush on christmas this year? I am not sure we have much time before its not allowed here in America anymore.
Theme Time Blog Post: Elections, Part 1
Posted at 3:09 AMOkay Wonkette, I see your election day theme time musical jamboree and offer more election music for your consideration.
First, Hank Williams, the father of the football guy, sings to us. Singing about You’re Gonna Change (Or I’m Gonna Leave), because who can’t agree with that?
Next, let’s go with Lie To Me by Tom Waits, because, MY FRIENDS, YES WE CAN have federally financed enemas, fancy Neiman’s jackets and balance the budget, too.
And of course John Zorn’s magical Ballad of Hank John McCain, because an angry man goes blind and knocks his head against the wall.
For the undecided voter, some inspiration from Scott Walker’s 30 Century Man.
How… what?
Flat Stanley
Obama’s newest advisor:
“Sometimes I get a little nervous before talking in front of a crowd, but Flat Stanley helped me practice the speech,” Obama wrote. “He made me recite it in front of him and then even gave me some advice so the speech would go smoothly. Flat Stanley is really a great coach.”
The Voter Fraud Myth
“If they found a single case of a conspiracy to affect the outcome of a Congressional election or a statewide election, that would be significant,” Richard Hasen, election law expert at the Loyola Law School, told the New York Times last year. “But what we see is isolated, small-scale activities that often have not shown any kind of criminal intent.”
But that hasn’t stopped Republicans trying. Five of the 12 US judges who were fired last year, in the scandal that led to the resignation of US attorney general Alberto Gonzales, were axed because they refused to pursue the issue of voter fraud with sufficient vigour. It also explains the Republican attacks on the community group Acorn, which pays people to register voters in low income and minority areas. Some of Acorn’s workers made up names. That should be and has been condemned. But there is no evidence that it has resulted in a single fraudulent vote ever being cast since Acorn began its large-scale voter registration drives four years ago.
Problem is, the GOP is already setting this up as their talking point for why they lost the election, if they lose. If the margins are high enough I don’t see it gaining much traction, but if it’s close I can’t see why Jon McCain wouldn’t use this as a scapegoat, it’s too easy a target.
Hopefully one of the new administration’s new concentrations will be election systems reform.
A right-wing reporter asks some blatant McCain talking point attack questions to Joe Biden. Biden deftly and concisely handles each of the charges and asserts himself as a formidable and experienced running mate.
This is the reason Obama/Biden is winning. None of these straw man talking points stick and the ridiculous rhetoric of middle-class tax cuts somehow being Marxist makes the right sound like fools.
Even when the interview is skewed to the extreme the attacks just don’t make sense. At least the trivialities of the Bush campaigns against democrats had some focus and possible validity (i.e. perhaps Kerry did change his mind on some positions), the attacks by the GOP this cycle have been so far removed from anything real that they’ve fallen on deaf ears.
Sarah Palin “Going Rogue”
“Brace yourself for nine days of high entertainment.”
Ah, the glories of contextual publishing… The wrong side of Pittsburgh is Bloomfield? Funny I used to jog through there 3-4 times a week at night. I always thought it was a safe little Italy section…
Palin to Appear on SNL
Lame.
Hey, this is really funny. I wonder who’s idea it was to call Al Franken.
Hey this is really funny. I wonder who’s idea it was to call… that famous funny conservative guy… uh… Dennis Mil– I wonder when Al Franken decided to join the GOP.
The View From Roanoke
The Guardian’s Gary Younge is following the presidential campaign from Roanoke, Virginia, in a series called “The View From Roanoke”. So far the series is superbly well written. Something about Younge’s outsider perspective gives things a refreshing neutrality and clarity.
An evening with the Garsts lays bare the depths of America’s political polarisation. A night out with many liberals could well produce the same confusion about what motivates the other side. The problem is not just that people do not agree with each other. It is that at times they don’t even seem to know each other politically beyond caricature. A sizeable section of both the Democratic and Republican base believes that the only reason the other exists is because they are either deluded, bigoted, misinformed, misanthropic, greedy, gullible or godless. Both believe that their information pool is contaminated - one by the liberal media, the other by the mainstream corporate media. The issue is not that there’s no middle ground, it’s that there’s little in the way of common ground.
Everybody and their blog has probably already shown you this, but it’s too great to miss. Chris Rock on the Clintons, Obama and Sarah Palin:
Note, the video may go down but you can find some transcript here, the first part of the video here, and a torrent here.
Update: President Clinton was great on the Daily Show last night. Would I vote for Clinton over Obama and McCain if he were allowed in the race? Without a second thought.