rant is where the heart is

diaryland: sirilyan.diaryland.com: entry for 2004-11-04 (13:09)
In which our plucky young hero talks southward.

Meanwhile, in Canada, the biggest concern of the day is the possibility that $100 million in advertising and sponsorship money was probably misspent. Also, we bought some submarines that have mechanical troubles.

Meanwhile, in Ontario, the biggest concern of the day is that pit bulls are widely known for eating people's faces, but that's just because you don't know Muffin, who's just the sweetest thing ever. Also, doctors feel they are underpaid.

Meanwhile, in Toronto, the biggest concern of the day is that transit funding is still far too low and there is still no certainty of the money required to maintain a state of good repair. Also, there's a big pothole on a suburban street.

Is Canada better? Right now it is. But lots of times, it has been a lot worse here. Which is why, American friends, I have a message for you:

This, too, shall pass.

So don't sit around. Go out there and, whatever you think the work is that must be done, goddamn do it. Do you really want to be the donkey who slept through the next four years?

Oh, and a message for any Republicans who are my friends. First, congratulations on your discretion. I honestly didn't know, because you've managed to not wear your politics on your sleeve like pretty much everyone else in my acquaintance. Maybe some of us on the other side of the political median could use a dose of that discretion. Or maybe we just need a Democrat as divisive as Bush to win two terms in a row, so you get loud and worried and angry too. (Clinton ain't it. Clinton was one of your guys, compared to Bush's relationship to Democrats.) I could live with that, but then, you already knew that.

Second, thank you for your friendship. You're folks too, just like I'm folks and the Democrats are folks and Canadians are folks. I try to remember this, all the time. And you try too, or you wouldn't be my friend. Thanks for that.

And third, remember: this, too, shall pass.

Don't get complacent.

Because your opponents sure won't.

To be honest I'd almost rather you slacked off. I'd rather you got fat and lazy in victory, and ignored the reality that even John "Amazingly Lifelike" Kerry was able to win more votes this year than Ronald Reagan(!) ever did. I'd like to see you sleepwalk toward 2008 and wake up on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November to a vastly different world.

I know you won't do that. At least, in my heart of hearts I hope you won't. Venality and corruption and corpulence are worse clothes for a nation than vigorous, principled action (even wrong-headed vigorous action based on the wrong principles). And it'd be better for the nation, when you lose, for the loss to be because you did your best, you worked your ass off, and it wasn't enough.

Or, maybe you'll win. In which case, congratulations. You'll have won because you did the right thing, and got rewarded for it.

But don't slack. Whether you be elephant or donkey, you got work to do. Go out and do it. America may not be as good as Canada right now (there, I said it!) but even America at its worst is worth working to hold onto, and America at its best, well....

....let's just keep my opinion of that under my hat for now, because I don't want to spoil the moment.

('cause, you know, liberalism and conservatism are both nice, but smartassery will always carry the day. Sorry about that.)

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