DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
Many women in the United States are facing the ending of a dream today. Those of us in that place are now relatively sure that next January there will not be an inauguration of the first female president in the nation's history. And in a way that awareness can be heartbreaking to longtime feminists. I count myself in that cohort, even though I began to be an Obama supporter a few weeks before our state's primary. It is not that I did not want a woman to be the nominee. I have deeply looked forward to that eventuality for decades. I just could not support the particular woman running in 2008, ending my dream for now.
Beginnings plus endings equal transitions. Sometimes these periods can be discomfiting psychological stages in which to be thrown, because we have so many associated emotions. We might feel sadness that something we valued has ended, anxiety about what is to come, anger that transition was forced upon us, or ambivalence because of unresolved mixed feelings. We might have changes in appetite, sleep patterns, increased hyper-vigilance or numbness, tears or other unusual behaviors. Not everyone sails easily through transition.
The Democratic party's primary season is ending in just a few days. As this very useful WaPo election season map clearly shows, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota are holding the final three elections that should decide the nominee for POTUS. This begins the period when heretofore undeclared Super Delegates will announce their preferences, moving the party towards its desired unification in order to win the election in November. The problem is that Senator Clinton is yet unaware of this reality. She remains in denial and in transition. She appears to be having the most difficulty of any of us in letting go of her dream.
The presumptive nominees of both parties are already out of transition. Senators Barack Obama and John McCain have already begun the general election campaign to win the chance to be center-stage at the presidential inauguration.
And Barack Obama and his family have ended their membership in their church. Senator Obama and/or his wife and daughters all faced some of those uncomfortable transitional feelings after making this difficult decision. My hope is that relief will come, too.
NASA IN SPACE
NASA's Shuttle mission, STS-124, has begun its journey to the International Space Station, where the Japanese module Kibo, ("hope") will be installed. This mission marks the end of the major construction of habitable space on the ISS.
PERSONAL
One of our granddaughters ended her high school years yesterday with a grand graduation ceremony. And very soon she will begin preparations in earnest for starting college in the fall. She begins to make the transition from adolescent to adult, just like millions of happy "mortar board tossers" all over the country.
View my current slide show about the Bush years -- "Millennium" -- at the bottom of this column.
(Cross-posted at The Reaction.)
My “creativity and dreaming” post today is at Making Good Mondays.
Technorati tags: news news and politics politics psychology nasa graduation hillary clinton obama 2008 primaries
2 comments:
Ever since the witch hunt disguised as impeachment, I was a huge Hilary fan, until she went to New York. Something changed about her. I can't tell you what, but I didn't know who that woman was that was saying she was Hilary Clinton, anymore.
Since Barak Obama's keynote speech at the 04 convention, I practically worshiped the man - until he decided to run for President. Then all the other stuff came out, he waffled, then he took the path of least resistance, then he disowned.....it was the end of "our" love affair for certain.
I doubt very much I even bother to vote, for the first time since I was eligble. Not only do I think both so called "Democrats" are bleeping professional liars, but one is Republican Lite, and all the other one knows how to do is give great speeches about problems. The kid was never ready, isn't ready now, and now that I know what I do now, never will be "ready enough" to suit me. Finally, this country is not "coming back." I wish for it, I dream of it, but I also see the reality. The America that you and I enjoyed for years will never be again.
Dan'l, I appreciate knowing what your feelings on the election situation are. I do not believe you are alone in your views.
The current administration, in my opinion, is MOST to be blamed for its destruction of peoples' trust in the United States' capacity for normal resilience and self-righting. That is a savage and cynical thing to do, and it angers me so much I can't say anything that is rational.
All any of us can do, if you'll excuse what could sound like a platitude, is deal with what is before and after us, and on the left and right, as we walk along on similar paths.
Thanks so much for your thoughts and Peace, my friend.
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