Dear Friend and Reader:
TONIGHT John McCain and Barack Obama will meet in their final of three Presidential debates in Hempstead, New York. Just hours after Mercury has stationed direct in Libra, we begin what should be the final sprint to the presidency.
The candidates come into the debate with Obama-Biden in charge at the polls and McCain-Palin negatives high. The economic downturn is pointing a big fat red arrow at the cost of thirty years of Reagan Era de-regulation, and big government in cahoots with corporate greed — all chickens coming home to roost. Republican party officials are worried about down-ticket races — having possibly conceded the presidency.
It is in this atmosphere with McCain having nothing to lose, and an attack dog VP without a whit of shame or remorse — that we re-enter the story of McCain vs. Obama in their last verbal matchup before the Saturn Uranus opposition on Election Day. The astrology does not give any indication of this being a sleep-inducing event. On the contrary — the gloves will be off on both sides.
A reader wrote in recently, commenting on Planet Waves’ coverage of the election astrology, proposing that McCain is represented by Uranus retrograde in Pisces (lacking focus, erratic, full of surprise moves) and Obama is represented by Saturn in Virgo (steady, intelligent, intellectual and well groomed). We shall see; in the early Greek mythology, it is indeed Kronos (Saturn) who unseats Ouranos (Uranus) from his role as sky-god.
Looking at the last few weeks in this campaign, I was reminded how horribly sick I felt back in January of this year, the week before the South Carolina primaries when the Clinton and Obama campaigns engaged in some heavy-duty artillery fire using race-baiting, sexism and fear-mongering tactics, mostly between campaign surrogates.
It wasn’t pretty watching a former president call a serious contender’s campaign a “fairy tale,” or the use of a smear from a party leader in New Hampshire regarding Senator Obama’s adolescent dabble in drug use, which he freely admitted in his autobiography Dreams of My Father. Many of Obama’s supporters knew this type of attack was going to come — he had predicted it.
What happened last week made me appreciate the trial by fire that Senator Clinton’s campaign engaged in when attacking Obama mid-January during the primaries. They saw the cliff edge their campaign was headed for and put on the brakes before things careened wildly out of control. The Clinton campaign prepared us for the inevitable we saw these last few weeks, only they were saved by a crisis of conscience in their strategy, seeing that these tactics were backfiring. That, coupled with the good sense of the Democratic Party which for once didn’t allow themselves the luxury of standing in a circle and shooting at point blank range.
McCain-Palin’s demagoguery was South Carolina on steroids. When John McCain and Sarah Palin asked “Who REALLY is Barack Obama?” the cries of “terrorist,” “God-hating Muslim,” and “KILL him!” rose from an angry mob. What answer to that rhetorical question was she seeking? It’s really a statement. She is saying he’s someone: we don’t know who. It’s amusing that both Obama and Palin have been described as the anti-Christ.
If we think stirring up of racial and religious hatred and exhorting crowds to violence isn’t going to have an affect on the elections, don’t kid yourself. It will. It has proven to be successful before. Fortunately, we are also in the 21st century, where demagoguery is as accessible as YouTube, where macaca moments are highlighted like sunlight hitting a mold-covered rock. When my friends in DC tell me they have Republican friends who are so distraught with their nominee that they cannot bring themselves to the voting booth tells me a lot about the cesspit the McCain campaign has become.
But ongoing racism and our culture wars are symptomatic of the still very powerful wounds in this country. As a nation of varying tribes, to a large extent we operate on racial, social and cultural expectations. It’s the basis upon which this country was formed.
These expectations (poor vs. rich, white vs. black, Christian vs. Muslim, immigrants vs. natives, straight vs. gay and old vs. young) are used to set up the divisive politics that keep sectors of Americans marginalized and afraid of each other to the economic and political advantage of the powers that be. We’ve known this for quite awhile. So even if McCain decides to “go there” using fear-mongering to solidify the race-fear vote amongst the extremist right wing, all he’s doing is unleashing the shadow part of this country that we have always known exists. That he does so in the presence of the (dark-skinned) “Other” who is Obama, is the crux of this very potent moment in our history as a nation.
Recently, my sister’s 80-year old father-in-law underwent knee-replacement surgery. It was his second and he was recovering slowly, bed-ridden, complaining of severe pain. When I asked my niece about it, she said with a wise confidence that in the evidence of this pain, that the end of the post-surgery crisis, or “Healing Crisis” was underway, and the slide back to recovery apparent.
For those of us who have witnessed the events of the last week or so of this long campaign season with alarm, and approach tonight with a sense of apprehension, I want to encourage you to watch tonight’s debate with heart and compassion for the patient in the room — the body of this nation, with all its flaws, boils, cancers, breaks and wounds.
The darkest amongst us are still US. They are our fathers, mothers, our brothers and sisters, our co-workers, neighbors and colleagues. And they are the unexamined, unacknowledged parts of ourselves. To deny them, even when they’re wrong their right to speak and air their views is as un-American as they claim us to be. They have been afraid for a long time. We don’t need to be afraid of them.
This debate between John McCain and Barack Obama is really US versus US. The meeting of the polarities of our country’s psyche. Its an opportunity to shine some sunlight and come to grips with how far we have to travel in order to unite and work towards resolving the economic, environmental and geo-political problems this country faces. In a way, the movie we’re going to be watching of McCain v. Obama is really the floating image of ourselves. And hey, unlike when Al Gore’s victory in Florida evaporated like ether one night eight years ago, Mercury will be direct.
So be ready and calm with your popcorn. I like mine with a little olive oil and sea salt.
Yours & truly,
Fe Bongolan from San Francisco
“The darkest amongst us are still US. They are our fathers, mothers, our brothers and sisters, our co-workers, neighbors and colleagues. And they are the unexamined, unacknowledged parts of ourselves. To deny them, even when they’re wrong their right to speak and air their views is as un-American as they claim us to be. They have been afraid for a long time. We don’t need to be afraid of them.”
Bravo, Fe.
“Truly, I think freedom of speech is one of the hardest of our freedoms to bear sometimes, and therefore the most profound. We are forced to live with opposing opinions, ideas, and beliefs, and allow them their place. And sometimes, we can only hope, the conscious compassion and kindness we display in our lives will have a greater effect on the world as a whole.”
Pandora:
From your mouth to the ear of the goddess: May a new period of Enlightenment begin!
Fe:
Ditto to the reader comments. Your columns are educational and your message stays on point. I appreciate the political and economic commentary a lot. I also appreciate reading the feedback of various readers too and feel like I learn something from everyone. We aren’t really so different from each other, even with roots in different countries and varying opinions.
I’ve already made my voting decision so I’m tuning into Project Runway for some much loved fluff and nonsense. The VP debate was a hoot, but I can’t take another hour of those two others.
Fe-
Thanks so much for your thoughtful commentary. What you say about the American psyche– about those of us who consider ourselves thoughtful, conscious individuals in contrast to those who we consider unconscious– in other words, US vs US… truly this is wisdom we all need to take in. They are our shadow, ie, “the unexamined, unacknowledged parts of ourselves.” They are very much a part of the American psyche, regardless of whether we want to admit it or not. And “to deny them… their right to speak and air their views” is, as you say, un-American. Truly, I think freedom of speech is one of the hardest of our freedoms to bear sometimes, and therefore the most profound. We are forced to live with opposing opinions, ideas, and beliefs, and allow them their place. And sometimes, we can only hope, the conscious compassion and kindness we display in our lives will have a greater effect on the world as a whole.
Pandora
Bkoelher – thanks for your post. Just FYI – currently based in UK, Highlands of Scotland and s/he is a she 🙂 ! Best wishes with your support of Obama.
Fe:
“McCain is working with the Rove-kids. . . . ”
Judging (shame on me) by the reps from the McCain camp, I’d say they didn’t learn their lessons well. On TV, they seem so smug, totally depending on the script, and, when caught off-guard by an interviewer, so at a loss.
I decided I had to volunteer after learning that I would be calling people who have been told that if their taxes (or fines, etc.) were not paid, or if they wore an Obama button to the polls, they would not be allowed to vote. Many people, apparently, are afraid to vote.
bkoehler:
I think one of the direct results of the mud-slinging politics we’ve witnessed, at least since Rove’s time (roughly when he began with Bush’s gubenatorial run in TX), is that it turned voters off from the process of democracy.
I think Rove was a master on supplanting ideas and discussion and going totally for amygdala politics – lizard-brain survival-strain, rumor-mongering, smear eating politics. The kind that gets you prurientally involved, like you’re a voyeur to something dirty, and you feel disgusted for participating in it afterwards.
McCain is working with the Rove-kids (one generation strain away from the Master), and so it makes me wonder whether these kids really absorbed the lessons, or have they just cribbed off the old man’s cliff notes. Also we need to give credit for the times we’re living in. Reality is falling on idealogues like a ton of bricks.
As I’ve heard said: “Who cares about the Weathermen when my 401(k) just lost $21,000 yesterday?”
As for where you and me and all of US are today, I agree–I couldn’t be prouder myself. And now, we really have to roll up our sleeves to get this guy elected. I’m glad you’re doing the work. In fact, I’d like to do some myself. You go, girl!!!
To Fe & Creatif:
Don’t know where Creatif calls home, but I concur with everything (s)he says in this last post. I was not enthusiastic about watching tonight’s debate, but when I think about the history-making aspect, and after learning that McCain’s moon is now in Aquarius (!), it seems less painful.
I will be volunteering at the Obama headquarters here in Louisville, Kentucky (a red state I’m sorry to say) tomorrow, for the 1st time. Should be some lively conversation about it (the debate) to ease my “newness”. As I approach my 70th birthday, I marvel at the progress that has been made since the 60’s when I was a working girl and watched with others, the protesters outside my office window. Nobody there would have ever believed that we as a country could have progressed to this point we find ourselves at now. I am very proud of how far we have come.
gaelfire:
“and the sheer Biblical ignorance of the idiots who are now changing the accepted Biblical narrative to fit another, completely different reality that they are unable to deal with.”
I wonder if folks are starting to wake up from the Pluto-Sag fever dream?
Just read a hilarious diary at Daily Kos called “I’m Voting for Obama Even if he’s a Terrorist”
Here’s the link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/15/132620/19/257/631294
Here’s a quote:
“Well, I don’t know much about this terrorist group Barack used to be in with that Weather guy but I’m sick of paying for health insurance at work and that’s why I’m supporting Barack.”
The zealots are becoming practical. How Capricornian.
“It’s amusing that both Obama and Palin have been described as the anti-Christ.”
Yes, it is. When I was a prisoner in fundie-land, I was taught about this.
According to the accepted fundamentalist narrative, the Antichrist is supposed to be a Jewish male. Some fundamentalists have even gone so far to say that they believe that this male, the Antichrist, was born in 1962.
It’s also a problem that the Jewish temple hasn’t been rebuilt in Jerusalem. The Antichrist is supposed to stride into the temple and proclaim himself “God.” If the Jewish temple doesn’t exist, THAT CAN’T HAPPEN.
My journey out of fundamentalism was accelerated eight years ago, specifically by the cognitive dissonance I experienced from hearing the Right’s smear campaign in 2000 against John McCain… and I know I did the right thing today, seeing the mudslinging being aided and abetted McCain himself, and the sheer Biblical ignorance of the idiots who are now changing the accepted Biblical narrative to fit another, completely different reality that they are unable to deal with.
It’s both sad and scary. Sarah Palin and her ilk should not be allowed ANYWHERE NEAR a position of authority in this country.
creatif:
I expect alot of American red-meat politics tonight. Its the last debate and the one that will leave the most lasting impression.
I hope we do make the right decision, its a prayer to and for the world that we’re doing this and talking so much about it here at Planet Waves.
As for your wishes for me after the election – thank you. Just let my editors know. 😉 !
Fe – thanks for excellent article as always. I am looking forward to tonights event. Though I am not American, and don’t live there (but I love the country and at least 50% of my clients are based there, and they are friends as well as customers). I am well aware (as many are) that what happens in the USA, affects us here. This election is more than critical and I am both nervous and excited about it.
It just occurred to me on reading this latest post from you – that up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of you and now I am thinking that when this election is over, I am going to miss these insightful, clever, intuitive pieces of commentary. I do hope that in some way you will continue to contribute here…
Warmest wishes.