“The past is not dead. It's not even past.” —William Faulkner
The past is alive and well in Alabama—the past of Roy Moore, who was removed twice as state chief justice and stands an even chance of going to the U.S. Senate; the past of George Wallace; of Jim Crow; and of slavery. If Jack the Ripper himself were running in Alabama against a Democrat who supported reproductive choice and civil rights, it would be a close contest.
We've reached a point in America where guns, God, gays, and the rights of the fetus (but not of 14-year-old girls) trump all other values, emphasis on Trump.
Meanwhile, in the other ring of the circus, Republicans who know better are supporting disgraceful tax legislation and Donald Trump, the better to notch a win for their party and deliver goodies to corporate allies. There is still an outside chance that Senator Susan Collins of Maine may vote against the package. That would make the head count 50-50, and put the onus on just one more Republican, maybe John McCain or Jeff Flake, both of whom detest Trump, to decide to do the right thing and deny Trump a disgusting, gloating win.
It was just 13 years ago that a young, idealistic state senator from Illinois spoke eloquently about bridging red state America and blue state America into the United States of America. That dream has never been further from reach, as Trump brings out the worst in America's past and present.
I keep thinking of another favorite quote, from the Italian radical Antonio Gramsci, who was jailed in the 1920s by Mussolini. Gramsci's credo was “Pessimism of the mind, optimism of the will.”
I prefer to translate that as pessimism of the mind and optimism of the heart. We have to be pessimists based on what we know, and optimists based on our continued struggle for a decent country.
