This is both good and depressing. It is good because I support Kerry and I think every sane person should. But it is quite depressing to see a "liberal senator from Massachusetts" struggling to establish his religious credentials, being apologetic about his position to uphold the right to abortion, and trying to be more hawkish than chicken hawks in the Bush administration.
These are unmistakable signs how much this country shifted to the right, or perhaps returned to its normal reactionary right wing bigotry that defines its national character since its inception in 1776. What is a bigger bigotry cum hypocrisy than slave owners writing "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" to weasel out of paying taxes?
The brief swing to the left during the 1960s and early 1970s can be attributed to two factors - the imperia project and the soviet challenge and the bloodletting in Vietnam.
The US elites with their eyes on global domination understood quite well that the reactionary populism, anti-intellectualism, and lynching mob mentality of the US populace was a hindrance rather than an asset in their imperial project, especially vis a vis the challenge posed by the Soviet Union. They knew that the virulent racism and vestiges of slavery tarnished the US image abroad, and they had to sweep ii under the rug - even against the "democratic" wishes of the US populace.
They also understood that US needs to move ahead with science, which also required reining in the Boobus Americanus in two areas - his gut hatred of science-based education (evidenced inter alia in the Scopes trial), and his gut hatred of foreigners - as the brain drain was essential for making the US science competitive.
The bloodletting in Vietnam, in turn, finally made the US society "scream." It is one thing to cheerlead the slaughter of dark-skinned people on the other hemisphere in the name of "American values" and "freedom" - and it is quite a different thing to see members of one's own family being killed in the process. The ability of the Vietnamese freedom fighters to inflict sufficient US casualties, and the media reporting those casualties were two key factors that turned the large segments of otherwise jingoistic US populace against that war. The eventual defeat in Vietnam was another brake on that jingoism.
But that was then. US-ers have a rather short memory span - and they are again cheerleading their mercenaries blowing up dark skinned people on another hemisphere - especially that it allows them to feel good about themselves after being punched in the face in 9/11.
The fact that a Vietnam veteran who made his name by being an outspoken critic of US militaristic jingoism today panders to the very same jingoism he criticized is a very depressing sight indeed. The sight of the liberal senator from a liberal state struggling to establish his credential as a good Christian and quoting the bible to appeal to the public is even more depressing. It demonstrated that the US is, after all, a nation of jingoistic bigots - the liberal veneer on both coasts notwithstanding - and one has no choice but pander to that jingoism and bigotry if one has any hope of winning a political office.
This makes one think that Bush may be a better president for this fucked up country, after all. In the long run, his policies will make the US and the "US model" even less attractive in the world, weaken the US economy, make it more dependent of foreign energy supplies, lower the standards of living, reduce consumer buying power and slow the Us scientific progress. These are good things.
These things are good not because they will somehow "awaken" the US working class, as some loony lefties dream. The US "working class" (whatever that is) is in a deep slumber and will sooner drown in its own shit than awakens to do anything, let alone overthrowing the "capitalist oppression."
These things are good because the US is a bloated monster that sits atop the world draining its creative resources, poisoning the air with the farts from its wasteful lifestyle, and exporting exploitation, war and destruction. Therefore, deflating that monster will create some breathing space, so to speak. And that a significant number of non-millionaire US-ers will suffer in that process? Who gives a shit when millions are already dying from the US-sponsored and led aggression.
It is so fucking depressing that makes one wonder why do not people with any brains and conscience off themselves seeing that calamity.
Wojtek