To mark the end of the Bush Presidency, I thought about writing a series of essays about what this man's administration meant to the nation and what he'll leave behind but as I constructed the ideas in my head, I paused and reflected about what it really meant for me to live through 8 years of George Bush's America. First off, let me say that I don't really care for the man himself. In my eyes, George W. Bush is something akin to expired Dog food. To quote the late Norman Mailer, Bush is a spirtual terrorist. A man devoted to superficial observations about America and its so-called place in the world. I'm so elated to wash my hands of George W. Bush and his ilk that I wish he would leave right now. Tonight. In the middle of the night. He and Dick Cheney. Just go, right now, we can't wait.
But my jubliation turns to anger. Anger at knowing what George W. Bush is going to leave us in the wake of his incredible failure known as his Presidency. What he is leaving behind is darkness. I know this first hand because during the holiday season I felt this enormous sense of gloom all over. Even though we celebrated the Christmas eve at my Aunt's house, I continued to feel a little uneasy about the situation that's currently griping the country and that is the economic malaise that we're presently facing.
When I was about 7 years old, my father was laid off from work for one year. We lived in an apartment with the rent coming out to 640 dollars a month. And during that crisis, my father missed not one payment. NOT ONE. My parents were also going through some tough times in their marriage as well, and coupled with my sister's problems as well, it appeared that 1987 would be a dark christmas. But that year it didn't feel that so dark. Maybe because I was a kid I learned to shield myself from all the problems that faced me, but when I look back now, it wasn't too bad. Except for my Dad being unemployed.
20 years later, my father is currently laid-off from his job at HDR (Although there is a strong possiblity that he will be back on the job in Feb.)
My mother quit her job in September because her boss made the environment for her very uncomfortable. My younger brother who is currently a Freshman at Roosevelt University, doesn't work. I'm the only one in the house that is working. I work as a Library Page at the Harold Washington Library for 9.54 an hour, but I only work 23-25 hours a week. I have a Bachelor's degree in Radio from Columbia College in Chicago and I'm currently working on a Master's Degree in Creative Writing from the same institution. The only way we've survived right now is through my savings account. So yes, I'm one of the many who has a college degree and who is also underemployed as well.
We talk about what's going in the country and we're all scared.
Hell, I think everyone in this country is scared.
But I'm not an individual who will use my fears and my apprehension consume to the point where I'll just turn to the next person who overwhelms you with folksy phrases that make you want to puke after you hear it for the 100th time (Are you listening Governor Palin?)
And that's where George W. Bush comes in.
You see, I don't believe George W. Bush is stupid. Yet I don't think he's all that intelligent. But what I do believe is that he had the ability to appeal to a certain sector of the American population by making them believe that he was one of them. A tough-talking cowboy from Texas who will shoot all the bad guys one day, then the next will come over and have a beer and shoot the breeze about the Orange Bowl, and then the next day will stand in Church and claim that God is talking to him as if he and God are good friends. What George W. Bush did is appeal to our naivete. Conservatives have always done this. They've always campaigned on the basis of pretending to be political innocents. And George W. Bush and his ilk claimed to be political innocents. However, their naivete was hiding something much more sinister. What they wanted to do was to completely alter the American landscape by introducing policies that were so far to the Right that the country I see right now is nothing more than a pitiful helpless giant.
But when 9/11 hit, me and my parents believed that George W. Bush would do everything to rid the earth of the scum that perpetrated those horrific attacks. And we backed him all the way.
But when the talk of invading Iraq came into sharp focus, I immediately snap out of it and did a complete makeover of my beliefs. I was sort of a moderate (how unfortunate) but quickly transformed myself into a bleeding Liberal with no apologizes and no cares to whom I was going to offend. Remember this was the time when the Dixie Chicks were being exocriated by many for criticizing George W. Bush for invading Iraq.
I couldn't however just simply put the blame all on George W. Bush and Dick Cheney (although the blame they receive is justified) I was more pissed at the cowardly Democrats who stood by a morally corrupt President and regurgitated his talking points on the Senate floor. It pissed me off then, and it will continue to piss me off.
I knew George W. Bush would be re-elected President in 2004. I just knew that when the twin towers crumbled that George W. Bush would be President, I just was unaware with how different the country would be in 2004 and right now.
But I wasn't really that politically active. I accepted the fact that he would be President again, and I was predicating that he would win in a landslide that not only would permaently put the Democrats in the wilderness, but make Ronald Reagan blush from beyond the grave.
It didn't happen.
Something told me that his victory meant he was very vulnerable. I truly
believed that he wind getting caught with something that would lead to his impeachment.
That didn't happen.
But what we did find out that his tough-talking cowboy image was nothing more than a mirage.
What we found out was that George W. Bush not only lacked leadership and a full understanding of how the world actually works, but he really didn't care about the common man. He exudes this comman man quality that one would expect him to come to their rescue when the time comes, but when Katrina hit, he didn't give a damn about them. Truly he meant it when he said that the people who supported him were the "Haves" and those who didn't were the "have nots."
It was then that I started to became fully aware of who was running my country and why we've come to this point.
I started to care.
And as 2005 morphed into 2006, I started to really care.
As the decade began I wasn't that much of a reader except for the sports section of the Sun-Times. But I've managed to turn myself into an individual who desires to scarf down any book that comes my way as if I was the only person in a old country buffet.
You see, I don't want to be like every Ronald Reagan sycophant out there who overrates him because he made them feel good about being an American.
No.
Living in George W. Bush's America made me realize that Ronald Reagan was nothing more than attractive George W. Bush. Sure, he can talk without sounding like a doofus, but Mr. Reagan was an idelogue who wanted nothing more than to fulfill Grover Norquist's vision of drowning Government. And for that, we're currently paying a terrible price.
Living in George W. Bush's America made me realize that there is no difference between Democrat and Republican. The Republican party is nothing more than a radical, militant organization led by Jesus Freaks, Gun lovers, and anti-Government ideologues. The Democrats are often led by politicians who govern with their tail between their legs because they're so scared of being seen as Liberal.
Living in George W. Bush's America made me realize that if it comes to the point where I discover that there is no God, I'm at peace with that, because the religious right has made it impossible for me to even enjoy the fact that I'm a Catholic. The way I see it, religion, as it is presently stands is a exclusive entity rather than an inclusive philosophy.
And finally, living in George W. Bush's America made me care.
I give a damn about this country because I'm scared.
I'm scared of not only what tomorrow brings but what 6 months will bring and even what's going to happen next year and beyond that.
I'm scared of the possibility that our new President will continue to with the same gutter economic beliefs that were made popular by Milton Friedman.
All of us who lived through these last 8 years simply can't just let our guards down. We must make it clear to Mr. Obama that the change that he has professed to bringing must be follow through. No more of this wishy-washy so-called moderation. We care so much about this country that we can't simply let it fall into the hands of people who want to take one baby step at a time.
This is the time for decisive action.
And even though we should all be excited about this historic moment where the first black President will be sworn in as our 44th President, we must not let our excitement drift towards indifference. Just because we have a new President who has proven to be more of an adult than the old one, doesn't mean that will just lay down and accept everything he gives us. We must carefully analyze every position and every policy to make sure that it benefits the ones who are truly hurting. Not the CEO's.
If George W. Bush was successful at one thing is that he made me care. He made give damn about what is happening to this country. I can't, nor will I ever trust a politician who comes across as folksy or wants to have a beer with me. As much as I love my father and my mother, I don't I want a leader who is just like them. I want them to be more curious and to not view everything from a small world point of view as Sarah Palin does.
No more Sarah Palins.
No more George W. Bushes.
No more Ronald Reagans.
This country is in too much dire shape to be led by political innocents.
George W. Bush made me care because when I wake up tomorrow, I won't know what it'll bring, but I do know, I will no longer see the things I use to see the same again and I thank him for that.