Ridiculous diary title, I know - but I have a "Big Picture" question for all to ponder:
Full Disclosure:
I. I spent many years in Dallas. I've seen the Dixie Chicks perform at Home and Garden shows at the State Fair, back when they were a bluegrass quartet, pickin' an' grinnin' in prairie skirts.
II. I like Al Gore. I'd rather, I think, have Feingold, but since those two choices aren't on the table so far, my top 3 picks for 2008 are Edwards, Richardson, and Obama, in that order.
So I'm reading posts and pondering the how's and why's of the DC's win - how in the heck, with all of the ClearChannel, etc. institutional discrimination and the Toby Keith foaming-mouth, "Boot in the Ass" fans actively rooting against them, did they sell 2 million records? And, on top of that, how did they get the Grammy electorate to vote for them? I heard the single a couple times on XM, around the release date, and that was about it.
So try this "What If" on for size:
Was this the music industry saying
"Gee, girls, we were wrong about that whole 'embarassed about Bush' thing, and, well, we kinda got caught up in that whole mob mentality thing, and, well, here's our apology. Plus, you made a damn fine record, to boot." ???
What if:
- most people now realize that the uncounted votes in Florida and Ohio would probably have resulted on a much kinder and gentler country than we have today, and
- they see that the drumbeats of war are taking us ever-closer to (yet another) unwinnable war with Iran,
- and it becomes increasingly apparent to Joe Six-Pack that the country, the economy, and people of faith have been completely horn-swoggled by the neocon agenda,
...were Gore to throw his hat in the ring, would the voting public be infused with a "Dixie Chicks Syndrome" and be more inclined to vote for a "do-over" or an "apology", and put Gore into office, as recompense for our long eight-year nightmare?
Did we just see an example of that last night? Is the election of a female to be President of one of our most prestigious universities another example of this type of fundamental shift? Have there been other 'votes' lately that we can point to that would indicate an opportunity like this, or a prevailing mood? Can we use this to 'Draft Gore'? Can we use this to WAKE UP OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS and DO SOMETHING, before we attack yet another sovereign nation?
Oh, and '08 candidates? Put that "We were wrong" hat on for a while, and see how it fits. It's your size, really. Humility becomes you.