FAITH VS. HOPE

Just wow. I'm just now catching up on the news of last night's extraordinary victory for Hillary in West Virginia.

Last night I slipped on some oil in the parking garage at work and strained my already-suffering back and knees (long story involving past surgeries), but dragged myself into the car and drove home as quickly as I could, intending to drown my pain in lots of Tylenol and lots and lots of election results and commentary. It was certainly one of those days. I arrived home to find the electricity off (rainstorms in Dallas), including my digital cable. So no TV, no Internet. I just wrapped both knees in heating pads, put one behind my back, and settled in with a good book instead and went to bed early.

So everything's back on this morning, and I awaken to the news that Hillary beat Barry by 41%, but it doesn't matter. WWTSBQ? is the anthem of the media and the Obama campaign. Right-wing talk radio is full of "she's toast, let's get on with it" commentary -- you can almost hear them salivating over the radio, they're so anxious to get her out of it and take on BO.

It's not over till it's over. I've given far more money to Hillary's campaign than I have ever before donated to a candidate, yet yesterday I sent another $50 just on faith. What a return!

And that reminds me. I've been thinking of posting on the difference between faith and hope for some time now. This will be a quickie.

Faith as defined in the Bible is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," while the dictionary defines hope as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best; to believe, desire, or trust; to feel that something desired may happen.

Notice the difference between the two -- faith requires evidence, hope is a feeling or desire. We have faith that the sun will rise tomorrow because IT ALWAYS HAS (evidence). We hope our team will win (desire).

I have faith in Hillary because I have the evidence of her past record, her behavior, her character as demonstrated in the public domain for decades, and her explicit promises as outlined in her policy positions and issues papers. Barack's supporters have hope that he'll live up to his rhetoric, but they cannot have faith because there is no evidence that he ever has.

What's the intelligent, mature perspective?

THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF HOPE

I'm feeling rather low right now. And I think I know why that is.

Since the November elections of 2006, I have experienced a resurgence of hope that American voters were waking up to the horrific consequences of 12 years of total control of our government by conservative Republicans. The inevitable conclusion of that, I thought, would be an impressive victory for the Democrats in election 2008, and in particular demonstrate the choice of voters weighted towards progressive policies.

But now I'm seeing a divide as great in the Democratic Party as in the country as a whole. We have a fine (D) candidate for the presidency who is running on a message of hope, unity and change. He hopes for unity, which sure would be a change. After several decades of escalating demonization of our Party and progressive principles -- and tactically, of ourselves as suspect Americans -- I am not inclined towards the kind of hope that rests on the good will and intentions of the Other Side. I had HOPED for a different kind of unity: that among Democrats, we could finally agree that it was better to sacrifice a little ideological purity than to find ourselves, once again, so divided that the Republicans could conquer.

Now I see an invective and ugliness in the posts and comments of the various progressive blogs against an effective and credible candidate, Hillary Clinton, by the Obamamaniacs that I simply don't understand how we could have fallen so far, so fast.

I've been a prolific blogger for nearly five years (although I have really let it lapse since I changed jobs), and I've been a proud part of the progressive blog community. It was great in the race towards the 2004 presidential nomination to see a difference of choices among the Democratic candidates -- different blogs supported a variety of candidates, but coalesced enthusiastically around the eventual nominee.

But this time is different.

I read a great many blogs and MSM on a daily basis. And I have noted, with satisfaction, the fact that the few pro-Hillary (unfortunately, not the more influential or highly-trafficked) blogs regularly echo their commitment to support the Democratic nominee, no matter who it is. I have not observed a similar widespread commitment on the part of the Obamaites.

Some of my previously-favorite blogs have taken a tone so reminiscent of the right-wing disdain, even hatred, for Hillary Clinton, that I simply cannot process it. Daily KOS and Talking Points Memo, to mention two of my must-reads (checking every few hours) for years, are unrecognizable to me lately, disturbingly similar in tone and reporting to the anti-Clinton mainstream media. No Clinton gaffe, no campaign glitch, is too small for a campaign of derision and triumphalism. The fanatically pro-Obama blogs are practically indistinguishable from the right-wing campaigns against Clintons of yesteryear. And yes, the Clintonistas are counterattacking. Justifiably so.

Yet it leaches the hope from me. Hence my dispiritedness. I had hoped for unity in the party. Could it still happen? Should Hillary win the nomination, would Obamaites coalesce, in big voting numbers, around her? I don't doubt, but would still declare the importance of, our (Hillary supporters) not only voting but organizing for an Obama candidacy, should that be the result. That is my last hope.

It is my fear that a divided Democratic Party will be vulnerable to a McCain victory in the fall. And that is a terrifying prospect. Having expressed that to a few friends who used it to encourage me to throw my vote toward the so-called-safer-vote-Obama (all those polls, you know!), I responded by saying that I'll be damned if I'll let the opposition determine my vote.