Exeunt

Ex”e*unt\ [L., 3d pers. pl. pres. of exire to go out.] They go out, or retire from the scene; as, exeunt all except Hamlet.

Well, we can say goodbye to the old battle-axe bitch, which leaves several of my friends relieved and … strangely “victorious” sounding. Victorious over what, exactly?

I’ve been saying for a year now that I would vote for Obama when the moment presented itself. That moment will be in November. But I have also been observing, researching, and charting what it is that has happened to this woman who dared to fight for a position so many — on the right, on the left, and in between — hated her for.

So, um, she lost.

HURRAY! the yucky old she-banshee is out of the way!

I’ve been keeping track too of how many of my women friends who were disgusted with Hillary have said the line: It’s not because she’s a woman. Gender has nothing to do with it.

One of my colleagues said last Tuesday: She hasn’t done anything for women. If anything, she’s made things worse for women.

But it has nothing to do with gender?

I’m left puzzled by that, since she is the first woman candidate who was in a truly viable position to become president of the country…and i’m willing to give that big fat historical weight.

SO. why is it that we should jettison gender as a question at issue or point of discussion? Because I still think there are things worth thinking about and talking about, such as, NOT what does it mean about HER that she ran, fought like hell, and lost, but what does it all mean about US?

Besides that women are really great at demonizing other, more powerful women. I already knew that. What great strides we’ve made in our relationships with one another.

I’m not one of those people who was projecting a buncha crap onto her as if she was a screen for all of our internalized weirdness about gender and sexuality. Nor was I a person who painted a picture of her as without sin. She had many flaws. But I didn’t see the need to, you know, stone her. Because I have many flaws too, so I didn’t, you know, feel all that different from her.

I’m also not one of those people who is projecting glory onto Obama as if he is a screen for all of our repressed hope–I don’t want to light my lighter and sway inside the army at his speeches. I’m not interested in inventing a new narrative of America the Beautiful and Great. I ‘d much prefer to see America the humble, or America the I admit we’re hypocrites and I vow to rehabilitate, or America the here’s your land back, America the health care is free and available to everyone, America the feed your people and give them jobs and homes, America the I put down my power stick. For good.

And I don’t, like, have a crush on him either. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/11/shes-got-a-crush-on-obama-2/ http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

I’m sure Obama will be a great president. I’m also sure he’s going to run into the same roadblocks, attacks, battles, and surreality of the land of the big white house that any politician in this country does–especially since he was born out of the politics of Chicago and raised in a system of patriarchal order. I suspect he’s going to make a bunch of (gasp) mistakes along the way. Too, I’m really interested in seeing how the Michelle factor plays out–she’s a spitfire. I really like her. She used to be his boss and her resume is equal to his. The powerful woman behind the magic charismatic man.

So as I wait to vote for Obama, I will be putting my energy into campaigning for human rights, and for freedom of expression and living wage opportunities for artists and single mothers, not campaigning for the magic man. Quite simply, he doesn’t need me. A powerful narrative of a great man has emerged, sweeping up the imagination of the masses.

And for the record, that aint new.

Last week I had to drive a suicidal woman writer to the emergency room. If you need me, I’ll be in the trenches.

Love Lidia