Utne Reader: Waking Up From Our Long National Nightmare

[oldpol]

A few weeks ago, I was brainstorming with our publisher about images we could use to accompany this cover feature, “Reimagining the American Dream.” Normally we make a game of going back and forth, but as soon as I described the stories we planned to publish, Bryan had a flash of inspiration.

Our stories are about reorienting expectations, not downward but outward: putting community interest before personal gain; reclaiming and reengaging our local political systems; fighting for people who keep our economy running, but can’t keep up; and demanding that, no matter where we are or what we’re fighting for, we play by the rules. What better way to visually represent this optimistic agenda than to feature a portrait of Illinois senator Barack Obama, whose presidential campaign has energized a scared, skeptical nation?

the millions he’s already touched will never forget this moment in history because, no matter your political stripe, there’s no denying that our nation has been sleepwalking for the past eight years. We put the covers over our heads on September 12, 2001, got up to look around in 2004, and then hit the snooze button again, hoping that things would work themselves out. They didn’t. And they won’t.

Obama has jolted us awake. The air is crackling again with the power of possibility, with the belief that there’s still some magic to be squeezed out of the American Dream. And that sensation is as real as it is unforgettable.

http://www.utne.com/2008-05-01/Politics/Editors-Note-Beyond-Obama.aspx

[BrklynLib at work]

1. Your subject line reminded me of the prescient article The Onion did 01/2001

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28784
Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."

"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."

Bush swore to do "everything in power" to undo the damage wrought by Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.

During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years.
<snip>

more at link above...

[oldpol]

2. the Onion is the best

and right on most of the time!