Get Herald RSSWhen the reality of a Bush victory set in, I stopped listening to my copy of MoveOn.org's "Future Soundtrack for America," the political action committee's fundraising compilation disk. In fact, not only have I not heard Future Soundtrack for America since the sad news, but I haven't received any epic e-mails from MoveOn.org in 36 hours. This leads me to believe the site's leaders heard the results and committed mass suicide.
In light of four more years of Dubya, it's time to regroup and scan our music libraries for a post-election soundtrack. My current playlist begins with Beck's "Loser," followed by the Postal Service's "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" -with Kerry winning 89.5 percent of D.C.'s vote, the city is definitely sleeping solo. Next, expatriate dreams come in with "London Calling" by the Clash. If we can't MoveOn to Kerry, we can always move out. Cue "Hit the Road, Jack."
Bryant Urstadt offered many a good ideas for expats-to-be on the Web site of Harper's magazine this Wednesday. Urstadt mentioned the pitfalls of moving to Canada - though I am still campaigning for an emigration en masse to ever-lovely Vancouver - and the possibilities of life on the high seas. But bear in mind, being an expat in our globalized world isn't nearly as romantic as Hemingway, Eliot and others made it out to be last century. America's cultural hegemony is everywhere.
Next up on my soundtrack: Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now Baby Blue." Yes, it's all over now. We are living in a country where the majority of the nation, a bulging mass of red-state Republicans, support any one of a slew of conservative policies. And for them, one reason - Iraq, the war on terror, the economy, abortion, gay marriage - is enough. Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason" filters in.
With the Presidents of the United States - the band, of course - blasting their version of "We're Not Going to Make It," from my speakers next, I know it feels tough to imagine life in another four years of Bush's thicket of religious right. I saw a guy wearing a shirt that read "Secession is the only way."
That's right, secession. Don't move out, but found your own country within the United States' borders. We'll make a blue-state wonderland, a bicoastal (plus Illinois) nation of progressive Democrats. Beaches and universal health care for everyone.
Okay, admittedly, it's not that simple. I don't want any more explosions anytime soon, so maybe an outright secession campaign isn't the right solution. Why don't we let compromise pour down? When you put red Republicans and blue Democrats together, you make purple. Next track? Prince's "Purple Rain."
Maybe a big earthquake will knock California off the continental shelf and that secession thing will take care of itself. But otherwise, we will need to spend the next four years trying to break down the rigidity of our country's two-party system. The last track on my soundtrack: "Why Can't We Be Friends?" by the group War. I'll leave you with that.
Emily Nemens '05 is wicked with the pause button.
