Susan Senator

Warning: If you are not a Democrat, you might not enjoy this posting. My apologies to my conservative readers, I still love you and I hope you still love me, but I have to crow a little bit about how the pendulum swung left nationally the other day.

Last night I called Mom and Dad to see how they were doing. Mom was jubilant over the election results. She told me that she had spent four hours at the polls and had handed out leaflets for candidates that did not win. Still, she was pleased about the nation. I felt very proud of her for becoming politically involved that way. I, too, stood at the polls but I do that on every election day, local or otherwise (I am no longer on the School Committee but I am a Town Meeting Member and a town macher nonetheless. I am not bragging, I am saying that with a half-frown. I did not intend to become a town big shot; all I wanted was to help the town run things the right way, and that meant I had get really, really involved. My issue, by the way, won. We defeated the CPA ballot question, ((Community Preservation Act, which would raise taxes by 3%, get matching state funds, but only which could be spent towards affordable housing, historic preservation, and open space. I am not opposed to those causes, but they are not priorities and affordable housing is not about the money, it is about neighborhoods not allowing in affordable housing projects!!!!)) )

All of which means we really have our work cut out for us to persuade those who voted against the CPA simply because it is a tax, to vote for a different tax that will mainly help the schools. I hear that I am not allowed to refer to them as the “anti-tax crowd,” and must come up with a more positive and accurate label. I asked them to help me with that. I am going to try to be a bridge between conservative and liberal forces, and use my Libra-given skills to mediate and explain, cajole, sweet-talk, and listen, to make this tax increase happen. People move to this town for the excellent schools, and they ain’t going to be excellent if they have to sustain cut after cut, as they have in the past 5 years.

I will succeed. I am determined. I believe that people are natually good deep down and become afraid or are misguided. Sometimes they need to be heard, validated. I believe I learned this attitude from my father, who is a natural optimist. Mom is, too, but it is Dad who is the bigger mouth of the two of them. Dad always used to say, “See?” with a knowing smile, eyebrows up, all of which means, “Didn’t I tell you it would be alright?”

Last night when I spoke to Mom I asked her if Dad had said, “See?” But she said, “No, he was doubtful the entire evening, figuring that Rove would somehow prevail! I’m the optimist, here!”

I found both these things hard to believe. Mom gets all fired up angry about political stuff, and about people not being their best in general, and I said, “No way! You’re the optimist? What happened to Dad?” She laughed and put him on the phone. He sounded like himself, except all this cautious stuff, too. This political era has taken a lot out of him. (Plus he has had to listen to my mom’s vitriole every day as she reads the New York Times aloud to him!)

So I said, “Dad, come on! It’s all good. See?” I was doing an impersonation of him.
He laughed. That’s a good sign.
I will give him a few days to get back to himself.

Sometimes good things really do happen. See?