There has been a beacon of light illuminating my political shores for very nearly eight years. This light swept away the shroud of inconsistent, incompetent, special interest dominated darkness that conservative media thrust upon the world and proved guiding through the mess that became the Presidency of George W. Bush.
I only became aware of the reasons we got involved in Iraq when the light was thrust upon the issue. I then knew that we damn well should have had a better strategy, better intelligence, an exit strategy to speak of and the war should NOT have been a direct line from the pockets of the taxpayer to the bank accounts of Halliburton. And it was because of this guiding light that I was able to ‘keep buggering on’. I felt less like a Stranger in a Strange Land with what I believed and how I felt. I was validated in my want of logic and an intelligent approach toward what I saw as a disturbingly farcical Presidency. This became a beacon of hope in a time of despair.
When a young politician from Illinois gave the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention, the beacon, who by now had become a Captain of sorts for those of us who were die hard fans and followers, gave me the confidence to author a letter about the speech to the author, Barack Obama. Just a few months later, I was writing that same person a letter of encouragement to take up the race for Presidency in four years, since my guys lost to the incumbent village idiot.
When Katrina took away any hope that I had that this country was still my home, my frustration was given a voice. It was a loud, booming voice and it lead me back to the belief that my country was still good and there was, again, a certain kind of hope in the future.
At the moment that our economy was on the brink of the bowl that became the proverbial flusher, the Captain navigated the path that led us there and despite everything that everyone was saying against what the Captain knew was right, he continued to give us details and featured guests who knew what they were talking about, offering advise, that if headed might have prevented a complete trip down the commode.
When it came time for this country to elect a new Command-In-Chief, it was he who delivered the historic news- that this nation, once so fractured, so separate, came together to elect its first black President. Amid the excitement of a new journey into the dawn of a new day of what would become a unifying chant for hope and against division, the Captain was there to keep everything in perspective.
The following summer, the opposition would take on the role of screaming mee-mee at a time of great progress in health care reform. The discussion became less constructive and far more constrictive as their cries got louder and ever irrational. The Captain was there to call them out, to provide that guiding light once more and to capture my every emotion, turning them into words but adding a measure of compassion. The country’s own health care issues were parallel to the Captain’s own, as his father was in the hospital- on his death bed- as it turned out. Rather than bemoan his plight, he took the cause of health care reform closer to his heart and began to call for donations to health care centers around the country- for which he has raised $2.5 million.
I could go on, but I won’t; this is starting to read like an obituary. It is, really, since we know nothing about what happened or why or when we will again see our Captain.
Though Keith Olbermann encouraged us to light our own torches and follow our own path, I think it was preferable to follow his path. Nobody among us followers can match him in any way. He had a singular talent for turning on the light in a dark room, and we had the joy of watching the roaches scatter. He was there when we needed him the most. He supported the people who think that the country should move forward- be progressive.
Captain, my Captain. I bid you a solemn farewell, but I ask that you not stay away for too long. We can’t fight the darkness without you.
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