For twenty two years my city has had a republican whiteguy mayor. The last 16 of them have been the same guy, pat mccrory. McCrory is the kind of guy who would get along with sarah palin, he’s got a nice smile, he’s not just white but airbrushed-white and he has the support of the raging neoconservatives and racists. He opened all the city council meetings with a prayer, and not an accessible to all faiths prayer either. His politics are scary but he served them up with a smile and wore the I’m a man of god suit with a matching tie and shiney shoes.
On the first anniversary of 9-11 there was a gathering in a local park, billed everywhere as an interfaith vigil of commemoration. I took morgan and it was one of the most frightening scary events we’ve been to in this city. Interfaith my ass. It was so full of scary conservatives spouting vile beliefs cloaked in religious language that we left, but even leaving was a frightening event. The mean people were blocking exits, we did a quick dance back and forth and sideways, we were actually running by the time we broke out of there. Pat McCrory was there and spoke (led prayers) and he was the most liberal of the speakers.
So my city has been one where a vigil promoted as interfaith means a blend of moderately frightening and completely freaky zombie scary, where city business begins with prayers that are offputting to anyone not in that range, where whiteguys one-up-each-other with references to god. Pat McCrory couldn’t have created all this by himself, but he has been the posterboy for it.
And my city, voted for CHANGE.
An african american democratic Mayor with an overwhelmingly democratic city council, I don’t think that’s ever happened here before. And honestly I’m surprised as hell. Even as the election returns started coming in I figured it was early and there was plenty of time for them to turn. Foxx did win narrowly, and it was my area that turned out solidly for the-other-guy, but he freaking won !
Wow am I ever pleased.
Nice to hear some good news!