Gore Vidal goes a bit weird on BBC News Election Night
Funniest thing on the whole night:
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November 5th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Firstly, I think he’s trying to suggest that he’s more surprised that Obama hasn’t been ‘taken out’ by those interests that are represented by the republican party in the American political sphere, than he is by the fact that Obama won the election.
And I’d imagine that he is beginning to realise that the reason he is so surprised is that the world has changed since he grew up the son of a white senator in a black city, and furthermore that those powers that developed and propogated the republican mindset in order to preserve their interests are diminished – that there are fewer of them, just as Gore Vidal himself is diminished and himself has fewer contemporaries. That actually Obama’s easy win has demonstrated to Vidal that he has become irrelevent, that he no longer understands the power relations in American society as he once did.
But. And it’s a very big and very real but. There is still the chance that someone will extinguish the hope that Obama represents. And in the same moment that hope is extinguished, Vidal may be vindicated. I can imagine the confusion tearing at him – he is unable to commit to one or the other analysis internally, and can only cryptically refer to either analysis externally.
I hope he’s wrong. But I feel certain someone will try…
Secondly, he’s obviously a bit pissed.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Interesting Chris. I kind of just assumed he was losing his marbles, but I think you are right. He was totally miffed by the enormity of the changes taking place.
And anyway, how dare he abuse Dimbleby.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Chris: I think your analysis is spot on. I am not sure, however, that Vidal is no longer relevant. But that simply might be due to the fact that I am closer to his age than Omama’s. Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope that he is not vindicated and does not, on this occasion at least, have the chance to utter what he admits to as being the sweetest four words in the English language – “I told you so”. Problem is he has been right so many times in the past. And yes, I agree he was totally pissed. He had no patience for the commentator.
November 6th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Yeah, Obama supporters should form a human shield around him wherever he goes…
And just for the record, I meant ‘pissed’ in the British sense rather than the American, but he certainly was that too
November 6th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Blotto, in his cups, three sheets to the wind, pissed – all of the above. I got the English reference. He was “pissed” on both sides of the Atlantic. Cheers and bottoms up.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Cheers to you to Ken!
I wonder if the reason Gore Vidal’s Republican svengalis ‘let’ Obama win was actually because they were distracted by the banking collapse… did they absent-mindedly let a black socialist man into the White House while they were collectively stooping to catch their piggy banks before they shattered on the rosewood parquet?
November 7th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I don’t think so. But the question deserves an answer. How indeed, did a black man who may very well pose a threat to the existing order get to be the president elect. I have a sinister answer. It could be a set-up. If Vidal/s suspicions are confirmed the ensuing melee will be sufficient for the powers that be to invoke martial law under Directive 51. Game over. The New World Order wins.
Lets hope not. Lets hope that everything is on the up and up, Obama takes office, we all get universal health, the economy recovers, and everybody lives happily ever after. You think?
November 11th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I don’t know Ken… I’ve been thinking about the idea for days. Even as a plan C or D, they’d only do it if they thought they would get away with it and I wonder about that. 40 years ago groups of white men could physically stop black voters at the polling stations and barely a finger would be lifted to stop it. Imagine that happening now. Imagine the YouTube video. If this election has taught us one thing, it’s that no single group has a grip on the dissemination of information in American society. And without that I don’t think they’d take the risk.
Steve Forbes says he’s an “agitator” now. I think they’ll see the advantages in allowing Obama to galvanise the youth, re-engage the world and make America strong again. Or at least they’ll wait a while to see if it pans out that way – I don’t think they’ll do anything that radical before the 20th of January. Too many known unknowns!