I have always liked the word “rumpus” — a word I first heard as a child playing with my young cousins in the Rumpus Room, as my uncles liked to call it. It was the room where the family chilled out in their various easy chairs to smoke cigars, put their feet up, talk loudly, drink whiskey and watch television.
It was there we kids could feel the energy of their relaxation and candor, empathetically translated into the child’s language of play: the evening’s easy chairs were our morning trampolines. I become breathless just remembering being that young.
Rumpus — a noisy clamor. A confused, or disruptive commotion. This is what happened this weekend at the Nevada State Democratic convention, where the delegates formally declared and certified their apportionment of Clinton and Sanders delegates who will be seated at the Democratic National Convention near the end of July. The final apportionment was 20 Clinton, 15 Sanders. That was the easy part.
The hard part was how they got there, which according to the news was not standard. At what should have been a tedious, all-day affair — because boredom is standard for State party conventions — there were strong protestations with rumpuses throughout the day, which included challenges to existing convention rules by Sanders supporters. California Senator Barbara Boxer, a regional representative at the event, was called a bitch.
Then there was the abrupt ending of the convention, which had already run three hours overtime due to the disruptions taking place throughout the day. The convention venue’s security could no longer handle the protests and were working overtime. They wanted it all shut down. At the end chairs were thrown onto the stage by frustrated Sanders supporters. The rumpus in Nevada took over the weekend news cycle.
We heard lots of conflicting reports over the weekend as to whether there were rule changes to keep Sanders from winning Nevada. Apparently, there were no new rules made for the purpose of clinching the deal for Clinton. There was only the application of existing rules, which required that the delegates should be registered Democrats at Nevada’s State Democratic Convention. This is not the first time Sanders supporters, many of whom are Independents, learned their lessons the hard way as to how to support their candidate.
As I mentioned, the final convention result netted 20 delegates for Clinton and 15 for Sanders. This validated the Feb. 20 caucus results for both candidates.
Are we at the news-standard meme of Democrats in disarray? Possibly. Twenty-first century COINTELPRO disrupting party politics? Could be. Anything is possible in this election year of surprises and upheaval, starting with the entrance of a lifelong Independent candidate as a near-successful candidate for the Democratic Party nomination. Let alone a shoot-out-the-mouth immature billionaire narcissist who bucked party convention on the Republican side and is the presumed party nominee. I guess I am having a hard time being surprised by any of it during this 2016 political campaign.
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I am certain that Mars, Uranus and Eris are increasing the psychic irritation the voters feel these days — the itches that are hard to scratch as well as the disruption caused by discomfort and dissatisfaction with the establishment. Both Reince Priebus on the Republican side and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz on the Democratic side are definitely being chafed from within, with intra-party challenges from the Teapublicans and the new Sanders Democrats.
In my heart of hearts, I feel good about the rumpuses. We’re watching the birth of something that has yet to fully form.
It’s healthy for both parties and for our democracy as long as it doesn’t get out of hand, and that we don’t fall and hurt ourselves in the process. Trump’s challenge is serving a hard slap, waking the Republican Party up; they’re paying the price for courting political nihilism in the form of the corporate-owned Tea Party.
Progressives’ dissatisfaction with the Democrats’ inability to strongly work the party back toward the left — and eschewing the party’s corporate interests — birthed the Sanders ‘revolution’. It’s making Democrats be Democrats again, which I think was the ultimate aim of Bernie Sanders candidacy all along.
Time will tell. It’s another sixty-five days before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia — an irony not lost on us: Philadelphia is the city that birthed the Declaration of Independence and was listless and uncomfortable with rumblings of a revolution against the crown. What will be wrought there this time? An expanded sense of unity or a new show of resistance? How fast can we grow out of the rumpus room without hurting ourselves?
Fe,
I’m going with the “expanded sense of unity” in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly (adelphos in Greek) love (philos in Greek). Better yet, the Oracle of Delphi might even be called upon to advise the fractured party on the wisdom of unity. Each symbolic candidate in both parties has and will continue to play out their roles in this ritual of evolution. An evolution in which the United States plays a vital role. The TRUE importance of each person’s part may be mostly unconscious to them on a personal level right now, but seen from an historical perspective, those “parts” are intrinsic to the final scene.
In looking at the birth chart for Philadelphia (November 8, 1701, which is – not so ironically – the day and month of the election this year), the Sun at 16+ Scorpio is opposite the just past New Moon on May 6th at 16+ Taurus, while it also conjuncts the transiting Sun on Election Day. That Philly natal Sun (consciousness ) is trine both the Philly Saturn (established order) in Pisces and the Philly Uranus (awakening) in Cancer. How fitting then that the old and new rulers of Aquarius, Saturn and Uranus, meet in harmony (and consciousness) in this great city’s birth chart.
Further proof that this was destined; that is the Democrats meeting in Philadelphia, this city has a natal Moon in Aquarius, and when set for Noon, it is conjunct the chart’s Jupiter and both are conjunct the U.S. Sibly chart’s Aquarian Moon. How delicious it is that Mrs. Clinton so symbolizes the Saturnian nature of Aquarius while Mr. Sanders so symbolizes the Uranian nature of Aquarius. It’s all coming together in this dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Breathtaking isn’t it?
As we live through the days of this Taurus New Moon cycle, what is materializing (earth sign Taurus) will be reflected upon later when the Democrats come to Philadelphia (whose natal Sun opposes this New Moon) in July, and again when the voters go to the polls in November (when the transiting Sun is opposite this New Moon). Philadelphia’s natal chart also has Chiron in Libra trine its Moon-Jupiter (and the U.S. Moon) in Aquarius, suggesting a healing effect could be taking place during the time the Dems gather there.
This gives me a sense of peace, knowing that the brutality of the alchemical process we are in (the Taurus New Moon trine Pluto in Capricorn and Jupiter + North Node in Virgo) has meaning and purpose beyond just the release of rage and vitriol. It means there is a divine plan that can serve as a way to find the path (NN) to a better world starting with just one country that always has and always will value and believe in freedom of speech.
be
B:
Agreed. Alot could be learned right now for Dems who have lived through Chicago 1968 — have we absorbed our lessons? How can she unite the party? I think the divide is clearly defined. What can be reasoned now so that there is unity? I think having Bernie as a sort of reflector mirror is a good test for her — after learning at the example that PBO set in 2008 — forging unexpected alliances.
Fascinating to witness. As they say in the song “The Schuyler Sisters” in the musical Hamilton:
“Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now…”
I remember rumpus rooms. Hell, I remember RUMPUSing!
Regarding the independent issue — it’s important to note that that IS NOT a party affiliation, but a political description. In California, according to this report, registration is tricky and could spell trouble in the fall. There’s evidently a quick fix via computer, so this should be passed around among the Golden State’rs …
Quirk May Keep Independents From Voting in June Democratic Primary
Many mistakenly registered with the wrong party.
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/california-voter-registration-quirk-may-keep-independents-voting-june-democratic
I’m also thinking that the latest business about how Trump treats women will further drive the female vote away — we don’t have a lot of patience with the “well, men are LIKE that” theory any more — which counts as progress. We’ve made a LOT of progress when you examine it one little slice of attitude at a time. (I think that’s the Pubs idea of being ‘politically correct.’ Like Dem’s are just being politically correct when they don’t want to shoot anybody stealing their lawn trolls, or whatever… Bah humbug!).
Good piece, Fe — thanks.
At Daily Kos, Markos Moulitsas asks if we can tell apart the Sanders Supporters from Trump’s:
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/5/17/1527444/-Bernie-or-Trump-supporters-It-shouldn-t-be-this-hard-to-tell-them-apart
As we’ve been hearing on this site, the chafing continues unabated.
Old paradigm vs. new paradigm: Who is holding on to the old with all their might, blindfolds tightly clasped across their faces? And who is turning toward the new, opening their eyes and minds and hearts to the new horizon, the new dimension, the new world?
“When fear becomes collective, when anger becomes collective, it’s extremely dangerous. It is overwhelming… The mass media and the military-industrial complex create a prison for us, so we continue to think, see, and act in the same way… We need the courage to express ourselves even when the majority is going in the opposite direction… because a change of direction can happen only when there is a collective awakening… Therefore, it is very important to say, ‘I am here!’ to those who share the same kind of insight.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh, “The Art of Power”