A Commentary on the Passing Scene by
Robert Paul Wolff
rwolff@afroam.umass.edu
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
A WORD OF THANKS
I would just like to say that the breadth and depth of knowledge exhibited by the folks who read this blog and comment on it is extraordinary, and it is a pleasure to spend time with you. Thank you.
You are very welcome, Prof. Wolff, and thank you for your thought provoking posts.
Well, it is 12:55 AM in Michigan, and I just watched Joe Biden give an upbeat speech to his supporters in Wilmigton. It was good to see him smile and shake his fist, and assure that all will be OK. We should just be patient. It is apparent that there is not going to be a Democratic blow-out. We will be lucky if Joe wins the Presidency. Talk about ending the filibuster and packing the Supreme Court have been put to rest. Analysts on PBS are saying that Trump succeeded in expanding his base among, believe it or not, Latinos and African-Americans. I do not understand it.
In 1964, Senator Goldwater lost to Lyndon Johnson in a landslide. Although I was not a big fan of Sen. Goldwater, he was a far, far more decent person than Trump. Trump could never have gotten the Republican nomination if he had been around then. This country has changed in ways that I do not comprehend. This is no longer the country I grew up in. Does it mean that it is no longer a democracy, that democracy in America is dead, as some commenters hav claimed? No, I do not believe so. Whoever wins, if every ballot gets counted, even if it takes until Thursday to do so, the people have spoken, and that is what democracy is about. Even if Biden wins, it is not the democracy I had hoped for.
Thank you, Dr. Wolff, for being such a honorable, loving, and caring person, and host of this most splendid website!
I posted a comment previously that this election may be a "Grand Contested Election." The last "Grand Contested Election" occurred for 36 days after election day during the 2000 Presidential Election between Al Gore and George Bush. Al Gore won the popular vote by 543,895 votes, but President George Bush won the 271 electoral votes needed to become president. I believe Gore won 266 electoral votes in the end. Any U.S. presidential election lasting for 36 days or more (after the voting was over) was bound to have a recount somewhere in it. If this election is the "Grand Contested Election", mentioned by Herman Melville, then there may be a recount involved--especially if it lasts longer than 36 days. And I wonder if it would have to last longer than 37 days to be Melville's "Grand Contested Election" instead of the Bush-Gore presidential election of 2000?
Note 1: BTW, that Quatrain of Melville's may really be a Tercet instead.
Not this... "GRAND CONTESTED ELECTION FOR THE
PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.
"WHALING VOYAGE BY ONE ISHMAEL.
"BLOODY BATTLE IN AFGHANISTAN."
But this... "GRAND CONTESTED ELECTION FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.
"WHALING VOYAGE BY ONE ISHMAEL.
"BLOODY BATTLE IN AFGHANISTAN."
Note 2: The reason I am so vehement about stating this opinion of mine, that Melville may have predicted the 2020 presidential election, is that many fictional authors of the past, like Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and G. Roddenberry were able to predict future events in their fictional creations. And it was Nostradamus who predicted Louis Pasteur in his Century 1-25 four line Quatrain. And the other reason is that there is only one BLOODY BATTLE in Afghanistan that is of consequence in the prophetic tercet of Melville's. But there were many (plural) bloody battles that took place after George Bush's election to the presidency. (But Melville's Tercet only mentioned one giant battle.) Plus, the British coined the term BLOODY HELL in their everyday speech. Right now there may be 1,100 British troops stationed in Afghanistan--making them currently the third largest Western Military presence stationed there. If this prophecy does come true concerning the election, then they & all Allied Forces should be alerted...
Note 3: The previous commentator who thought "WHALING VOYAGE BY ONE ISHMAEL" meant a Muslim leader who wailed at the problems of a Western Power in Afghanistan while on a ship's voyage did make some sense. However, if we shoot for 2020 being Melville's prophecy and not 2000, then it can be seen that a future Muslim Maudhi will take a trip "incognito" to Jerusalem and pray at the Western (or Wailing) Wall. If people say a Muslim would never pray at the wall, then one could say that Melville's prediction did not mean a Muslim would pray at the Western Wall but that a future Muslim Maudhi would pray "near" the Western (or wailing) wall. E.g. by the Temple Mount and inside the Mosque (or Masjid) located near there.
Of course, all of this speculation is conjecture just for now. We don't really know if the shoe begins to really fit unless the 2020 Presidential Election drags on for many more days from now, and is also worse than the chaos caused during the 2000 Presidential Election that dragged on for so long...
Don't mean to puncture balloons here, but doesn't "whaling voyage by one Ishmael" obviously refer to Melville's own novel (Moby Dick)? Beyond that, why should anyone care whether Melville "predicted" the 2020 election? Let's say, hypothetically, that Melville predicted the Watergate scandal and the resignation of Richard Nixon. Let's say, hypothetically, that Emily Dickinson predicted the Vietnam War in one of her poems. Let's say that Theodore Dreiser predicted global warming. Let's say that Ralph Waldo Emerson predicted 9/11. Let's say that Thoreau predicted the Holocaust. Let's say, hypothetically, that all these authors actually made such predictions. Even if that were true, why does it matter?
Well it matters if you can save lives. Just one life saved of an American or British service member is worth taking into consideration the 3-line passage. Maybe one of Melville's descendents is serving in Afghanistan right now? When Melville writes about Providence & the Fates, it gets suspicious. Now I think I'm not into absolutes. So I remind myself that all of this could mean nothing. But if I can play the part of Watchman on the Wall, what's wrong with that?
I hasten to include myself, like M.S., in the set of people Prof. Wolff thanks for the depth and breadth of knowledge exhibited in their Comments. "You are very welcome, Prof. Wolff". As for Michael Llenos's boostering case for precognition, I would use his own wise, judicious, circumspect words against him: "Ofcourse, all of this speculation is conjecture just for now".
[As for Michael Llenos's boostering case for precognition, I would use his own wise, judicious, circumspect words against him: "Ofcourse, all of this speculation is conjecture just for now".]
I don't know how you can use those same words against me when those words (& their meaning) were exactly my point. I'm not saying I know with 100% accuracy what is going to happen. Or that anything that might happen will happen. But that doesn't mean my matching Melville's prose tercet with current & future events is in any way wrong to do. Wait and see. Over time we will all see the truth. There are two "grand contested" elections I have noted so far: 2000 and 2020. If Melville was writing about 2020, then it will be worse than the 2000 presidential election stalemate which lasted around 36 days. I assume it could be worse in either length of time, intensity, or both.
In a distant, previous post below, when I started these predictions before the election, I said that President-elect Biden would win the election, but that Trump would contest it. In the news right now, Trump is getting his lawyers together to start a legal campaign on Monday. I thought the election was stressful, but I conceive the legal battle about to commence may be more stressful than the election itself. And we still got around two months left to go before inauguration...
This is what I posted on September 28, 2020 at 8:00 PM...
[So if Melville is right: Biden will win the Presidency & Trump will stubbornly contest it. Or Biden will lose the election and stubbornly say Trump cheated. These two options don't seem like they would appear 50/50 to one another. It seems more likely that Trump would "grandly contest" the election and not that Biden would.
So if any of the two options happen, then my suggestion is to not take a trip to Afghanistan for a couple of years after, and to get one's loved ones out of Afghanistan for several years time. Plus, the U.S. Military should be warned and put on high alert: especially in Afghanistan.]
So many knowledgeable readers would not be frequenting this blog if it were not so consistently worth reading. Thank you, Prof. Wolff.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome, Prof. Wolff, and thank you for your thought provoking posts.
ReplyDeleteWell, it is 12:55 AM in Michigan, and I just watched Joe Biden give an upbeat speech to his supporters in Wilmigton. It was good to see him smile and shake his fist, and assure that all will be OK. We should just be patient. It is apparent that there is not going to be a Democratic blow-out. We will be lucky if Joe wins the Presidency. Talk about ending the filibuster and packing the Supreme Court have been put to rest. Analysts on PBS are saying that Trump succeeded in expanding his base among, believe it or not, Latinos and African-Americans. I do not understand it.
In 1964, Senator Goldwater lost to Lyndon Johnson in a landslide. Although I was not a big fan of Sen. Goldwater, he was a far, far more decent person than Trump. Trump could never have gotten the Republican nomination if he had been around then. This country has changed in ways that I do not comprehend. This is no longer the country I grew up in. Does it mean that it is no longer a democracy, that democracy in America is dead, as some commenters hav claimed? No, I do not believe so. Whoever wins, if every ballot gets counted, even if it takes until Thursday to do so, the people have spoken, and that is what democracy is about. Even if Biden wins, it is not the democracy I had hoped for.
I am tired and depressed, and going to bed.
Thank you, Dr. Wolff, for being such a honorable, loving, and caring person, and host of this most splendid website!
ReplyDeleteI posted a comment previously that this election may be a "Grand Contested Election." The last "Grand Contested Election" occurred for 36 days after election day during the 2000 Presidential Election between Al Gore and George Bush. Al Gore won the popular vote by 543,895 votes, but President George Bush won the 271 electoral votes needed to become president. I believe Gore won 266 electoral votes in the end. Any U.S. presidential election lasting for 36 days or more (after the voting was over) was bound to have a recount somewhere in it. If this election is the "Grand Contested Election", mentioned by Herman Melville, then there may be a recount involved--especially if it lasts longer than 36 days. And I wonder if it would have to last longer than 37 days to be Melville's "Grand Contested Election" instead of the Bush-Gore presidential election of 2000?
Note 1:
BTW, that Quatrain of Melville's may really be a Tercet instead.
Not this...
"GRAND CONTESTED ELECTION FOR THE
PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.
"WHALING VOYAGE BY ONE ISHMAEL.
"BLOODY BATTLE IN AFGHANISTAN."
But this...
"GRAND CONTESTED ELECTION FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.
"WHALING VOYAGE BY ONE ISHMAEL.
"BLOODY BATTLE IN AFGHANISTAN."
Note 2:
The reason I am so vehement about stating this opinion of mine, that Melville may have predicted the 2020 presidential election, is that many fictional authors of the past, like Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and G. Roddenberry were able to predict future events in their fictional creations. And it was Nostradamus who predicted Louis Pasteur in his Century 1-25 four line Quatrain. And the other reason is that there is only one BLOODY BATTLE in Afghanistan that is of consequence in the prophetic tercet of Melville's. But there were many (plural) bloody battles that took place after George Bush's election to the presidency. (But Melville's Tercet only mentioned one giant battle.) Plus, the British coined the term BLOODY HELL in their everyday speech. Right now there may be 1,100 British troops stationed in Afghanistan--making them currently the third largest Western Military presence stationed there. If this prophecy does come true concerning the election, then they & all Allied Forces should be alerted...
Note 3:
The previous commentator who thought "WHALING VOYAGE BY ONE ISHMAEL" meant a Muslim leader who wailed at the problems of a Western Power in Afghanistan while on a ship's voyage did make some sense. However, if we shoot for 2020 being Melville's prophecy and not 2000, then it can be seen that a future Muslim Maudhi will take a trip "incognito" to Jerusalem and pray at the Western (or Wailing) Wall. If people say a Muslim would never pray at the wall, then one could say that Melville's prediction did not mean a Muslim would pray at the Western Wall but that a future Muslim Maudhi would pray "near" the Western (or wailing) wall. E.g. by the Temple Mount and inside the Mosque (or Masjid) located near there.
Of course, all of this speculation is conjecture just for now. We don't really know if the shoe begins to really fit unless the 2020 Presidential Election drags on for many more days from now, and is also worse than the chaos caused during the 2000 Presidential Election that dragged on for so long...
Don't mean to puncture balloons here, but doesn't "whaling voyage by one Ishmael" obviously refer to Melville's own novel (Moby Dick)? Beyond that, why should anyone care whether Melville "predicted" the 2020 election? Let's say, hypothetically, that Melville predicted the Watergate scandal and the resignation of Richard Nixon. Let's say, hypothetically, that Emily Dickinson predicted the Vietnam War in one of her poems. Let's say that Theodore Dreiser predicted global warming. Let's say that Ralph Waldo Emerson predicted 9/11. Let's say that Thoreau predicted the Holocaust. Let's say, hypothetically, that all these authors actually made such predictions. Even if that were true, why does it matter?
ReplyDeleteLFC,
ReplyDeleteWell it matters if you can save lives. Just one life saved of an American or British service member is worth taking into consideration the 3-line passage. Maybe one of Melville's descendents is serving in Afghanistan right now? When Melville writes about Providence & the Fates, it gets suspicious. Now I think I'm not into absolutes. So I remind myself that all of this could mean nothing. But if I can play the part of Watchman on the Wall, what's wrong with that?
BTW, the 3-line passage is located below the 11th paragraph of Chapter 1 of Moby-Dick.
ReplyDeleteI see the passage in my paperback copy. Been a while since I looked at Moby-Dick.
ReplyDeleteI hasten to include myself, like M.S., in the set of people Prof. Wolff thanks for the depth and breadth of knowledge exhibited in their Comments. "You are very welcome, Prof. Wolff". As for Michael Llenos's boostering case for precognition, I would use his own wise, judicious, circumspect words against him: "Ofcourse, all of this speculation is conjecture just for now".
ReplyDeleteGeorge Sepso wrote:
ReplyDelete[As for Michael Llenos's boostering case for precognition, I would use his own wise, judicious, circumspect words against him: "Ofcourse, all of this speculation is conjecture just for now".]
I don't know how you can use those same words against me when those words (& their meaning) were exactly my point. I'm not saying I know with 100% accuracy what is going to happen. Or that anything that might happen will happen. But that doesn't mean my matching Melville's prose tercet with current & future events is in any way wrong to do. Wait and see. Over time we will all see the truth. There are two "grand contested" elections I have noted so far: 2000 and 2020. If Melville was writing about 2020, then it will be worse than the 2000 presidential election stalemate which lasted around 36 days. I assume it could be worse in either length of time, intensity, or both.
In a distant, previous post below, when I started these predictions before the election, I said that President-elect Biden would win the election, but that Trump would contest it. In the news right now, Trump is getting his lawyers together to start a legal campaign on Monday. I thought the election was stressful, but I conceive the legal battle about to commence may be more stressful than the election itself. And we still got around two months left to go before inauguration...
ReplyDeleteThis is what I posted on September 28, 2020 at 8:00 PM...
ReplyDelete[So if Melville is right: Biden will win the Presidency & Trump will stubbornly contest it. Or Biden will lose the election and stubbornly say Trump cheated. These two options don't seem like they would appear 50/50 to one another. It seems more likely that Trump would "grandly contest" the election and not that Biden would.
So if any of the two options happen, then my suggestion is to not take a trip to Afghanistan for a couple of years after, and to get one's loved ones out of Afghanistan for several years time. Plus, the U.S. Military should be warned and put on high alert: especially in Afghanistan.]