Arianna Huffington, author and co-founder of the Huffington Post, referred briefly a few times to "what happened last night," but spent little time dissecting the recent election or politics."I'm talking about celebrating what is working," Huffington said in an inspiring speech to benefit the Middlesex Community Foundation's Fund for Women and Girls, at St. Clement's Castle in Portland. In fact, Huffington was so inspired by what she heard about the mission and action of the Fund that she donated her honorarium for speaking at the event back to the Fund.
Huffington, who has two daughters at Yale, and two nieces at Wesleyan said that she was happy for any excuse to visit Connecticut.
Huffington explained, through examples, that even in the most desperate of circumstances, great work can be accomplished. She conceded that we first have to recognize how dire our circumstances are, and then, as her mother advised, we need to "recognize our bounty."
She faulted the Obama White House for failing, until yesterday, to acknowledge that the economy is still in the ditch.
"It's so important for the President to recognize that," Huffington said. "Otherwise there's a disconnect."
She indicated that for the people who have lost jobs, lost homes and lost hope, they don't want to hear that it's getting better, or that "it could've been worse."
"The Republicans are saying, 'it's a failure,' and the Democrats are saying 'it could've been worse'" Huffington said. "And that's what happened last night."
Huffington urged liberals to "understand that we cannot delegate our compassion to the government," and that conservatives must turn to the bible where it says, "what you have done to the least of my brothers, you've done unto me."
Huffington took several questions and then ended the evening by signing copies of her new book, Third World America.
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