The Morning After

Rereading the blog entry I posted before going to bed late last night I find that it sounds bitter. I can’t say that I feel substantially altered from that after a few hours of sleep.

I am in shock.

My worst possible fears have come to pass. Not only does Bush appear to be headed back to the White House, but with a clear victory in the popular vote as well as a seeming victory in the electoral college. I truly thought that after four years of him, the majority of Americans would be more than ready to give him his walking papers. How could I be so wrong?

I’m optimistic by nature – though I don’t feel that way right now. It seemed so obvious that Bush had been not just a bad president but a terrible one that everyone could see it. That a majority of the population didn’t see it has me wondering if it was my perceptions that were so bad. Yet, as I reflect on the last four years, I don’t think so.

My greatest fear is what will happen to the Supreme Court. I know I’m depressed and prone to seeing the worst right now, but I fear this is going to set civil rights back 100 years.

It was less surprising but no less disheartening that the anti-same-sex marriage amendments passed in all eleven states where it was on the ballot. For the life of me I can’t see this as anything but discrimination being alive and thriving in this country. These amendments do nothing to protect heterosexual marriage and serve only one purpose: to discriminate against gay and lesbian Americans.

Note that I don’t look at this as a democrat vs. republican thing. My own personal views is that political parties in general and the iron grip that those two parties exert on American political life have been a terrible thing for America. When only two viable choices are permitted then no other option than extreme polarization is permitted. We’re all the losers when that happens.

There isn’t much left to say. My own efforts at trying to convince Bush supporters that they should reconsider appears to have been an utter failure. Every person I spoke with that supported Bush appeared to have a completely closed mind and to have made a decision based mostly on emotion. I’ve no real evidence that I reached any undecided voters either. My short career in political activism will not go down among the highlights of 2004.

Yes, this is pessimism speaking. Yes, I’m feeling depressed. But, yes, this how I truly feel today: God help us because as a nation we’ve proven
incapable of helping ourselves. I pray I’m wrong but the last four years make me believe otherwise. If ever we needed a miracle, now would
be a good time for one