Gosh, late to the party ( or the wake, as it were ).
timber, two outta three ain't bad, and while we could quibble over the "57 to 59% of the popular vote" part, I'll take John Kerry's lead and not put all of us through that. As soon as I post this I'll go make that contribution and then ... send you a copy of the receipt, maybe? For proof?
So here's a quick take:
"Well, that could've gone better."
Seriously, there's not enough solace to be taken that here in Deep-In-The-Hearta, a Dallas-area county elected a Latino lesbian sheriff, or that a Vietnamese immigrant unseated a 30-year GOP state representative in Houston, or even that Tom DeLay "had more votes cast against him than ever before".
Back to the Prezdintial race.
Probably the oddest thing I read in the days before last Tuesday was the notion that African-American support for John Kerry was sagging. Among the factors contributing to this was the notion that George Bush should be
forced to clean up his own messes.
No joke. Y'all hear that one?
Truth to tell, though, I'm marginally sympathetic to that attitude. Anything that keeps the good guys and gals on the left cheerful and engaged has something to be said for it, and there's some basis for thinking that the next four years could be very,
very bad for the long-term health of the Republican Party, which would be very,
very good for the long-term health of the nation and the planet. This year's level of Democratic effort, and the level of discontent with Bush among Republican-leaning elites, makes me less worried now than I was three years ago about the ability of Bush and Rove and Norquist and Reed and all of their lickspittles to bring about a semi-permanent consolidation of power that was clearly their ambition.
Taking the long view, it's not clear that Tuesday's outcome made overall prospects worse rather than better. But there's just something wrong with that thought.
In the long run ( as a famous economist noted, and blatham has also cogently pointed out on another thread ) we're all dead.
In the next four years, and for some years thereafter, there will be lots of unnecessary suffering and death because we have in power a President -- and a governing political party -- contemptuous of any human suffering that doesn't involve them or their voters ( or can't be used to partisan advantage ), contemptuous of the rest of the world and of Americans who disagree with them, and contemptuous even of ordinary fact ( such as scientific fact, for example ). Moreover, much of the damage done in the next four years -- the esteem in which America is held by the rest of the world, for starters -- can't be easily undone.
Me, I can afford to be philosophical about the outcome. I'm white. I'm straight. I'm male. I'm employed by a company -- mine -- that isn't going to disappear, with health insurance that isn't going to be taken away and a well-funded retirement plan. Bush's tax changes probably decreased my net share of the national tax burden, and I'm not going to go without anything vital if my income takes a hit as a result of uneven economic performance. I'm not a likely victim either of crime or the criminal justice system. Nobody I know is likely to be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term as a result of restrictions on abortion.
My biggest personal loss is probably in the air quality, plus the increased risk ( but still microscopic in absolute terms ) of getting incinerated by a North Korean or Iranian nuclear weapon, or a terrorist attack, plus maybe the setback for stem-cell research that might mean my new kidney or the treatment for Parkinson's or whatever won't be ready when I need it.
So why shouldn't I be philosophical? As Steve Goodman sings, "It ain't hard, puttin' up with somebody else's troubles."
There's a joke about a famous defense attorney who promised his client that he would certainly be acquitted of a murder charge. When the jury brought in a verdict of guilty, the hapless client turned to his lawyer and said "What do we do now?" As the client was being led away in handcuffs, the lawyer replied, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to lunch."
Those of us who are comfortable in our personal circumstances and aren't among the specific targets of God's Official Party's twisted views about "moral values," and who therefore had less personally at stake in this election than lots of other people did ( even some who voted for Bush ) shouldn't want to be too much like that attorney.
Yes, it's possible to root for Bush's re-election on the Leninist principle of "the worse, the better."
But one Leninist party is already one too many.
This came in my inbox in the last few days:
Quote:I work at a domestic violence shelter in a rural conservative district in Mich. that has had its economy gutted by NAFTA and where Christianity dominates the culture.
Yesterday while reflecting about 4 more years of Bush I was talking with a woman staying in the shelter. I will give her a fake name, lets call her Laura B. Laura is 28, pregnant, (never considered an abortion). She finished high school and did a year of college before dropping out to have a couple of kids with her military husband. Living in Virginia on base with her autocratic mate (he doesn't allow the boys 3 and 4 to say "yeap" they have to answer "yes sir") drove her crazy and she was hospitalized for suicidal thoughts. Military dude divorced her and has custody.
She came home to Mom in Mich and ended up at our shelter to try and sort out her life. (Mom has no money either and her own problems.) We, like all secular agencies, have seen a steady erosion of funds.
Laura B. has found a job working in the kitchen at a local faith based Christian College. She makes $6/hour. She drives a dying Ford Escort wagon and pays $2.15/gallon for gas. Her latest crisis is her insurance expired on Oct. 9 (her ex-partner cancelled policy). She needs to come up with $211 to get insurance for one month or face a $1,000 fine if she gets caught driving with no insurance. We have some public transportation, Dial-a Ride, minibus runs between 7 am and 6 p.m., M-F $1.50 one-way. She has to be at work at 6am.
She has been walking to work lately but it is about 2 miles. She is 5 months pregnant, it is dark at 5 am, and winter is coming. Solution? Go begging at the churches who seem to have money for these things. They will give her the money if she attends bible school. So last night she was at bible school until 9 p.m.
She has never attended our domestic violence support groups as she is too tired at night and goes to bed early, but the bible study was not optional.
She was excited about "God's message" when she came back.
This week she moves into low income subsidized housing. Her newest crisis is she has found out when the college is closed for the Christmas holiday (one month) she has no employment. She is hoping to find temporary employment as a seasonal retail worker if the Christmas sales are brisk to tide her over. She doesn't know what she will do when the baby is born, hopes she can work up till the last week (she is on her feet all day with this job). She will be eligible for subsidized daycare.
She voted for Bush because of his "family values."
I have absolutely nothing to add to that.
edit: corrected some typos...including some Freudian slippage ( Repubican ) 
