Reflections

It’s hard to look past the admitted bitterness I have against this president and his cronies who have proven that bald-faced lies and a denial of accountability are no impediments to gaining the backing of the majority of voters. Many Republicans can ignore such shortcomings and vote for the ideals of the current neo-conservative movement. And no matter what the other half of the country thinks, GOP voters frame the issues apart from neo-con tactics and from many of voters’ own religious philosophies to justify their vote. I believe many honestly think that their Christian philosophies of concern and compassion for the weak are not in conflict with this administration’s prejudice for the well-to-do. How so is a deep mystery to me. I can only judge by the conservatives I know. They are not bigoted, selfish or hypocritical, just misguided.

I’m confident that someone will explain to me why gay marriage, for example, portends the downfall of civilization. (Opposition to abortion I can at least understand.) I’m sure someone can explain how our long-term interests are served by laws making it easier to make money through exploitation and money manipulation rather than through work. I expect to be enlightened soon as to why the widening gulf between the haves and have-nots is good for our sons and daughters. I will no doubt soon learn why the killing of tens of thousands of innocents to avenge 3,000 deaths at the hands of what was three years ago a small band of terrorists is justified. And some foreign policy expert will enlighten me as to why the enmity of nearly one billion Muslims helps protect us.

During my brief travels abroad over the past four years, I found what many others have: The rest of the world hated Bush but not Americans. Now, expect anti-Americanism to increase. Before 9/11, we could say that we had no idea. But after the first reign of the GWB, the rest of the world can blame Bush squarely on us. It’s our vote that re-elected him, with eyes wide shut.

And what does the vote tell us?

First of all, turnout doesn’t necessarily help the Democrats or hurt the incumbent. Those rules are dead. Second, the youth vote still is largely missing in action. It increased, but still represents the same proportion as before. While exit polls showed the youth going for Kerry, I think further analysis will suggest, it's still a philosophical 50-50 split. (Let’s face it, exit polls continue to lose credibility.) Dems can’t count on the youth in the next election.

“Moral values” is thought by some to be the trump card that won the election for Bush. I’m of two minds on this. If moral values won it for W, then either his Christian majority are hypocrites or the Dems just haven’t figured out how to sell their values. Again, abortion is the one exception. Though I’m pro-life, I think anti-abortionists have a credible moral case.

While I always thought Ronald Reagan’s greatest legacy to this country was that he made greed acceptable, I refuse to believe that is the foundation of the Bush vote. But I may be naïve. Still, I think the Dems haven’t figured out the philosophy of combining moral values and responsible government. Many think government doesn’t expedite, it impedes. It settles for bureaucracy instead of efficiency. The GOP has successfully painted government as apart from “us.” That there is blatant hypocrisy in the way the GOP uses government to advance its agenda is lost on voters. But the big question is: Do we really care about one another or is government manipulated solely to advance our individual agendas? Exit polls show (scroll down) almost a straight line correlation between higher incomes and GOP voters.

Would another Democratic candidate have won, or are Democratic values so out of step with a majority of Americans? No. After all, it was a 51-48% popular vote. But Dems still can’t articulate a clear policy, and Kerry was not particularly artful, to say the least. They are running scared. But in part that’s because they’ve neither developed the intellectual underpinnings for their values nor the strategic plan to implement them at all costs. I can’t think of another Democrat who would have been a clear winner.

Let’s face it, we lost ground last night. And about the worst thing we could do is look to the current Democratic leadership for guidance. In fact, I’m glad Tom Daschle lost. He’s the epitome of what’s wrong with Democratic party. No guts, no glory.

Don’t expect a healing over the next four years. The Supreme Court legacy of GWB is enough alone to keep wounds fresh for decades. The question is who can lead the re-birth of the Democratic party, or is it time to allow the old gal to die a graceful death and to start anew?

Update: A note of optimism from Kevin Drum."

...[L]iberals need to continue building a long-term machine dedicated to changing popular opinion. And it's hardly a herculean task: a switch of only 3 or 4 points in public opinion is a virtual landslide, and if we can pull it off it means that guys like George Bush can't get elected anymore, even if they are the kind of people you'd like to have a beer with. It can be done."

Comments

[Will Vehrs]

No, Kelli, it would not be safe to say that. All I know is that Ohio, which you say is looking for jobs, went for Bush. One would think that as the state that had lost the most jobs during the Bush Administration, Kerry would have won in a landslide. How do you explain that Bush won? You get bonus Bob Griendling points if you blame the stupidity of voters or the perfidy of the Bush campaign. You'll probably get your Bush-Bashing Club membership revoked if you dare suggest that maybe a teensy-weensy part of the blame is the tone of the message Democrats sent via the Michael Moore clones of the party, including this host.

If you'd like to get into a discussion of whether or not Presidents "create" jobs, I'm up for that. Some Ohio voters might have been perceptive enough to know that much larger forces, exerting themselves long before Bush became President, are behind manufacturing job losses. They may have then proceeded to vote on other important issues.

[Kelli]

And Will I guess it's safe to say that you know what the middle-class family in Ohio is looking for?

Because the exit Polls say they are looking for jobs and I don't see them coming.

[Will Vehrs]

Bob, you just aren't getting what I'm saying. I shouldn't be surprised--you're in mourning, you're bitter and angry, and you are totally discombobulated by the election results because you know your side is so much smarter and so much better than the winning side. Even your voting precinct is better.

As I've said before, have a happy four more years of Bush-bashing. You've gotten good at it, but in the process of tearing one man down you've lost the capacity to understand large swaths of the electorate, generate new ideas, and create a vision for this country that more than 48% will support.

[Bob Griendling]

I'm supposed to "give him a chance"? What happened during his campaign should I read as his willingness to change the tone? Apparently, you think W's tone the past four years justifies giving him the means to change the next four years.

Gee, Will, why didn't I think of that?

[Kelli]

Okay so I'm a Democrat and I'm conservative. However, not so conservative to vote Republican (and unless the Democrats completely loose a grip with reality I don't see that happening)

That being said I think I know the answer to some of your questions.

Gay Marriage= I'll admit I had a problem with it. As a Christian I've been raised that homosexuality is a sin so my thought was no marriage. But then, a very wise man pointed out to me the difference that I think some people can't get passed.

Marriage and Civil Union.

Marriage, to me at least, is that ceremony performed in a Church in front of a congregation and God that binds a man and a woman together not only in a secular way, but in the sharing of beliefs. So when you say marriage that's what pops into my head.

Now Civil Union, that's a man and a woman in front of a judge or justice of the peace or captain and binding themselves together. But with the religious aspect removed.

Now I realize that the words are the same and in the end both are marriages. It is the ceremony that makes them different. I think this is what some folks can't get past. And the funny part is I know there are some folks that if you haven't been married in a church they don't feel that you are married.

Now as for gay marriage being the downfall of society you only have to look to the descriptions of Rome falling to understand why people think the world will come to an end if gays are allowed to marry.

The Christian Right are desperately trying to stop that from happening here, but I think if you really look closely Rome never truly fell it just evolved into something different.

Now to the Youth. What can I say we have created a youth that sees money before they see all other things and the Republican Party is a party of wealth. I have even had someone tell me that if I wanted to be rich I needed to be Republican. Well, I remember one very important thing from Church. Money is the root of all Evil.

To get the youth vote we need to find out what is important to them besides money and material gain. We need to show them that there is more to life.

I think to do that we must show the Republican Party as Caesar. You know "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's..." In the light of day greed and averous doesn't look so good.

Also I don't think we are losing ground I think we are gaining it. The Republicans are going after the African-American vote (I know they won't leave me the heck alone).

They are trying to get the middle-income and affulent Black vote and they are selling it as a way to be Rich or get left behind.

We as Democrats need to stop assuming that we will always have the African-American vote that's why African-Americans left the Republican Party the last time.

What we need to do is reach out to the constituency we have and show our diverseness as a unifing factor. We also need to show that kick butt. We need to bring in the FDR factor. We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.

The Republicans used the fear of terrorism to get people to vote for them. We need to get people to let go of that fear.
We need people to realize that the Republicans are counting on their fears to keep them in office and while America waits for the Republicans to defeat the terriorists (like that's really going to happen). They rape and steal our rights out from under us.

[Will Vehrs]

I'm arguing the end justifies the means, if it's the GOP agenda? Where did you get that out of my post, or any of my writings? Tell Ohio that Bush and "his henchmen" are raping the country and the world. I'm sure you'll change 100,000 votes with that reasoned argument.

I don't want you to fight with one hand behind your back. I'm just offering you a friendly suggestion--wash your mouth out with soap. You don't have to take that suggestion--your current approach is working great for the Republicans.

BTW, I sincerely hope President Bush will try to change the tone. I'm willing to give him a chance.

Happy Bush-bashing! You've got four more years of it.

[Bob]

And I'm sure we all fully expect W to change his tone, huh? You want us to fight with one hand tied behind our back while W and his henchmen rape the country and the world, and while you argue that the end justifies the means, if its the GOP agenda.

Lovely, Will.

[Will Vehrs]

Senator Kerry was noble in defeat, offering an uplifting message in his concession speech. For the good of the country, he called for changing the tone.

You? You're the same bile-spewing partisan you were during the campaign. You can't get past your mindless hatred of Bush and your condescending attitude toward his supporters and their beliefs. If you want to know why Democrats aren't winning, you might want to start by reading your own rants out loud, imagining that the audience is a middle class family in Ohio, not Daily Kos.

Have a nice four years.