This Too Shall Pass
I’ve gathered my thoughts over the past week into some general thoughts about the result of the Presidential Election last Tuesday. One thing I can establish right away is that it’s not the end of the world.
I’m not as troubled that George W. Bush was re-elected President of the United States, because the United States has survived worse. Nixon, Reagan (in terms of fiscal spending), and others have been tolerated by the system. I truly hope this is the case where the resiliency of the government can absorb his conservative views. Further, I truly throw my support behind him and hope he will do the right thing. Over time, however, that support could easily be spent with him making ultra conservative decisions. Perhaps he may have a more moderate second term, although all indications would suppose otherwise. He’ll probably continue to alienate allies and other countries… but keep in mind, it’s only temporary. (That’s the best I can do at this point…)
No, what truly troubles me is the manner by which he was elected. There’s a great deal of speculation in the press and beyond as to how influential the conservative Christian fundamentalists were in this election. I believe they had a huge impact, getting out the vote in ways that all sides vastly underestimated. They shouldn’t have, since this is something the Democrats have been aware of since the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan. These individuals, who truly want to meld their moral and ethical beliefs directly into the backbone of our government, have hijacked the Republican Party.
I was a lifelong Republican until the election of George W. Bush, when I subsequently changed my party affiliation to the Democratic Party. I didn’t like the way the election panned out, and certainly didn’t like where the party was going. Now, after a equally divisive campaign and more decisive result I’ve decided to change my affiliation back. Why? To quote Christie Todd Whitman (and the title of her new book), it’s my party too. I want the days of moderate Republicans who believe in social issues and are progressive on many aspects of the national agenda. I also want fiscal conservancy (which George W. Bush definitely does not believe in). I will do everything I can to not allow these fundamentalists from driving this party headlong away from a democracy to a theocracy.
Some other random observations from the election:
- Unlike 2000, I determined that Dan Rather lost his mind much earlier in the evening (say 8:15). I watched NBC’s coverage instead, which just wasn’t as exciting without Tim Russert’s whiteboard. I’ll also miss Tom Brokaw, a lot.
- Who the fuck was involved in the elction of Demint from South Carolina? If you’re a single mother you can’t teach and shouldn’t have health care? Nice.
- I’m going to volunteer to be a poll worker. Why? Because the ones that are there probably died of old age right after the polls closed.
- Don’t trust polls ever again.