obligatory election post

[cellio]

I'm disappointed by Bush's win, but I don't think it's the end of the world just yet. I'm more frightened by the strangle-hold that the Republican party now has on the federal government. I don't want any party to control all three branches. With a Republican congress, a Republican white house, and several Supremes likely being appointed during the next term, this is a far cry from the balance of power that was designed into the system. Supremes are for a long, long time, compared to presidents. We need to work hard in the mid-term elections, and we need to make sure our so-called representatives hear from us, frequently and numerously.

I'm not about to flee the country like some people are discussing; that just makes things worse for those left behind. And it lets the Bush camp win. While it's tempting to say to the south and heartland "you made this mess; you deserve the results", I'm not ready to let them destroy my country without opposition. The 51% don't have more rights to be here, and to be heard, than the 49%.

By the way, I've heard people saying that the Democrats didn't do enough to get the vote out. I don't know about elsewhere, but I have been bombarded with phone calls, flyers on my car, and flyers stuck in my front door reminding me to vote, and almost all of them have been identifiably from Democrats or affiliated organizations. A couple were anonymous. No obvious Bushites (though I did get some calls supporting the Republican senate candidate). Just a data point.

Comments

[jducoeur]

There seem to be a lot of people who equate "I would never do X" with "you should never be allowed to do X". I think that's the fundamental problem here, and I don't know how we fix it.

In the general case, we probably can't. In the specific, it's largely a matter of patient resistance and constant gentle pressure. The generational divide on this particular issue is stark, and it's actually quite worthwhile to keep pushing at that wedge. If the students who favor gay rights today can be persuaded to keep that viewpoint as they grow older, the good guys eventually win...