04 November 2004 Thursday
I'm back from my walk with Dad. ...
I’m back from my walk with Dad.
I began this post as a reply back to Mark’s comment from the previous entry, but it turned out considerably more rambly than i’d expected.
While reading Mark’s reply I ate a yummy apple that we picked up on the way home from Pennsylvania yesterday. Somehow, that feels relevant in a way.
Talking with my Dad always restores my general faith in the world. Not that I ever really give up.. but I do fume myself into a good bit of narrow-mindedness and carelessness. It’s usually pretty conscious and deliberate, but my father manages to convince me to be nicer and relax more, anyway.
I kind of said it earlier but I’ll say again: I love hearing good thoughts from good people.. and I love when people contemplate out loud—even often when I disagree with those contemplations. In this case, Mark, I thoroughly agree with what you’ve said.
I do often wish that I could take snapshots of my conversations with my father and share them with others.. that’s only partly because my Dad’s the most reasonable and intelligent man alive. More than anything it’s cuz very big and very small things, and very general and very specific things can get talked about openly and with serenity and passion, yet without offense.
However, if you ever were to hear a snapshot of a conversation between my father and I, much of it would be of my whining and bigoted accusations of certain groups and types of people and beliefs and practices.. Truthfully, it’s much more a talking style than my true beliefs. I can only talk so candidly and unabashedly with extremely few individuals..and that’s with trust in them that they know and trust me to be more reasonable than I often assert.
This has become a bit more of self-explanation than observation on today’s election results and the influencing factors and subsequent reactions.. Maybe it’s informative anyway.
One thing back on topic that I will say, is that I don’t think a 52-49% split or anything near that is ever a good thing for an organization. I realize that getting a two-thirds majority out of a country is pretty next to not-happening, but it’s pretty amazing (and somehow I feel that it’s not totally reasonable and not the most secure or best of situations) that everyone could accept a decision that a clear nearly-50% of the people firmly oppose.
My father reminds me that we were in Gettysburg yesterday. Our great great great great great (I tried calculating it out.. I think that’s about right) uncles fought and many died for this country in complete division. I guess today wasn’t so dramatic, in the greater scheme of things.
And the stars will keep shining and the trees will keep growing (until Bush completely kills our environment and atmosphere, anyway) and the results of this election may be of little interest to our grandchildren in history classes 40some years from now. But it does still matter.
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Comments on I'm back from my walk with Dad. ...
If I have a button on this one, it’s reading on CNN (or wherever, also heard it on NPR this morning) that Bush thinks he’s had a “mandate from the people”.
Now I realize it could be generally interpreted as “I won”, but at the least it has overtones that it was a definitive statement.
I, too, don’t think 52-49 percent split is a terribly wonderful thing for anyone. 3% margin is not a ‘mandate’ in my book. (And yes, I would be terribly irritated with Kerry if HE’d won by 3% and called it a “mandate from the people”. I’ll hold anyone’s feet to the fire, including my own.)
But, yes, the grand scheme of things suggests this is but a blip in time. Other things to do, like creating the end-all, be-all of article plugins. ;-)
isn’t “fag” another name for cigarettes?
well, that was pointless.
I wonder what the alternative is, though, when you have a country that’s so evenly divided. You do need a president. And if the Democratic party happens to have done a lousy job delivering the message this time around, and the country then stands split down the middle between the two given candidates
I’m starting to hear a lot of “they should have”s. “Kerry should have gone with Gephardt to clinch Missouri”, “The Democrats should have nominated Howard Dean, who had a strong, clear message and seemed to rally the youth”, “The Democratic party should have made their message clear and more superfluous”, “Kerry should have shown decisiveness and attack on Bush much sooner”, “Eminem’s video should have come out earlier”, etc. etc.
Of course there are should-haves. Absolutely there are should-haves. But they simply weren’t.
I’m told the important focus now is for the Democrats to really get serious and do what’s necessary to rescue themselves and the people from what is now a pretty Republican-controlled government all around. Senate elections in two years. How many average citizens even turn on the TV for those results, let alone bother to vote for them?
And life goes on, right? This is the first election I’ve really ever paid attention to..—though I remember being pretty bitter at Gore for the 2000 election. ‘still am. But four years passed and there was hope again. And today Kerry conceded and another four more years will pass and perhaps I’ll be here (or come back) to hope and vote and hope again.
I’m told changes are going to occur in the next many months anyway—Bush’s cabinet will shift.. Republicans will finally make an outcry about just how disturbed by Bush’s unRepublicanism they’ve been. ..It may all be interesting yet.
aww. *hug*
there’s a good nearly 50% of us in this country who need consoling today…
I think that above all else, this election was defined by the ability to get a message across. One side was able to do it efficiently, neatly and -this is a big one – they were able to do something about it. The Republicans showed time and time again that they wanted something to happen (Iraq, Tax Cuts, Environmental Policy changes, Patriot Act) they pushed and pushed and did it.
The Democrats consistently have proven themselves to be a house divided. And it was not until some Governor from Vermont stepped up to the plate during the Primaries and started questioning all the things wrong with not only the current Administration, but with the Democratic party itself that the DNC realized how screwed up they were. They had no message! They didn’t stand for anything! They were too divided internally to step up to Bush and criticize the deteriorating situation not only abroad, but at home.
We need to stand for something. We need to get that across. We lost against a President who has diverted resources from one of the most important ideological conflicts that we are facing. The underlying causes of Terrorism, the backlash of anger and frustration towards Western Democracies, the sense of Imperial beliefs. On top of that civil liberties have been curtailed, the environment is being damaged and we are spending at a reckless rate while cutting taxes.
This week, more Marines died in Iraq.
Next week, Congress will get back together and will raise the debt ceiling.
Next month, Bush will begin searching for Supreme Court Nominees.
What can be done now that, according to Bush, a ‘mandate’ has been given to his Administration?
We stand up and organize. We stand up and challenge. Most of all, we stand up and we get our ideas out there.
We support the NDN, we support the reorganization of the DNC, we find institutions that are developing a political framework and with the capacity to get out the message and inspire people.
Most importantly, though, I cannot stay silent. Bush will act as if he has the mandate of the ages. As if no one disagreed with him at all…and the Republicans now hold in their hands the entire power of the US Government.
Don’t stay silent. Scream, write, support the NDN, support anyone who will be able to get their messages across…just don’t stay silent.
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