Also, I think we need a bit of perspective on this. People, naturally, have strong opinions when it comes to politics, and I respect that. However, neither of the candidates is as bad as their opponents wanted people to believe. In a relatively short period of time, this election and this President will be forgotten. The funny thing is that people will still be complaining the exact same way on both sides of the political fence, regardless of who wins what and how they won it.

I’ve reacted to this election result like I would to a death in the family. And not one of those you see coming for years, but one of those painful sudden ones.

Before Tuesday night’s rude awakening, I was hoping there would be something to be learned from this election, a lesson roughly the opposite of what it turned out to be. I was hoping that a Bush loss, albeit an incredibly narrow one, would drive home the lesson that you can’t govern from way over there and expect to be re-elected. That is, don’t expect to get re-elected if you go for the whole deck of conservative ambitions: a federal bench stacked with conservatives AND an elective war AND two rounds of taxcuts AND a rollback in overtime pay eligibility AND reduced air emissions standards. But it turns out you can. Another devastating aspect is that John Kerry is probably the most honorable presidential nominee America ever had. His biggest flaw is that he hates being wrong more than he hates losing. Maybe you can’t make it to the White House like that. I keep hoping somebody can.

Now, if you believe that Kerry is a radical liberal, then you have (a) listened to the Bush campaign for too long, and (b) not spoken to any liberals recently. To the left wing of the Democratic party, and there are millions of them, John Kerry is far too conservative. He had not opposed (threatening Saddam with) this war, nor had he proposed rescinding all of the President’s tax cuts. Presumably the next few dozen issues of ‘the Nation’ will be preoccupied with identifying the candidate that would go for it all. Not content with expanded health insurance coverage or building international coalitions, this candidate would advocate tripling the minimum wage, confiscating guns, and getting the “God” off our money and out of the schools. Of course, the George W. Bush of the left is not electable. He wouldn’t even carry California. Some will find this asymmetry enraging; I believe it is real.

Of course, even more will suggest looking for a more conservative Democrat. Apparently we we need speeches sprinkled with gratuitous references to God (That’s how we’ll get Arkansas back!), loaded with over-simplifications (… and Iowa!), and characterized by a general denial of all genuine problems, be they fiscal, environmental, or security-related (Nevadans have always been an optmistic people!). Do we have to take such a dim view of the American “heartland”? Maybe, but that’s depressing. Hence my mood for mourning.

it is evident that you, Canadian Ron who happens to be from Germany, and all those who have commented have not correctly identified the root of your loss. The loss is not because “the GOP runs better campaigns than the Democrats “, the loss is because your message did not resonate enough with people to motivate them to vote for Kerry. Until you articulate a message that appeals to moderates, such as Clinton did, you will continue to lose.

As for Canada Ron, at least he has options..he can go back home…The furthest I could go is back to Houston…*sigh*

The republicans, and more than that, the imperialist, neo-fascist, savage capitalist racists have managed to take over the country. They have the presidency, the senate and the house. And with than 4 supreme court justices over 70 and all of them are over 65, they are about to get the supreme court. If politics were a chess game our freedom has just been put in check, and they took our queen, both, bishops and a knight.

See, to end the term limit for a president is only a vote away….it only was voted in during the 40’s by Republicans who recognized they were never gonna beat Franklin D. Roosevelt. And if they could get the senate to give its constitutional power to vote to go to war to the president, start a premptive war, pass the patriot act 1 (and probably 2 as well) and win an election by a majority vote, don’t think that they can’t change the term limit.

These people have taken the helm of the most powerful nation, and more importantly, the most powerful military force in recent history at a time when two of the worlds most precious resources are being depleted, oil and water. World Peak oil production, by the best estimates, will occur in 2006, in 2010 we will begin to have shortages. Currently only half of the world’s population has access to clean drinking water, and experts say in the next 15-20 years water will be the most coveted resource on the planet. And this is the era were are entering with Bush, Cheney, Ashcroft, Tom Delay and Condaleeza rice at the helm. This shit ain’t politics as usual…..

The biggest problem with the past four years was that we had an idiot in office. Well, I have to tell you that my biggest fear for the next four years is not that idiot in office for the repeat. I’m more afraid of the idiots that re-elected. A million idiots outweigh one idiot with power for one simple reason: when the blind leads the stupid, the stupid have a tendancy to credit the blind with some kind of divine vision. The irony is so pure that I couldn’t be making this up.

May God bless America. Not with prosperity, peace or a bull market. May God slip a little common sense under every pillow until time carries us to 2008, when yours truly will be (with any luck) a major influence in the (Hillary) Clinton 2008 campaign.

If Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish can elect a brother as mayor-president…then darnit..Barack could be pres or Veep…but he’ll hafta get a body double to take the bullet, a la “Head of State”