My sentiments exactly. I stayed up late last night until 6am and finally passed out on the catch. My cousin woke me up with shouts of "4 More Years" and I didn't believe it until I saw Kerry's concession speech.

The world's not over and 4 more years will pass by more quickly.

I wonder if the Bush admnistration sees this as an opportunity to repair some of their mistakes or continue their damaging policies?

The map of the US is overwhelmingly red, the majority have spoken, and life goes on . .

(but today we feel numb)

Bush wins re-election with majority of the popular vote. Democrats lose 2 more Senate seats to Republicans. Democrats lose 5 seats in the House to Republicans.

Even if Kerry had won, he'd have to deal with Congress filled with the opposition. He'd be elected with the Anyone but Bush crowd instead of a genuine drive to see a Kerry agenda fulfilled. Kerry would have been as effective as Carter in his last 2 years for his entire administration.

It's time to face the truth. The country is moving to the right. MoveOn.org's support for their candidates yields a win-loss record of 5-22. That's the kiss of death right there.

This is probably a good time to think about what it is about left wing politics that does not connect with the American population. Keep chanting "Bush Lied." If you say it often enough, eventually someone will believe.

Thank you Justin for this post. I have been sad and sullen all day. Disappointed in my fellow Americans who don't seem to be offended by this "war" and hatred of gays and woman's rights. I need to grieve for a while and then I will move forward and continue to be the woman who voted for change.

Running to another country is not an option, because there's nowhere useful to go.

You'd only run if you believe the result is apocalyptic. And if you believe the result is apocalyptic, you'd probably accept that the enemy is a pseudo-fascist (in the ultranationalist, exceptionalist, patriotism uber alles sense) theocratic takeover of the government. With gays and (secondarily) liberals as the scapegoat.

The jews who survived the rise of european fascism survived because they ran to a country that was able to stand up, militarily, against the fascists - the US or Britain. Today, there is no such good refuge, and every liberal voice that leaves the US quickens its descent into pseudotheocratic rule. Which we can't afford while it remains the most powerful nation on Earth.

So the only option is to stay and fight, for the good of everyone.

The best target for the fight is the bizarre and unnatural alliance between economic conservatism and religious conservatism. Already, some of the arguments of economics are on the democrats' side, thanks to Clinton's free trade and balanced budget and Bush's spendthrift abandon. The corporate handouts of the GOP will continue to damage the business environment and economy as a whole by favoring specific companies and industries over others. We can and will use this to drive a wedge through the republican party. Despite their win yesterday, this division runs deep in the GOP. By continuing to be the party of good economics while Bush spends us into oblivion, we can pull the entire intelligent, economics-focussed half of the GOP to our side. (Leaving them only the fundigelist component).

The second line of attack is to let the GOP have their way with respect to small government and lower taxes. We'll just make up for it with increased taxes and better social services at the state level, as California has long since begun to do. Right now, the blue states universally subsidize the red states: California and Massachusetts receive $0.80 in federal spending for every dollar of tax paid, while Mississippi gets $1.89 and North Dakota gets $2.03. The idiots continually vote against their own best interests by giving the GOP a mandate to reduce taxes, taking a net flow of cash out of the red state economies and giving it back to the blue states. So, I say, fricking let them and just make up for it with improved state services, keeping the money at home. Either the reds will figure it out eventually and vote for a better economic and social policy, or they'll move to the cities out of desperation and learn better. And in the meantime, we in the blue states won't have to suffer the impact of the GOP's retarded policies so much.

The right's policies aren't sustainable. So while it may be a mess in the interim, they can't last forever.

It was a no-brainer. The prettiest whore always wins. That's what the presidency is all about.

As for myself, I'm neither plussed nor nonplussed. It was inevitable. The world is a bad place, but my little corner of it ain't so bad.

The mass media have brought all the ills of the world to us -- day and night if we want to wallow in it. There has always been evil in the world, but today we know so much more about it that if we take it all in, it will pain us to no end.

The trick is to be happy in our litter corners of the world and try to spread that happiness wherever and whenever we can.

It's really all we can do.

The current pursuit of gay rights is wrong headed. As I understand it, the issue is equality under the law and that's failing because laws surrounding civil unions don't equal the same protections afforded to marriage. What should have been done is to pursue broadening of rights under civil unions to be equal to rights afforded to marriages. This give same sex civil unions the same rights as marriages without using the word "marriage." You use the word marriage and the evangelicals will be all over you.

There is a way to get gay rights broadened without panicking the religious right. It's simply the boneheadedness of the activitists that make it difficult for gays and lesbians to enjoy the same rights. It's easy to be supportive of broadening civil union rights; it's harder to get support for gay marriages. Yes, that minor distinction will have significant impacts in the red states.

Fighting the Republicans on the economic end is a lost cause. Have you ever stopped to ask yourselves why it is that the *poor* people in the midwest keep voting the Republicans when Democrats are supposedly the party of the poor? Here's a real short explanation. They don't care about economics. More voting Americans care about moral values than economics, more than safety, more than the war on terror. This is the distinction between blue states and red states.

Keep ignoring the moral values of America. You'll keep on seeing more Republicans elected to Congress, more Republican governors, more Republican presidents. Embrace some of the moral issues and you can get your economic and foreign policies through.

Think about where the last couple of Democrat presidents came from and look at the ones that didn't win. Clinton, Bible belt. Gore got very close to winning, also Bible belt. Carter, deep south. Dukakis, New England. Kerry, New England. See the pattern?

Deride the heartland of America as a place filled with retarded red necks. Keep ignoring them. See how far your policies go without them. It's time to start seeing the retard red necks as human beings for a change. For right now, the retards have the last laugh.

Here's a history lesson for blue state people. Did you know that the Christian Coalition used to be closely aligned with the Democrats? Up until the mid 1970's the Moral Majority voted with the Democrats. It wasn't until Carter's administration that tax status of the private schools (many of them in the South) were challenged. This caused the rift that brought the evangelicals into the Republican's camp. Given that evangelical Christians put Bush into office for the second term, can you see why burning that group was a bad idea? Since then the Republican presence in Congress have been strengthened consistently.

Now 30 years later, Republicans control the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Keep ignoring the moral values of America.

Jesus Saves. I promise. Foget about everyone else and understand that he exists and can help you with any problem. Just ask. That's all you have to do. Just ask him to be with you. Forget about everything you have ever seen or heard about him. Forget about others misrepresntation of him. Forget about all the horrible wrong thinds done in his name by evil people. He's waiting. He can make everything okay. He did for me.

The map at the top of my election post will please our friend, then. Jesus is, in fact, winning.

To bad we can't elect him. He sure was nice to those whores and lepers.

Four more years of a chimp leading America, dammit.

How is it that someone who dodged the draft, then went AWOL from National Guard to spend his time snorting coke off whore's tits and driving drunk can possibly win on "security" against a man with three Purple Hearts?

But all is not lost - if we beat Hitler, we can beat the Chimp (and his sidekick Dick), right?

I'm from Canada, and unfortunately, as Giao noted above it's pretty clear what's going on. If the Democrats become the party of gay marriage, abortion and anti-Christians they don't stand a chance. Nor now and not ever.

They need to abandon these niche causes - and away from the coasts they are niche causes - and focus on the center. And being condescending towards "rednecks" will only drive them further into the Republicans' arms. Think about it: despite the incredible bloodshed in Iraq, neither of the candidates mentioned Iraqi civilian casualties during the debates. If Kerry in his own estimation thinks Americans don't care about 10,000+ Iraqi deaths, how exactly was he trying to appeal to those voters? One-uppping Bush on aggressiveness? Gay rights? Abortion? There just was no logical position left where he'd be preferred.

Frankly, Dean would have stood a better chance. He consistently opposed the Iraq war at least.

You want love between all people. And do you then love all people? Fear, opposition, labeling, reinforcing one's wobbly persona by identifying with this or that ideology, belief, mythology, or concept -- none of it has anything to do with love.

Another day alive on this earth is simply another day alive on this earth. A programmed mind declares it a blessing or a nightmare and reacts accordingly, populating its phantasm with "like me" allies and "not like me" enemies. Rote affirmations, spirit chants, and if-then-else equations have nothing to do with love, either.

You will have to forgive me for all the typos. I was pretty tired when I typed that.

All I'm saying is the world could be completely different place to you. There can be hope, peace and joy. Just talk to him. Ask him to reveal himself to you. He will. He's faithful. Don't look to others for an example of His love. Go to the source.

You don't have to change your ways before you come to Him. You don't have to be sin free to get your right life. Come to Him and he changes it for you. He makes you sin free. He gives you the strength to defeat the things that are defeating you.

Robin, he was nice to whores and lepers. He gave his life for them. He also gave his life for you and me. Whether or not we take that free gift is our decision.

Justin, I must admit that sometimes the variety of your comments and the issues discussed therein supercede your original post!

i'm realizing that it isn't so much "love it or leave it," but "GET love from it or leave it."

and leftists, in fact, are not getting love.
even though i live in california, i normally can't stand the coastal arrogance of NY and Cali.
i don't really want to be a 'the masses are asses' kind of person, but it's too late.

um, if the american population cared about the iraqi civilian population, would we have supported war in the first place? and isn't the civilian count ten times what's cited above?

the problem, as i see it, from here in the middle of bush country, is getting people to care. about the rights of another nation. about the rights of another person standing next to you at any given point in time. it's about getting this country to realize that it's not all about us, either individually, or as a nation. and it's about dispelling the myth that one man's rights come at the expense of another's, which seems to be the battle cry of the religious right.

the democratic party isn't the party of gay rights and abortion. it's the party of tolerance and choice. it's the party of worker's rights and civil liberties -- both of which have been effectively labeled as ridiculous and "fringe" by the right. i fear we will have to lose them to appreciate them.

and i just have to point out that kerry wasn't inconsistent on the war. (i watched the senate footage recently.) sad to see that campaign propaganda crossed border.

The party of gun control talking about rights? Excuse me while I chortle.

I support strong civil union laws so gays can have equal rights that marriages afford. I support abortion rights. When are you going to support my ability to pack an M-60?

I think, Justin and others, that the most important thing we can do is to follow our bliss. Just dig in and do what we're passionate about in the face of the fascist becoming that is at hand. I expect there will be a proliferation of art - there must be. Otherwise we will be the land of mass, devoid of culture. Of course you want love for the world, Justin. Love and be loved. What could be better? Which is why you went to class yesterday - as this dark cloud descends over this here country, those moments of community, bits of sharing, are huge.

When I can look a family member of someone who was killed at 101 California by one of those assualt weapons you so crave in the eyes and say it was ok for that maniac to have it.

Don't move to another country. Just come to San Francisco which is still a fairly progressive oasis.

Joan Walsh wrote a good piece on the gay marriage backlash among Democrats which makes some of the same arguments I've been making to people.

There's a lot more to say, but I'm still exhausted.

My grandparents were assassinated for their political opinions in the US 15 years ago by revolvers. I still back the rights of any citizen to arm themselves as they see fit.

In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest that all Americans over the age of 18 should be adequately armed at home.

Why is it that the only rights that matters are gay rights, women's rights, but the right to be armed is always overlooked by those professing to protect the rights of the people? A bit selective aren't we? I've got 2 words for you, "box cutters."

Jesus is an asshole. Let's get that straight. History and world-wide events prove that point.

If you look at the map with the blue and the red, you can see that this election had nothing to do with terrorism. The most vulnerable states voted Kerry. Take a look at the coasts. All Kerry. This was an election about cock sucking. Cheney's jaw is hanging off his face from all the money he's raised from sucking off large corp.

You win some and you lose some i guess. The masses chose who they wanted to be led by, and we chose Bush. Now everyone around the world and throughout history can remember us as the dumbest mother fuckers ever to cast a ballot.

yes.

Check out this apropos Guardian article about our new country, the DSA (Divided States of America) Very well written.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1343956,00.html

Hey Shady,

Please inform us of the historical and worldwide events that prove Jesus is an a-hole. Not trying to pick a fight, I just want to konw your perspective.

Thanks

Shady is quite right. Our Jesus is a raging asshole.

However, Jesus of Nazareth was a pain in the ass to the Roman Empire - a political organization that was part of the far, far right during its time.

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."

I'm not sure if I follow your quote in context with your statement.

Pharisees were the high Jewish priests of the time. The scribes were the printing press of the day. They would copy and recopy the mosaic law. They appeared holy on the outside, but were full of deceit and hatred on the inside. They were more familiar with tradition than scripture, otherwise the Pharisees would have seen Jesus as the Messiah they where waiting for.

Granted there are allot of hypocrites today. Lots of people who claim to be Christians and don't follow Jesus' word.

I do also want you to know that there are allot of true followers. People who act on Jesus' word and share the gospel and his love.

See, there's a chance for all of us to have peace, joy, and true happiness. It's through Jesus Christ. He's the free gift God gave to all of us. God loves us so much that He doesn't want to see us (humanity) destroy ourselves with sin. He gave us this wonderful chance to get closer to Him. To be redeemed. To be virtuous in his eyes.

Just ask Jesus into your life. Ask him to be your Savior and Lord. It's so simple. You won't regret it.

If anyone here has a question about the Lord, or how to get closer to him. Please don't hesitate to email me.

God bless.

Afriend - Thanks for your concern and for your well-meaning advice, but please be more sensitive the next time you feel the urge to proselytize. Why can't you be reasonable and acknowledge the fact that more people will be willing to listen to you once you stop trying to push your God like some kind of snake oil.

I'm very familiar with Jesus' work and I strongly feel that the way you present him is incongruous with the core truth behind the Great Philosopher's teachings.

Hi Mike,

Proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God, the Lamb that takes away all sin, is the core truth behind his teachings.

I'm curious to hear your viewpoint. Do you mind if I email you to discuss this further?

Afriend - Sorry if I've offended you. I am sometimes too outspoken. Thank you for your goodwill, but we should probably just agree to disagree on this issue.

O/T: Eve online runs on a single server btw. Didn't want to register for gga to let you know.

Afriend: Do you mind if I email you to discuss this further?

HAHAHAHAHAH.

Rational belief is incompatible with relgious dogma for the win!

That reminds me that back in the summer of 2002, on the second sunday of the french presidential elections, not long before I was to settle in Switzerland, I told my mother in the car that if Jean-Marie le Pen, that pig, won the second tour, I would never set foot again in France once I'd crossed the helvetian border. But adding quickly that if Chirac won, she might see me again for the academic holidays. I'm lucky things turned out as they did, because, mom, damnit, I was serious.