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Thoughts and Farewell (For Now)

There were a number of reasons we lost. We had a divisive primary. We had a candidate who was caught in the contradiction of trying to appeal to those who oppose the war, while supporting it. We had a Republican opponent to pandered to the intolerance of the south. Swap Bush for Nixon, Kerry for Humphrey, "values" for "states rights" and "Vietnam" for "Iraq" and 1968, becomes 2004. Looking back on 1968, I am still proud that our party tried to lead this country toward tolerance, even if it cost Humphrey the election. I rest assured that if we lost this election because Kerry failed to pander to Anti-Gay, Anti-Choice voters, then we did the right thing.

That being said, Nixon was a statesman, compared to Bush. Nixon was a self made man, who cared about the poor. Nixon cared about the environment. Nixon understood international relations. Breaking into a hotel room seems quaint compared to the documented tactics of the Right. Regardless of the reasons for the loss, we lost to the worst president in my lifetime and it hurts.

Our party has a choice, we can respond as the Republican responded to their 1964 loss, or we can respond as the Democrats did to their 1968 loss.

Anyway, with that in mind, this web site is going on hiatus, as I think how I'm going to work toward a 2008 victory. I'm not sure what form it is going to take, but it'll be less about venting and more about changing opinion. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a quote of an admirable conservative who showed courage and leadership in the face of adversity, by which our adversity pales in comparison:

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy...These are not dark days; these are great days--the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.

The F word

Countdown with Keith Olberman reports on bone chilling evidence of f**** in Florida and Ohio:
Video · Olbermann's Blog

MSNBC may start to deserve more of its letters on this one.

11/12/2004 2:28 PM. Salon has been offering a progressive counterpoint to concerns over election fraud. This latest article is an excellent example.

The world votes...

The world is watching us...through it's fingers, huddled in a corner afraid to breath.

--Kent Jones, Unfiltered News, Air America Radio

I wonder where this election would rate on The Holmes-Rahe Social Adjustment Scale. Having experienced many of the events on this scale, I would put it, for me, at about a 39.

Here are somethings that have comforted me today:

• Paul Krugman wrote a very touching column. As one of Bush's harshest critics, today, his column paused to reflect on the greatness of our democracy. I imagine that Krugman could go on for hours about what makes the U.S. version of democracy imperfect. Still, there's something, to borrow Krugman's word, "majestic" about showing up at a school to vote.
• Mrs. JimV.com and I rolled out of bead this morning at around 5:45 am, stopped at the QuickTrip to pick up a couple of coffees and a NYT, then headed to our polling place. When we arrived at 6am (with an hour before the polls opened), there were already 50 people in line! We were done by 7:20. At that point, the line was 200-300 people long. Someone forgot to tell all of us, that our vote doesn't matter because we're in a Red State. I have no illusions about Kerry's chances in Georgia, still, it was very satisfying to cast my vote.
• For the first time since January 2001 Bush has lost his advantage in The Political Oddsmaker.

Sadie Fields, state chair of the Christian Coalition of Georgia, is the spokesmodel for intolerance in Georgia. Today she has become a case study in the moral bankruptcy of the religious right: Daughter cites Fields' "bigotry". So much for being pro-family.

October Surprise: Bush sucks more than previously imagined. Press actually reports it.

• Bush Campaign Acknowledges Ad Was Doctored
• Video may show explosives at Iraqi site after U.S. arrived
• Weekly Unemployment Claims Jump by 20,000
• Study puts Iraqi toll at 100,000
• FBI Investigating Halliburton Contracts

My disease now has a name! PEAD

Documentary Film Maker Errol Morris sums up why I've done this blog and why I haven't felt like posting the last few days:

I'm not sure I can construct the relevant pie graph, but my guess is 60 percent fear, 30 percent despair, and 10 percent hope...I call this the I-WANT-MY-MOMMY-ELECTION. Everything I read, everything I hear just makes me went to crawl under the bed and suck-my-thumb.

-- from Salon.com