Do Not Despair

Do not despair.  Do not give in to bipolar thinking disorder.  All is not lost.  The end of the world has not yet come.  While the continued Republican control of U.S. federal government is indeed a tragedy, Bush and his cohorts are not omnipotent nor omnipresent.  Instead they now will have the onus of harvesting some of the bitter fruits from the seeds they have planted.

            In no way was the recent election a landside victory and a mandate for more of the same.  It means instead a combination of many other things.  All that's needed to win an election is convincing over 50% of the voters that you are better than the other guy.  That doesn't mean that you need to be consistent or honest or fair.  Carl Rove understands that and is willing to push any buttons as needed to achieve that goal.  For the current Republican cabal, winning is the only thing and power the final objective.  The rich voted for Bush because that's where their economic interests lie.  Enough of the rest were convinced by "moral" and terror issues to achieve the desired majority.  But the Republican “coalition” is not monolithic and has its own inherent contradictions, especially along economic lines.

           Neither be distracted by the majoritarian winner-take-all aspect of our political elections.  The country is not divided into red and blue states.  All of the states are some shade of purple, although some more blue and some more red.  This means that there are others close by and far away who are your allies.  Find them and expand your circle.  As someone who is originally from Ohio, I can confidently say that fools, idiots and bigots are not in the majority there.  Many more are decent, honest folks who can be convinced of the importance of fairness to others and the protection of the future and the environment.  Remember too that the Democratic peace candidate Congressman Dennis Kucinich is from Ohio.

         Kerry was a flawed candidate.  He was compromised and stayed that way on the issue of the Iraq War.  He never hit hard on the economic issues. He never said much about the environment.  He rarely inspired and he was not especially likeable.  In the end he was not even electable.

The Democratic campaign also played the Republican game.  They did not clearly define the issues and the strengths of their positions.  Much is said about the Republicans taking the “moral” vote – which means opposition to abortion and gay marriage.  What about issues of fairness and charity?  Don’t both the Old and New Testaments say to “Love thy neighbor”?  What about the tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed by an illegal and unnecessary war?  Isn’t the killing of innocents a major sin?  I think that the moral basis represented by many Democratic positions is infinitely stronger than, for example, the morality of not allowing gay couples the same civil rights as heterosexual couples.

            So do not despair.  Do not surrender.  Find strength from working with others.  Oppose in every way you can the designs of the next Bush administration.  Even Republican congressmen may have second thoughts if they get strong and vocal opposition from their home districts.  Work with others in your local community and state to promote alternative positive visions and solutions.