In the last 48 hours, I've seen a ton of venom spewing from the left over the loss of the election. I can understand being sad, I did want Kerry to win and I thought Bush was incompetent, but it's another to start harassing those who voted for Bush. I've heard people call them the "unwashed masses" or stupid or giving into fear. And it's not just coming from the left. Here's what Jazz over at Running Scared:
"So, to all of you "Security Moms" who decided to vote for Bush, and all of you "young cell phone generation voters" who couldn't be bothered to come out on Tuesday, I salute you. I hope that you feel really secure when your daughters are lying in emergency rooms after a coat hanger rips open their cervix. And if you have gay children or relatives, I hope you can look them in the eyes when you see their civil liberties stripped away. This is one big, fat apple pie which you baked yourself, and now you're going to eat it. Bon appetite'."
No offense to Jazz, but that's going a little over the top. To tell someone that their choice was dumb is bothersome to me and does nothing to further the cause of those of us who opposed the Bush Adminstration's policies. What it does is make us look like sore losers.
I have said this once and I will say it again. Folks, we live in a democracy. People come and vote and make decisions. Not every Bush voter is stupid- I know some of them and they are very smart people. I might disagree with their opinion, but I will not call them idiots. Am I sad that my man lost? Yeah. Am I wondering what the next few years might bring. Yeah. But I am also hopeful. Bish will not be in office forever. In four years we will do this all over again. The people had a choice and they went with the devil they knew. I may not like, but I will respect it.
As a dear friend recently said, politics is about changing hearts and minds. It is about persuasion. If you want to see more people choosing a more centrist candidate over a radical one, you have to persuade them. Calling them stupid doesn't work.
I have more to say on this subject of hearts and minds. More on that later.
And to Jazz, I still respect you. Really.
Update: Matthew Miller says all this even better than I did.
Posted by Dennis at November 4, 2004 11:22 PMillusions d optique - image - images - jeu - jeux - kaspersky - kazaa - kazaa lite - legume - logiciel - logiciels - mcafee - messenger - mirc - motif - msn - msn messenger - nero - nettoyage pc - norman virus - norton - norton utilities - partition - partitions - petit dejeuner - piercing - piercings - porc - postale - postales - poulet - quicktime - realplayer - recette - recettes - repas -
Posted by: illusions d optique at October 6, 2005 08:45 AMThis president's greatest asset has been that he's an effective means of smiting liberals for those with a compelling desire to do so - everything else about him is a liability.
The libertarian ecconomics his masters espouse are just as much a threat to this country's prosperity as it was a century ago when Teddy Roosevelt fingered it as the most worrisome developments of his age and worked to reign it in.
Rove's replacement won't have gays to kick around four years from now in order to bring out the vote -- unless, he or she decides to put a gay rights amendment on the ballot in a dozen swing states.
What a fitting testimony to his legacy that would be!
Posted by: dorsano at November 6, 2004 04:02 PM"The greatest threat comes from that fact that this miscreant president will likely get to shift the balance of the Supreme court, and it will take a generation to undo that sort of damage."
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The lack of checks and balances is bothersome but I really havent seen the proclivity in this president to do what you accuse him of. In fact he tried to change the contitution to ban gay marriage, which is the action he should have taken if he thought it needed to be addressed.
I have seen Bush accused of many things he has not done. A ton of suppositions and a large number of guesses have been brought forward but that is all.
For the record, no offense taken, Dennis. Unlike my professional work, I blog from the heart, and when I'm angry or disappointed, it definitely shows. The single greatest threat facing my country right now isn't the right wing agenda. Unless the theocrats get 60 people in the Senate (and they're not close) then any truly radical initiatives can still be derailed. The greatest threat comes from that fact that this miscreant president will likely get to shift the balance of the Supreme court, and it will take a generation to undo that sort of damage.
Perhaps the greatest irony of this war of ideologies is the way that Bush constantly complains about judges who "try to legislate from the bench." (Translation: Make any ruling he doesn't agree with.) And yet he's looking to rebuild the Supremes to do exactly that. It is truly disgusting.
I'm not giving up hope, because there are still a handful of moderate, pro-choice, anti-homophobia Republicans in the Senate. They have the ability to act as the fulcrum of the teeter totter and join withe liberals to prevent the appointment of any justices who are too radically close to being members of Operation Rescue. Similarly they can join with the rest of the party to stop things from getting too radically to the left. With this much division between the wingers, I pray that they realize the power they really hold right now and choose to exercise it.
Posted by: Jazz Shaw at November 6, 2004 12:21 PMI have a lesbian daughter in her early twenties. I have seen the hard times she has had and stood by her proud of who she is. I don't think anyone outside the gay community and there families can understand there fear of the right wing agenda. This isn't just about the rights to marriage; I fear for my daughter's safety with this call of "moral values". I don't understand how so much hate can be called a moral value.
Posted by: Dennis at November 5, 2004 08:30 PMI think some people might not have worked as hard they could have to achieve their aims and they are actually mad at themselves.
Posted by: dorsano at November 5, 2004 04:45 PMBoth Left and Right make me sick.
I think both carry good ideaologies in their mix, and we need to take from both sides to get to the common ground.
enough.
Posted by: DGCopper at November 5, 2004 01:37 PMCase in point: Molotov's post.
What manic leftists control the party? Certainly not Kerry. He's not a manic leftist. Nancy Pelosi? When has she been a manic leftist?
Come on, what is the saying about logs and splinters in the eyes of people? 55 million people voted for Kerry. Do. Not. Forget. That.
It was the narrowest margin for an incumbent President. Ever.
Posted by: TAE at November 5, 2004 12:39 PMSore losers. So much for the "party of the people" claim that Democrats make, while dissing the people's choice.
Democrats keep losing elections because they talk, but don't listen. The liberal wing insults folks's intelligence, denigrates faith and morality, believes the wallet is more important than values, and their elitist "we know what's better for you than you peons" ethic thoroughly irritates folks. People like me. I haven't voted for a Democrat for president since 1996, and cast my first ballot for a Republican president this year. The Democrats keep it up, and they won't get my vote in 2008 either because manic leftists now control the party.
Posted by: molotov at November 5, 2004 11:56 AMYou know, it's all well and good to point out the reaction coming from the Left, but once again, I see that someone from the Right seems to miss or not see what happens on the Right. I will point out to you the blog of Adam Yoshida, who basically called all supporters of Kerry "sons of bitches." So please, don't forget that some of the anger and animosity is starts on the Right as well.
"Four More Years! AKA: Take That, You Sons of Bitches"
www.adamyoshida.com
Kudos to you for this attitude. On my own blog, I also pointed out the wide range of responses to this election's outcome. But I want to stand firmly on the belief that we can still make these people in office work *for* us, as long as we don't give them too much cause to think of us as enemies.
Posted by: brainwise at November 5, 2004 08:21 AM