Tuesday, November 09, 2004
...Continued
On Tuesday night I watched various news stations for results on the election and followed live blogging. Live blogging is far more interesting than the news, unless you include Jon Stewart. Late into the evening as the polls became more and more in favor of Bush I could imagine the disappointment in my country and the heavy drinking that was going to ensue. Must Drown The Sorrow! We're Fucked! Pass Me Another One!
I was sad at the disappointment in my country. I didn't like the negativity. I didn't like the way some Americans want to move to Canada, like leaving the country was going to solve everything, although the idea was funny. I didn't like the fact that Bush won because he had half of the citizen's votes. A president should have at least 70% of the people's support. I wasn't angry at Bush's win. It was a passive acceptance, with a shrug of the shoulders and a mumbled 'Let's see what happens now'. I am pleased in the sense that we now get to see Bush carry out his long term plan, if he has one, and allow him to finish what he started. He will be held accountable for whatever happens in the next four years, and the pressure is on. I'm glad he won as a result of voters' decisions, and not the ruling of the supreme court.
It was hard to imagine someone else suddenly stepping into office and seamlessly continuing the job with knowledge of all the details. How much does a candidate know about a president's job? How much does Kerry know about what it takes to run a country? How much does Howard Dean? While I'm at it, how much does Bush?
When things go wrong, to blame is instinctive. But it's futile and causes a collective sense of anger and frustration. Abusive, hateful, verbal attack shouldn't be the only way to voice disagreement. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable discussing politics. It's not something I'm fond of and not something I know very much about. We hardly, if ever, talk about politcs in my family, and my parents don't tell each other who they vote for, and I think it's better that way.
I am still unclear about many things, but I think Andrew Sullivan says it nicely and clearly:
On Tuesday night I watched various news stations for results on the election and followed live blogging. Live blogging is far more interesting than the news, unless you include Jon Stewart. Late into the evening as the polls became more and more in favor of Bush I could imagine the disappointment in my country and the heavy drinking that was going to ensue. Must Drown The Sorrow! We're Fucked! Pass Me Another One!
I was sad at the disappointment in my country. I didn't like the negativity. I didn't like the way some Americans want to move to Canada, like leaving the country was going to solve everything, although the idea was funny. I didn't like the fact that Bush won because he had half of the citizen's votes. A president should have at least 70% of the people's support. I wasn't angry at Bush's win. It was a passive acceptance, with a shrug of the shoulders and a mumbled 'Let's see what happens now'. I am pleased in the sense that we now get to see Bush carry out his long term plan, if he has one, and allow him to finish what he started. He will be held accountable for whatever happens in the next four years, and the pressure is on. I'm glad he won as a result of voters' decisions, and not the ruling of the supreme court.
It was hard to imagine someone else suddenly stepping into office and seamlessly continuing the job with knowledge of all the details. How much does a candidate know about a president's job? How much does Kerry know about what it takes to run a country? How much does Howard Dean? While I'm at it, how much does Bush?
When things go wrong, to blame is instinctive. But it's futile and causes a collective sense of anger and frustration. Abusive, hateful, verbal attack shouldn't be the only way to voice disagreement. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable discussing politics. It's not something I'm fond of and not something I know very much about. We hardly, if ever, talk about politcs in my family, and my parents don't tell each other who they vote for, and I think it's better that way.
I am still unclear about many things, but I think Andrew Sullivan says it nicely and clearly:
"I've been more than a little frustrated by the president's handling of this
war in the past year; but we have to draw a line under that now. The past is
the past. And George W. Bush is our president. He deserves a fresh start, a
chance to prove himself again, and the constructive criticism of those of us
who decided to back his opponent. He needs our prayers and our support for
the enormous tasks still ahead of him. He has mine. Unequivocally."
