Support Your President Does Not Mean Follow Blindly

O.K. So, yes, I’m disappointed in the election results.

Honestly? I thought I would be crushed but I’m not. I thought the election was very close though those “on the winning team” seem to think 3.5 million is a big difference though when you consider how many people voted, it’s a drop in the bucket.

So, the Republicans have the White House and Congress. Eleven states shamefully passed constitutional bans that allow a class of people to be discriminated in, which I admit surprised the hell out of me in this day and age.

I’m looking at the silver lining these days.

For the next four years, the Republicans will have no one to blame but themselves for the mess they’ve created in the last four years and as someone kindly pointed out to me recently, John Kerry would not have gotten anything done if he had won because the Republican Congress would have blocked him every which way and he would have been heavily criticized for every little thing. President Bush made the mess and now he gets to sit in it.

Am I worried?

Yes.

Am I bitter?

No.

Mostly I’m tired of the whining, the gloating, and the hateful name-calling between people on both sides of the party lines. I’m disgusted with how nasty the whole election became and how this administration is acting. Bush says he wants to be a uniter but his actions conflict with his words. He’s encouraging the petty, spiteful behavior between people who are now separating themselves based on the colors of the election map. It’s like a giant gang war is about to happen nationwide, the Reds vs. the Blues.

Who cares? Stop whining about what could have been. Figure out what went wrong. Figure out what things you want to do in the next four years to support the things you want to happen and protest those things you feel strongly are wrong. For me, I’m going to get more involved in getting people to register to vote, to care enough to be informed, to get out and vote. Really, I felt strongly about who I wanted in the White House and I voted that way but what I cared about was that people got out and voted and people did in record numbers. I heard last night that a record number of young people under 30 voted this year. Heck, more people voted for John Kerry than voted for Ronald Reagan and more people voted for George W. Bush than any other president in history. As nasty as it all got, people did feel passionate about voting. I’m sorry to see people not channelling that passion in positive ways now rather than dwelling on losing.

I will say that it was eery to be here in Maine the day after the election. It was sad. So many people were just walking around in shock and in mourning. My gay friends were the most affected though Maine was not one of the 11 states of shame. I must say that I feel for them because I wonder why anyone believes that this is the right thing to do. I can’t imagine that Jesus meant for us to love our neighbors and stomp on their legal rights at the same time.

One last comment. A pet peeve I’ve developed. People who voted for Bush keep angrily telling people who didn’t to just shut up and support our President and while I really want to point out that most liberals endured 8 years of Rush’s “White House Under Seige” rants and a witch hunt to find anything on Clinton to criticize and a ridiculous tempertantrum over the fact that he had an affair and lied about it when he should never have been asked about it in the first place, the truth is that no matter who is President, it is our American right to not follow our leaders blindly like sheep. They aren’t perfect and how will they know what we want and if we’re happy with their work if we keep our mouths shut? I support my country. I love my country but I will not follow blindly on a path I do not believe my country should be travelling down. I want my voice to be heard.

tags: politics, 2004 election, Gay Rights, Republicans, Congress

2 comments

1. on November 12, 2004 at 9:36 am

   Tamara said:

   Amen to your entire post, especially the parts about gay marriage bans (ugh, I’m a married hetero and this INFURIATES me) and our right to criticize the administration, whomever we are.

   And focusing on this for the past week was the only thing that got me to stop crying (I was a bit more devastated than you):

   "For the next four years, the Republicans will have no one to blame but themselves for the mess they’ve created in the last four years and as someone kindly pointed out to me recently, John Kerry would not have gotten anything done if he had won because the Republican Congress would have blocked him every which way and he would have been heavily criticized for every little thing. President Bush made the mess and now he gets to sit in it."

2. on November 13, 2004 at 7:45 pm

   Sharon said:

   I’m grateful that we have the privilege to vote for who we want regardless of the outcome.

   I try not to get too wrapped around the axle about politics (my sister takes care of that for several people). I do what I reasonably can for what I perceive to be the right thing for most people.

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