There are, quite literally, millions of blogs out there, but here are
my favourite writeups on the US election that I’ve seen. Feel free to
point out more in the comments!
Andrew Sullivan and I are in agreement (except, of course, that I dig chicks):
Bush is narrowly re-elected. It was a wild day with the biggest black
eyes for exit pollsters. I wanted Kerry to win. I believed he’d be more
able to unite the country at home, more fiscally conservative, more
socially inclusive, and better able to rally the world in a more
focused war on terror. I still do. But a slim majority of Americans
disagreed. And I’m a big believer in the deep wisdom of the American
people. They voted in huge numbers, and they made a judgment. Not a
huge and decisive victory by any means. But at least a victory that is
unlikely to be challenged. The president and his aides deserve
congratulations. And so, I think, does Senator Kerry, whose campaign
exceeded the low expectations of many of us.
FOR NOW: But
the most fundamental fact of this campaign – and one of the reasons it
has been so bitter – is that we are at war. Our opponents at home are
not our enemies. The real enemy is the Jihadist terror network that,
even now, is murdering innocents and coalition soldiers in Iraq. Our
job now – all of us – is to support this president in that war, to back
those troops, and to pray for victory. We saw yesterday, in the
cold-blooded murder of a Dutch film-maker for his open criticism of
Islamist misogyny, that the enemy is still at large; and aiming
directly at our freedoms and security. In Fallujah, our troops are
poised for a vital battle against terrorists and theocrats intent on
derailing a free future for Iraq. Democracy is on the line there and
throughout the world. 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.
The header currently under the title of
my pal Jeff Jarvis’ blog, BuzzMachine, has “The Post Election Peace Pledge”,
which was read alound on CNN last night. It’s worth a thousand times more than any Bush campaign loyalty oath:
I promise to… Support the President, even if I didn’t vote for
him….. Criticize the President, even if I did vote for him…..
Uphold standards of civilized discourse in blogs and in media while
pushing both to be better…. Unite as a nation, putting country over
party, as we work together to make America better.
The majestic Howard Dean
coalition — youth, new voters, the “wired,” the “disenfranchised”
— remains the France of electoral coalition-building: genuinely useful,
if only it would freaking show up for the freaking fight.
Sorry, but I’m a bit bitter about this. Participation soared across
every demographic, including the underestimated People Michael Moore
Likes to Make Fun Of. But the young-new-“disenfranchised” set sat
around and played Halo 2 on the X-box instead of, you know, freaking voting.
These are the same people who couldn’t be arsed to pick up the phones
at Dean headquarters in South Carolina when I was there in January.
(Fun Canadian fact: the Canadian leader who has put all of his hopes —
and I mean all his hopes — on the Howard Dean coalition of non-voting non-voters is Jack Layton. Explains a lot, really.)
Doc Searls, never failing in his role as adult supervision for the blogosphere, writes:
The real
story was, and remains, connected democracy. The tough lesson for those
of us on the Left is learning that those of us on the Right were no
less connected — just a lot less obvious about it.
don’t know what difference conservative Christians made in this
election, but I believe it wasn’t small. Evangelical churches (and not
just Landover Baptist) have done an admirable job of understanding, and
using, the Internet, just as they did deploying almost countless
“translator” transmitters
all over the FM band, all over the country — except in major
metropolitain areas where they might get more noticed. (Hit SCAN on a
car radio in Phoenix
and you’ll hear up to six religious FM signals before you get to 91 on
the dial.) Safe from the media mainstream (including the parts of it
here in the blogosphere), their strength has gone unnoticed. It’s
there, and it matters. A lot.
While we were “taking back” America, they were keeping it safe. From us. Eleven states voted to ban gay marriage. Whoa.
Strict Fatherism beat Nurturant Parentism.
The job for progressives remains the same as it’s been since Reagan reframed political debate in 1980.
Meanwhile, the job for techies is to leverage the best of the Libertarian agenda. That is, if we want to Save the Net.
On Metafilter, in response to a “Fuck Christians” snipe, comes this reply:
>> Fuck christians. Fuck them and their
>> backward minds.
> … And you people wonder why you lost …
Good Lord, is this what we have to look forward to over the next four
years? More demonizing, recriminations, hatred and anger?
To my friends on the Right: you won! Enjoy it, but don’t come around
here twisting the knife and then feigning indignation that people are
pissed off by it.
To my friends on Left: get over the anger and divisiveness. Anyone but
Bush ™ doesn’t work. We tried it for two years, and you know what?
We lost ground. Take a look at the electoral map. Regroup, and come up
with something positive and inclusive. That’s the only way to defend
against being marginalized.
This leads me to what my friend Dan Gillmor wrote today:
People say there are two Americas. I think there are at least three.
One is Bush’s America: an amalgam of the extreme Christian
“conservatives,” corporate interests and the builders of the burgeoning
national-security state.
Another is the Democratic “left”: wedded to the old, discredited politics in a time that demands creative thinking.
I suspect there’s a third America: members of an increasingly
radical middle that will become more obvious in the next few years,
tolerant of those who are different and aware that the big problems of
our times are being ignored — or made worse — by those in power today.
That third America needs a candidate. Or, maybe, a new party.
Let me close with a local blogger — one with whom I often agree to disagree on political issues. Here’s Accordion City’s Kathy “Relapsed Catholic” Shaidle, who graciously writes:
I didn’t take Jeff Jarvis’ pledge (which was recited on CNN last night!) but can offer this crappy prayer type thing:
Please
pray for George Bush, even if you didn’t vote for him. Especially if
you did. Don’t try to think of something clever to say, like, “Give him
wisdom” if you can’t think of the “right” words. Just pray, “God bless
George Bush”. God knows what we want and need better than we do.
Although I’d throw in a “keep him safe” because, well, because. That eventuality really worries me, now more than ever.
Please
do the same for John Kerry, even if you voted for him. Especially if
you didn’t. We are commanded to pray for our “enemies”, our opponents.
This does both them and us good. Try it if you don’t believe me. I know
it’s hard, but just squeeze out the first “God bless John Kerry” and
you’ll be surprised how easily the rest come out. If you can’t bring
yourself to pray for John Kerry (or George Bush), pray for the
willingness to pray for them, some day. Again: this works amazing
wonders.
Catholics don’t need to be told: take up your rosaries.
This isn’t something I can explain to non-Catholics. But those of you
who know, know.
Don’t pray for victory. Just pray. God’s will will be done regardless. Pray to accept whatever happens.
