Wed Nov 3, 04
Like everyone I can seem to find, I have an emotionally charged response to the election. I really hadn’t spent any time and energy processing this result, because I was counting on it being a wasted effort. So now it all hits at once. Fuck, 4 years is a really long time. Watching Bush steal the last election was one of the first things that happened when I moved to Austin, the state capitol a few blocks away mirrored on the television in front of me, seeing those same victory spotlights sweeping the foggy night air when I finally commuted back home at 2 am. 4 years ago! I can’t even imagine where I will be 4 years from today, but it seems Evil Dictator and The Klan will be running Jesusland in the interim.
I’m wearing entirely black all this week. I also wanted a temporary tattoo of a black, sparkly tear to wear near my eye, but Hot Topic was out of stock on those. I am sincerely planning to make a pin that says “I’m wearing black because Bush was re-elected”, however, and I do sincerely invite you to join me on that. A relatively weak statement, but a start.
I skipped Kerry’s concession speech and checked my email, every new composition involuntarily becoming an expression of dismay. I found myself returning to the loud, agro rock released towards the beginning of Bush’s first term (boy you’re just a stupid bitch, and girl you’re just a no-good dick).
--> Look, people, all that apathy bullshit is over now. I will always suck on the teat of irony and sarcasm and the hilarity therein, but when it comes to political action, it’s time to embrace sincerity and power. I don’t just mean browsing leftist internet sources, either; that’s good, but it’s not action. Action involves doing things that effect your world. You don’t have to give up your life, every little bit counts. If like me you consider yourself to be on the left, you better brace yourself for a rigorous 4 year ass fucking. If like me this makes you feel bullied and pushed into a corner then put up your dukes and get ready to take some honest swings at the leering visage of the right wing floating in front of you. Either that or stand there and grip the kitchen counter and bite down hard on something soft. That’s the choice you’re currently presented with.
The right has spent a lot of time turning “liberal” into a dirty word, and it can really feel vulnerable to make your political views public, to argue with someone who has digested and can quickly regurgitate the GOP sound bites, especially when you’re not on home turf like Austin and Vermont and San Francisco. Taking swings at the bully who backed you into the corner makes you feel vulnerable, too, as I recall from 5th grade. But it’s either that or give up your lunch money to support the bombing of brown people. As NOFX says, “It really is that bad. It won’t just go away.” We thought for sure someone else would take care of it, but they didn’t.
So that’s my reaction to this election. I really hope that the political demon deep down inside of very many of my smart and capable friends and associates has been similarly roused, because I really do think it only takes a bit more sustained involvement from a lot more people to make a big difference. The republicans play dirty, and too many of us don’t play at all.
There’s been a lot of solidarity in commiseration among the internet community:
Also, of course, there was the obligatory article citing fraud and scandal in the voting process and claiming the GOP stole the election. It may well be true, but for me to start rioting in the streets, I need to see it picked up, reflected, and validated by a lot more trusted sources. Still, go read it.
I’ve heard a lot of sentiments to the tune of “I can’t believe I live in a country where all these people voted for Bush.” But remember it’s not the case that America has enjoyed a fair, complete, and unbiased democratic process. The right wing is strongly organized, cunningly strategic, unafraid of vicious tactics. They control an effective media empire and know how to pick powerful allies and recruit new members, oversimplify messages, demonizing their enemies. They are on-message and keep it simple. This is the outcome of their decades-long comeback strategy.
Here’s some interesting reading from Democracy Now:
How the Far Right Built a Media Empire to Manufacture Consent
“…the University of Maryland just came out with a study, American Public on International Issues, found that seventy-five percent of Bush supporters continue to believe Iraq was providing substantial support to Al Qaeda, and that the majority, again, still believe weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq.”
“I do think there's a pro-choice majority in the country. The Republicans very cleverly developed an issue out of thin air, this partial birth abortion issue, which relates only to several hundred medical cases in the entire country every year. It's a freakishly unusual procedure, and yet somehow, the Democrats have been cornered on that, and the fundamental issue of a woman's right to choose has been lost in the process. I think the rhetoric of values has got to be turned around. Everybody has values. The idea that some people voted on the war, some peopled voted on the economy and some people voted on the values is just absurd. Everyone has values, and everyone brings values to the understanding of these different issues. And the thing that frightens me is the way that an eroding public school system and very powerful religion in some parts of the country and television on all over the place is leading to a steady dumbing down of the American public and a corrosion of basic critical thinking in the population.”
Christian Evangelicals Proclaim "Now Comes the Revolution"
“There was a concerted effort to recruit that movement into the Republican party and it took thirty years, but it really worked. And that began with the organizations that cropped up in the 1970's: the National Right to Life Committee, the Eagle Forum, Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority. All of this was kind of called into being by Republican operatives like Richard Viguerie, like Paul Wyrick who really saw this as the way for the Republicans to regain a majority; and it looks like after all of their hard work it's really panned out.”
Democracy Now, while very much biased to the left, is still a good balancing news source, and I encourage you to subscribe to their daily newsletter (see upper left of the linked page). But, like I said, being informed is only enough to keep frustrated and worried. If you are compelled to get started, some super easy armchair activism opportunities are provided by institutions such as True Majority and Move On, which identify and prioritize issues and write letters to your representatives on your behalf; you give your approval on a per-mailing basis. I’ve been doing this for a while, and I’m sure I’ve got my name on a number of government watch lists as a result, but you have to stick your neck out to be heard.
The next action I’m going to take is getting in touch with my local elected representatives, face to face if possible, and tell them how I feel about important issues and what I expect from them during this term is they wish to secure my vote. The good thing about acting locally is that it’s entirely possible; you don’t have to be Michael Moore or a millionaire or anything.
First off, I agree that it is crazy to think that almost 60 million people voted for Bush. It just leads me to believe that way too many people in this country are scared, stupid, and pathetically loyal. "We're in a war and we shouldn't change leaders in the middle of a war." What kind of ridiculous bullshit is that? The fact that people can listen to Bush talk and then think "This guy's the shit!" leads me to believe too many voters in this country are uneducated, and vote on gut feeling alone. Nutty. The right did a fantastic job (Karl Rove just recently came out and said that Kerry first voting to authorize money for the war, then opposing it later was a gift for them) of winning this election, and the country did an awful job by letting them do it.
As for the article on Kerry winning Ohio, I don't buy it. What do the Democrats have to lose in challenging the process? They can look like spoiled losers, but if they honestly think they have a shot at winning, wouldn't it be better to be looked at as a spoiled loser, and then win then to think you have a shot at winning but instead give up and let the Republicans run the show? I have to believe that if there was any chance Kerry won Ohio (and I think his people would know his chances better than a single journalist) he would have fought tooth and nail instead of just rolling over.
It may be a tough 4 years. The best thing we can do is get active and mobilize for the next Representative and Governor elections in 2 years. We need to show people that there are a lot of people in this country who DON'T want to live in a conservative nation.
Sorry for the long post, but if you don't feel strongly on this subject, then what the fuck?
Posted by: Ponch | Nov 08, 2004 at 06:20 AM
Ponch, a couple of comments on your post. First of all why would Kerry concede if he had a chance of winning? The Bush people are serious and Kerry may have feared assasination. Second in terms of Kerry's people knowing whether he had a chance of winning-his lawyers DID NOT want him to concede. He ran that one alone.
Posted by: Alicia | Nov 08, 2004 at 10:19 AM
kerry might have pushed that hard if he actually won the popular vote, but it would take a lot more belief in fraud to think that he had. the statistical data isn't as hard as it should be; it can be sliced to look a lot of different ways. so kerry could have ridden it out and demanded that the data get sliced til it looked like he won. what then? the republicans could have countered with a different slice. plus they fucking own the politics in ohio and florida, so kerry would look more like the liar than they do.
so, basically, it would never be all that clear who won, and it would look like he stole the election, especially since he didn't get the popular vote.
it wouldn't have bothered me a whole lot, frankly, but it's certainly no way to run a unified nation.
Posted by: Randy | Nov 08, 2004 at 12:47 PM
More info on the supposed election inacuracies and Kerry really winning:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/11/10/internet_buzz_on_vote_fraud_is_dismissed/
Posted by: Ponch | Nov 10, 2004 at 07:45 AM