Moving Forward
The right is trying to position the left as losers because their incumbent candidate won by the slimmest margin since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
This is an important frame for them to spread, because the truth is not in their favor. What they want people to forget is that we on the left have made a HUGE difference in this election.
"What?" you ask, "But Kerry lost."
Well, the right's smear campaign WAS effective. And the Secretary of State in Ohio did a good job of making it clear he was only going to count the "spoiled" votes that were likely to go in his candidate's favor. That did make it impossible to take the popular vote. As a result, Bush will be inaugurated on January 20, but that's very different from the typical comfortable margin taken by an incumbent. Bill Clinton had more than twice the lead over his opponent when he was re-elected in 1996.
Remember, 2 years ago, George Bush was considered UNTOUCHABLE. Now the right is desperately trying to manufacture a mandate where their landslide should have been.
During this election season, we've learned a LOT and we're not going away.
We're not going to roll over. We know that all that awaits is a kick in the ribs, not a tummy-rub. We’ll coalesce into something bigger and stronger for the next round. We will take our country back from these manipulative adolescents who have lured the gullible into granting them 4 more years of looting the national treasury for personal gain.
This is an important frame for them to spread, because the truth is not in their favor. What they want people to forget is that we on the left have made a HUGE difference in this election.
"What?" you ask, "But Kerry lost."
Well, the right's smear campaign WAS effective. And the Secretary of State in Ohio did a good job of making it clear he was only going to count the "spoiled" votes that were likely to go in his candidate's favor. That did make it impossible to take the popular vote. As a result, Bush will be inaugurated on January 20, but that's very different from the typical comfortable margin taken by an incumbent. Bill Clinton had more than twice the lead over his opponent when he was re-elected in 1996.
Remember, 2 years ago, George Bush was considered UNTOUCHABLE. Now the right is desperately trying to manufacture a mandate where their landslide should have been.
During this election season, we've learned a LOT and we're not going away.
We're not going to roll over. We know that all that awaits is a kick in the ribs, not a tummy-rub. We’ll coalesce into something bigger and stronger for the next round. We will take our country back from these manipulative adolescents who have lured the gullible into granting them 4 more years of looting the national treasury for personal gain.
posted by rhetoretician at 9:50 PM
15 Comments:
Remember also, that last time he lost the popular vote, was "installed" by the supremes, and after promising earnestly to be a uniter, began to rule like one born to reign.
This time he comes in with the most people who have EVER voted against a president voting against HIM.
Mandate, schmandate.
And that leaves out the fact of the mess in Florida, Ohio, and New Mexico. (Damn Kerry!).
puddle
And, the media is doing an excellent job of acting like the Dem Party is completetly dead...Hello! Bush did NOT win in a landslide. Damn media!
"manipulative adolescents " i just had to laugh at that one. once again the far left can not handle truth . once again they must toss out insults when they lose.once again they must claim the election was stolen .you name it , they will come up with somthing to try to make them look like victims , to make them look like honorable people.stop your crying . the only adolecents here are you .you lost to smarter and better educated people.you also lost to more honest people than yourselves.lets not bring back the fake documents by cbs that left you all breathless with excitment. you fell for that lie despite knowing in your hearts and heads that it made you the dishonest frauds .in another post i see that the host of this blog makes false claims as to the figures in the election.one can easily look these up . perhaps it was just an honest mistake.ofcourse if the other side did the same thing you would call it an example of a lie from the right.the left needs to wake up from thier dream world .reality is they are not the best and brightest of america and republicans are not the "idiots" you and the euros you so love would like to believe.infact, we they are as low and you think what does that make you to lose to such a group.
you claim to have learned from this election and will come back even stronger. here is the truth and what will actually happen.the true democrats will take the party back from the michael moore and down with america croud. the far left will be relegated to the scrap heap of american history as with all extremist groups.by the way..how about that green party nut who damaged the voting machines. you must have all cheered her on .
"We will take our country back from these manipulative adolescents who have lured the gullible into granting them 4 more years of looting the national treasury for personal gain."
WOW! So you will be taking YOUR country back? may I ask from whom? I thought this country belonged to all Americans. Oh, I see. you are taking the country back from the "manipulative adolescents" and the "gullible." I imagine I belong to the latter group. Excuse me while I go buy a timeshare in Aruba and a set of CD's the guy on TV says I must have. Now that I have read this blog I realize how misguided I have been all these years. I would like to join your party and win back the country to which I mistakenly believed I belonged. Thank you for enlightening me as I have lived in such a fog all these years. We truly need people such as yourself to think for us. I have been so very "gullible"
rhetoretician , you would do your cause better to not be so insulting.do you truly feel those who have a differing political view are that simple?
Count me as another member of the unwashed . actually , the word was gullible .
Oops! I hurt your feelings (all you anonymous folks). What's the matter? You can dish it out, but you can't take it?
Your exhalted leaders support democracy the same way they support the troops - say one thing, do the opposite.
They knew they couldn't win this time either, so they cheated Americans of their votes. You don't care, because it's your team that "won" as a result. It doesn't really surprise me that being on the winning team is more important to you than your country.
My country is too important to me to just shut up and let them steal the game. I'll never apologize for believing in democracy.
The point rhetorician is making is that we might have lost the election but we managed to fire up our base again and we are not going away.
This country might belong to all Americans but only a small percentage have access to the American dream and fewer will make it under Bush's leadership.
We are faltering badly in our role as world leader and that will catch up to us eventually no matter which party is in control.
Enjoy your four years. You have earned it and you did it by making poor people vote for rich people's tax cuts. Ironic, huh?
Keep bragging. It is your way but the higher you go the harder you fall and your party will come crashing down eventually just as it has done in the past.
Then, those who have fought the good fight will truly be vindicated.
Until the, go "----" yourself as Dick Cheney says.
this is getting obsurd."rich people MADE poor people vote for tax cuts for the rich?"
the simple truth is that we have different views about personal freedom. can you imagine talking to a far left sports fan? every time his team loses he would claim the refs were in the bag and the other team cheated. suck it yup and act like adults. your world view is not shared by everyone.
Rhetoretician . People voted in record numbers this election.they just failed to vote the way you wanted them.We voted and our votes were heard. You just hated the sound of it.I agree with the other anonymous voices here.You sound like a child who wants his own way.
I like your blog but hope it will remain a place where people can reasonably disagree without being called names. Am I the lone voice who feels that both sides have dissembled and lied? When I say both sides I am talking about the sides that were heard. Does anyone else feel that the anti war voices in this nation were drowned out? Who feels that Kerry was a valid voice for those of us who are looking for a socially responsible candidate? What happened to the youth movement that formed around Howard Dean? Is there a real alternative outside this 2 party system and how do we get there?
frustrated in vermont
We on the left need to accept that we lost this election fair and square for a variety of reasons. had we not don't you think Kerry and his team of lawyers would be out there yelling and screaming? We do not help our cause by looking for scapegoats and boogie men. that is for the other side. If we have any hope in the midterm elections we have to get our message out in a way that educates people and inspires them to go to the polls to vote. on the positive side both parties rallied the vote in record numbers.
Democracy does have a downside in that it allows the majority to rule. It often means that the minority view is subjugated despite the flaws and dangers of the democratic process it is the best and most fair of all.the voters have spoken .It is our responsibility to make sure the next time they vote they have as much information available to them as possible. We must accept the results and move on and get back the ground we lost.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6368819/#041107a
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/kerry_won_.php
http://ustogether.org/Florida_Election.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1106-30.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/05/voting.problems.ap/index.html
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/11/con04491.html
http://www.washingtondispatch.com/article_10500.shtml
There are tons more, go look for yourself....
This is not a typical election in which you get a few "walking-dead" voters in a city or two, this is widespread, large scale fraud.
In Palm Beach County Florida, alone, there were 88,408 more votes than voters.
As more and more reports come in, the discrepancies all skew in Bush's favor. If these were just random glitches, there would be equal skewing in both directions. That didn't happen. Something's up. Nothing less than a full investigation will change my mind.
I'd be much happier (a little annoyed, but happy) if I believed that Bush actually won. The evidence (that's something we're fond of in the reality-based world) doesn't point that way.
BTW - This comment thread has little to do with the original post. The post simply said that even if you believe Bush won, the margin is so slim, there's nothing close to a mandate. It also said we on the left aren't going to sit idly by, licking our wounds for another 4 years. We're going to stay active.
If that makes you angry enough rant, you may want to try decaf.
While I'm here, I'd like to thank "frustrated in Vermont" for the thoughtful post.
I agree, both sides were less than scrupulously honest. However, in my opinion, there seemed to be a significant difference in the type and magnitude of dishonesty between the sides.
The missing anti-war discussion was frightening, not only because the issue fo the war's lack of necessity wasn't being addressed, but because the media was able to obscure the entire, very large, anti-war movement from view.
There have been many instances in history where that much control was exercised over information flow. In the end, none of them were good for the general populace.
http://sciencepolitics.blogspot.com/2004/11/two-americas-past-present-and-future.html
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