Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Diversity: Normally politicians publicly express their support for affirmative action, but never get around to practicing it. Now we have a president who publicly condemns affirmative action, but has done a great job putting it into practice.

I guess Bush really does support using race as a factor in hiring decisions, only he can't say so publicly because that would upset ultra-conservatives who have an allergic reaction to the idea. But in the end, Bush proves that affirmative action can work for conservatives as well as liberals.

Monday, November 29, 2004

Retro Russia: The Cold War may be over, but Russia's recent actions are still chilling. President Vladimir Putin has retracted many democratic measures in the country by tightening his control of the Duma, replacing popularly elected governors with ones appointed by the Kremlin, and restricting the media. Now it appears Putin's government might have had a hand in rigging the elections in the Ukraine.

The U.S., along with the European Union, has condemned the Ukranian vote results, and it looks like popular activism and political pressure may result in a new election. However, it's still a shaky situation, and it may get worse before it gets better.

That's why we need President Bush to take a strong stance against Putin's strong-arm tactics, both within Russia's government and its meddling with Ukraine's.

Unfortunately, I don't foresee Bush making much of a public stink about what's going on with our old Cold War adversary. Although Russia opposed the U.S. liberation of Iraq, Putin has been a strong supporter of our aggressive fight against terrorism. Putin even endorsed Bush against Kerry in the last election, a completely inappropriate move for a foreign leader.

It appears that Putin is supporting our aggressive fight against the terrorists to justify his own war against the Chechens, especially after those terrorists committed the atrocious attack on hundreds of school children. But he has also used the attacks as an excuse to curtail democratic reforms in the country.

During the Cold War, we would often support hostile, autocratic, oppressive governments when it helped us oppose the Soviet Union. Those decisions in part led to the problems we have now with Islamic terrorism. And now we are now in danger of making the exact same mistake, only in reverse.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

God Bless: I'm out until Monday. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Hands On: Here's the video of Bush elbowing his way into a security scuffle to rescue his Secret Service agent. That's my president.

With Sugar on Top: "Don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted ... He lived happily ever after."

That quote is from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But some conservatives are a little wary of fairy tales. Evan Coyne Maloney and The New York Post are worried that unchecked Republican power could produce the same arrogance and corruption that led to the government revolution we saw in 1994, only this time in reverse.

We've already seen it with Republicans tossing aside ethics rules. Tom DeLay could have lambasted Ronnie Earle and his political tactics while temporarily giving up his leadership position in the House, were he to be indicted, out of principle. Now it seems unlikely that DeLay will even be indicted, but the Republicans have already made it loud and clear that principle yields to power.

The Bush administration is famous for rewarding loyalty ahead of competence. And because of the loyalty oaths Bush's advisors must adhere to, there is little debate and discussion when it comes to major decisions. That's why military officers in Iraq are still waiting for more troops.

The problem is, power corrupts. That's just a fact of governance and humanity. Generally, the tug-o-war of power in a democratic society prevents corruption from getting out of hand. But every so often, power goes unchecked, and corruption grows like a flesh-eating bacterial infection -- as we saw with the Nixon administration and the Democrats' 50-year monopoly over Congress.

That's why it's all the more important for the Democratic Party to get their act together. Either the Republicans are going to screw up or something bad is going to happen that the public will blame on the Republicans. If the face of the Democratic Party is still the anti-war Left, then that faction could get be unduly promoted, or the public will continue to reject them, leaving the corruption in the Republican Party to continue to fester unimpeded.

Monday, November 22, 2004

Clueless: John Kerry blames his loss on Osama Bin Laden's releasing a video days before the election. Kerry believes the visual of Bin Laden scared Americans into supporting their commander in chief. I guess that's what "moral values" means today. At least he's not so dense as to blame gay marriage like some of his peers.

The Bin Laden tape didn't scare anyone. I saw a weakened terrorist who was more conciliatory now that his ranks have been decimated. Instead of launching an attack before the election, which many of us expected him to do, he videotaped a monologue. The only indictments he could lay on our nation and its leaders are bits he pulled from a Michael Moore movie (and it's sickening that the filmmaker was proud that Osama Bin Laden was quoting his work). Bin Laden is still a threat, and he will carry out more attacks against us. Our decision to fight back isn't based on fear. It's resolve.

There still seems to be a lot of misunderstandings between the Reds and the Blues. If you haven't seen this, you should read this open letter from a Red State resident to the Democratic Party. There are also two excellent essays, here and here, written by centrists (hat tip, Centerfield) explaining that we're not so different after all.

Friday, November 19, 2004

Delay Tactics: The Republicans are hypocrites for getting rid of a rule now that it no longer suits them. While they looked all high and mighty when they were the minority party by preventing indicted House members from taking leadership roles -- to show up the Democrats -- now such shackles of "reform" are deemed inconvenient.

That being said, I do feel for Tom DeLay for being the latest target of Ronnie Earle's political crusades. I'm no fan of DeLay, not by a long shot. But this isn't the first time Ronnie Earle has made headlines for himself through a widely publicized investigation.

For those who don't know, Ronnie Earle is the District Attorney for Travis County, Texas. Travis County is, of course, home to the city of Austin, which is a liberal bastion in a conservative state -- a bright Blue Dot in a deep Red State, if you will. It's also one of my favorite places on Earth.

There is a quirk in Texas law that puts all of the states elected officials, for both state and federal offices, under the investigative power of the Travis County District Attorney (because Austin is the state capital). Ronnie Earle has made a career delighting his constituents by dragging politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, through the mud.

Each of the investigations, which rarely it seems produces a conviction, have always been deemed political in nature. This one is probably no different, considering DeLay's controversial involvement in redistricting congressional seats in Texas. I'm betting that DeLay won't be convicted for any of the fundraising funny business he's been accused of. I could be wrong, considering I don't know all the facts in the case, but that's just a hunch.

Am I upset that The Hammer might get knocked off his high horse, if not criminally then at least politically? Not at all. But it's hard to support the tactics of Ronnie Earle. Then again, it's equally hard to stomach watching the Republicans adopt one ethics policy as a minority party in order to gain power, only to cast it aside after they have secured control. Election after election, it remains politics as usual.

Update: The GOP finally changed course on this.

The Birth of a Moderate: Some people are pushing for Mark Warner, the Democratic governor of Virginia, to run for president in 2008 (doncha hate these 2008 speculation stories?). There's even a blog dedicated to recruiting him. I'm a Virginia resident and a pretty big fan of Gov. Warner. In fact, he's the reason I started calling myself a "staunch moderate".

I was driving in my car listening to the news a few years ago, when a report summarized what the Gov. Warner had done in the past week. I'm still fuzzy on the details of exactly what action he took, but I believe the governor had vetoed a bill that would have made it much more difficult for women to get an abortion if they needed one (good move). Then, the report said, in order to take a moderate stance and not upset conservatives, he also vetoed a bill that would have further restricted the use of guns in the state (another good move).

The reporter used the term "moderate" to make it sound like Gov. Warner was being wishy-washy, trying to appeal to both sides, not making any strong decisions by trying to make liberals happy then turning around and trying to make to make conservatives happy. But I thought, those were two good decisions. That's MY governor!

So he may very well be a good candidate for president. It's, obviously too soon to tell. I don't know where exactly he stands on the war, and we have no idea where the war will be in four years.

Plus, Mark Warner doesn't seem to have a lot of charisma, at least from what I've seen. So he might not be able to attract much interest outside his home state.

But it's good to see the Democrats speculating about strong moderates like Warner. Even if he's just a loud voice in the primaries, he may do the party a lot of good.

Thursday, November 18, 2004

Scare Tactics: In a switch, conservatives are playing the PC card and are accusing liberals of racism. Why? Because lefties have the gall to mock and criticize the nominee for Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

In a series of political cartoons, Ms. Rice is depicted in an unflattering and critical light. But so is everyone else who appears in political cartoons. The only difference is she is a black woman. But that shouldn't keep her immune from criticism.

Conservatives would argue that if the tables were turned, liberals would be screaming racism. Well, then the liberals would be wrong, too. Conservatives used to be the ideology that shunned political correctness. Now they're using it as a political weapon.

There is a line that shouldn't be crossed, but nobody agrees where that line should be. In the past, liberals such as Harry Belafonte referred to Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice as President Bush's "house slaves". That, in my opinion, is racist (even coming from a fellow African American). But Ms. Rice had a great reply, "If Harry Belafonte wants to disagree with my political views, that's fine. But I don't need Harry Belafonte to tell me what it means to be black."

Now, it seems, anytime a person of color is raked over the coals, for legitimate or overblown reasons, that person's race becomes an issue. But it's incredibly dangerous to dismiss all criticism against a person as racist, as it's akin to the Red Scare or a witch-hunt.

Flagrant accusations are effective at suppressing opposition speech, but that's the last thing we want in a society that promotes open discourse. And the accusation itself, in some respects, is racist, because it implies that just because the person is a racial minority, that he or she can't take the heat.

We broke a lot of ground during this administration in placing people of color in powerful government positions. That should be reason enough to stop discussing race and to keep the arguments focused on policy.

Off to a Great Start: Republicans are already heading the wrong direction. Instead of using this time right after the election to cut spending, they raised the debt ceiling again. This would be an ideal opportunity to rein in excess appropriations, considering that anybody they upset in the process will have calmed down by the next election. If the GOP keeps this up, the Democrats will soon grab the mantle of fiscal responsibility.

But so far the Democrats don't know how to react. In his first appearance since losing the presidential election, Sen. Kerry was stuck in campaign mode, blaming Bush for turning budget surpluses into deficits. This is such an inane argument, because everybody knows we lost the surpluses because of the recession, not because of what Bush did. Instead of looking backwards, the Democrats should be the party that looks into the future and say that, despite the past budget problems, we have no excuse now but to balance our budget. Otherwise we could find ourselves in serious financial trouble in the years to come.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

The Real World, Fallujah: Unfortunately, war was not made for TV. While the Pentagon has reaped the benefits of positive coverage by embedding journalists with U.S. troops, officials there also have to grapple with negative perceptions from time to time.

The latest one stems from the NBC video showing a Marine shooting what appears to be an unarmed injured Iraqi insurgent. Some observers are claiming that the killing was a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions.

But in the world of warfare, not everything is so cut and dry. I've never served in the military or seen real combat, but the situation seems more complicated than some are letting on.

Our enemies in Iraq are committing war crimes every day. They're booby-trapping dead bodies. They're faking surrender, then attacking our troops. They're faking death, then attacking our troops.

In addition to that, they don't wear uniforms. They are hiding among civilian populations. They kidnap and torture prisoners. And they video tape the torturing and killing of the prisoners. All these actions are illegal.

That doesn't give our troops the right to disregard the laws of warfare. But it does put their actions in a different context. Apparently, a Marine in the same unit as the one in the video had been killed tending to a dead Iraqi who had been booby-trapped. The Marines didn't want to take such a risk again that could cost them they're lives.

In the video, the Iraqi appeared to be dead, but the Marines believed he was faking. So that leaves two possible outcomes: Either the man really was dead, and the Marine wasted ammo by firing into a carcass. Or the man was alive but pretending to be dead, which means he was trying to trick the Marines for some reason. And that leads me to believe that the Marines were acting in self-defense.

Let's have an investigation. Let's make sure nothing went wrong so we can put the issue to rest. But let's not assume we know better from the comfort of our living room couches. In war, you can't presume innocent until proven guilty. These troops are facing realities that many of us could never imagine.

Kmart/Sears: Crap + Crap = I'm still going to Target.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Backfire: I had never heard of Theo Van Gogh. I had never seen any of his films. I didn't know anything about what he stood for.

Until now.

The terrorists always fail to grasp the fact that whenever they attack something or someone, they inadvertently elevate what they are trying to destroy. It's beautiful irony that, after his murder, Theo Van Gogh has become larger than life.

State of Nature: When scorpions lack a common enemy or prey, they sometimes attack each other in an act of cannibalism. Now the Republican Party seems intent on doing the same thing.

Lacking any adequate political adversary, conservatives are turning their sights on the moderates within the party. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania made the mistake of publicly doubting the ability of the Senate to confirm new Supreme Court justices who seek to overturn Roe v. Wade, and he became an enemy of the American Family -- or at least some Association that claims to represent them.

These conservatives want to prevent Specter from becoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for which he is next in line, to limit his influence on approving federal judges nominated by President Bush. If the far-right has its way, they will lose Specter's support and as a result will weaken the power of the Republican Party.

Republicans may be the top dog in town now. But they can't let their power get to their heads. I know hard-core conservatives who would rather the Republican Party play smart and take a moderate approach to running the government than to let the extremists run the asylum at the risk of losing national political support. The decision Republicans make with Specter could be an indication as to whether the party has the brains to stay in charge for awhile.

P.S. The American Family Association is also targeting Proctor & Gamble for actively recruiting "individuals who practice the abnormal and destructive homosexual lifestyle to come to work for the company." In response, the association wants people to boycott P&G products. In case you don't know what the company produces, here's a list. I guess right-wing homophobes and nutty animal-rights groups have a common enemy. I encourage them to boycott P&G products such as soap, laundry detergent, and toothpaste. That way we can smell them coming ahead of time.

Running Out of Firsts: Condoleezza Rice appears to be next in line to become Secretary of State. She's the second African American to take the position. She's also the second woman. I think it's a good sign of progress that she isn't the first in either category, unless you start to combine and stretch (ie, first African American who is also a woman, first black person to replace a black cabinet officer, etc.).

Soon we'll stop making comments about how noteworthy it is that we don't have to make comments. And that will be a sign of real progress.

Monday, November 15, 2004

Progress: Within weeks after Bush's re-election, Iran has pledged to abandon its ambition of nuclear weapons. Europe has been negotiating with Iran for quite some time and won concessions from the Axis of Evil member. At the very end of a Washington Post article about this issue, we find this little nugget:

European diplomats said Bush's reelection helped the negotiations by limiting Iran's options. Had Democrat John F. Kerry won, Iran might have tried to play for time or probe what policy shifts a new administration was considering, they said.

Bush actually isn't happy with the final results, reports indicate. He wanted to take a tougher stance and concede less to Iran. But as a result, this really puts him in the best situation. He has a promise from Iran to stop seeking nuclear weapons. But if Iran strays from the agreement even a little, Bush can still act forcefully against that country, because the U.S. was never officially party to the agreement.

The situation is far from settled, and we have a lot of problems to overcome. But this shows that the United States can take a hard line against nations that support terrorism and still won't lose the help from our European allies.

More: Michael Moore plans to release a sequel to his latest movie in two to three years. He plans to call it Fahrenheit 9-11 1/2.

The organization, though, that helped distribute the original is called the Fellowship Adventure Group. With an acronym like that, I guess the movie Team America was more spot on than I originally thought.

Friday, November 12, 2004

RIP: The only terrorist mastermind who managed to win the Nobel Peace Prize is dead and buried. That's one obstacle to peace in the Middle East that has been removed. But there are still plenty others.

Baby Steps: I hadn't realized this, but it looks like the Democrats are going with Harry Reid of Nevada as the Senate Minority leader after Daschle's fall. Reid was the heir apparent, having previously served as the Minority Whip.

But some Democrats were concerned about selecting someone from a Red State, saying such a leader would be vulnerable in future elections. Many of them wanted a devout liberal from a Blue State.

Now Nevada is more pink than red, but Senator Reid seems to be a strong moderate lawmaker. We'll see what happens when he actually starts using his power, but so far it seems like this is a good step for the Democrats.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Half the Battle: It's very disconcerting to me that I know so much about the military endeavors in Iraq. I knew weeks ahead of time that Coalition forces were planning to retake Fallujah. I knew that the purpose of this mission was to round up terrorists and to disrupt their base of operations.

If I could find out all that information on WashingtonPost.com, just think of how much the terrorists know.

Now Coalition forces have almost completed the mission, as most of Fallujah is under our control. But Zarqawi and most of the terrorists are nowhere to be found. For some reason they booked early and decided to conduct operations elsewhere.

I'm all for openness in our government and its actions. But during a war, there are some things I expect not to know. When it comes to military action, please, surprise me, and take the terrorists by surprise as well.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

This Just In! From the White House:

The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved.

Those are the words from U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, in his letter of resignation.

I'm not going to get into any evaluation of Mr. Ashcroft's performance, for the time being. But I had no idea that we had already solved the issue of crime and terrorism. Hell, I might as well take the rest of the day off from blogging.

Taxing Sanity: Republicans were re-elected to win the War on Terrorism, and now they're talking about overhauling the tax code. That's fine, we can discuss it. But I don't imagine anything beneficial will come from this.

Conservatives talk about getting rid of the IRS and instituting a flat tax. But why would we do that? A flat tax would mean no tax deductions for charitable contributions, mortgages, education costs, medical costs, and a host of other targeted tax breaks. We have those tax breaks now because they're popular, and people need them.

If you think the tax code is too complicated, don't make any deductions, or don't ask for a refund. It's simple, and accomplishes the same as a flat tax. (The same can be said for all you people who don't like Bush's tax cuts. You're more than welcome to offer more of your money to the federal government. Go ahead.)

Another proposal is for a national sales tax. But that could easily become a national nightmare. Consumption taxes, such a sales tax, are notoriously regressive, meaning they hurt the poor harder than the rich. Poor people spend a greater percentage of their income than rich people do. (A person making $30,000 per year will likely spend at least $29,000, or 96-percent, to live. Whereas a person making $400,000 per year would likely only spend $300,000, or 75-percent, to live.) That would also dissuade rich people from buying things, which hurts the economy. You'll never be able to stop people from wanting to make more money, but it's easy to give them second thoughts about wanting to spend it.

And in practical terms, I would dread a national sales tax. It's frustrating enough while shopping to calculate in your head what an additional 5- or 8-percent tax will bring the final cost to. I don't want to figure out 15- or 18-percent tax. I became a writer for a reason -- I hate math. Now, if stores would include the tax when listing prices, that would make things easier. In fact, why don't they?

Anyhow, we can have a discussion about this. But with so many competing interests out there, don't expect to see any substantive changes.

Monday, November 08, 2004

The Moo Vote: I'm really tired of conservatives touting these color-coded maps showing how many counties Bush won in the United States. USA Today shows that Bush got about 3-million square miles opposed to Kerry's half million. And somehow righties translate this into a greater mandate for the president.

See those blue dots on the map? Those make up most of the largest population centers of the United States. Yes, large groups of people tend to live in bunches here. It's a curious habit of humans, but that's just the way it is.

There isn't much in most of those Red Counties. That map really doesn't tell me anything, other than that if cows could vote, Republicans would have it made.

Blind Rage: I don't know why I still pay attention to this stuff. I'm not actively looking for it, but I happen to run across it during my surfing of political sites.

Just when I think I've seen it all, I find something else that absolutely takes my breath away.

Moral Outrage: In many of the post-mortems, a lot of liberals seem to be blaming the same-sex marriage issue for Kerry's defeat. Their evidence, a plurality of Republican voters saying "moral values" was the top reason for voting for Bush.

While it's a shame that many people in this country aren't yet comfortable with the idea of homosexuality, let's not blow the gay issue out of proportion. Not everybody who voted for Bush is a blue-balled red neck.

The term "moral values" is too ambiguous. It's a catchall phrase used to say someone has good character. Do some people believe homosexuality is a moral issue? Sure. But many of the same people also believe sticking to your word shows moral character, as does fighting fascism.

For some reason, many people on the Left are trying to downplay the importance of the War on Terrorism in this election. That may help you feel better, but it doesn't necessarily follow the facts. Exit polls indicate that among the people who voted, 23 percent cited "moral values" as their most important issue, 20 percent said "economy/jobs", 19 percent said "terrorism", and 15 percent said "Iraq".

For one thing, the percentages are pretty close. And another, many people -- not all, but many -- consider the War on Terrorism to include both "terrorism" and "Iraq". Considering that, you can't argue that the War on Terrorism was second to gay marriage.

Luckily some lefties are trying to kill that idea before it solidifies to become conventional wisdom. Because if it does, the Democrats will completely miss the important lesson of this election and will end up in worse shape than they already are. And right now we need a strong opposition to keep the ruling party in check.

Friday, November 05, 2004

What's Next? I just got this e-mail from a reader:

So I've been reading your blogs for awhile now, and I have no one to blame but myself about how I voted this year. I don't have my own party, and I'm sick of it.

How does one start a political party? I know several people who don't fit in with Dems or Reps.

I think the time to do this is post-haste.

Thanks for any advice.

I wish I had an easy answer, but I don't think anybody knows how to break the two-party oligopoly at this point. It's been tried, but it is rarely successful. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep trying.

Historically, successful new parties have centered around a popular individual that attracts national attention (Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party) or sprung from a popular issue and later evolve (stopping the spread of slavery and the Republican Party).

While there are many of us centrists, moderates, and independents, the hard part will be finding enough central issues for us to agree upon in order to form a cohesive party. Recently, it seems, whenever new parties are formed, people from all walks of life latch on, initially thinking that this is the one that finally matches their views. Unfortunately, that usually isn't the case.

You then end up with what happened to the Reform Party. It gets started by a fiscal-conservative/social-moderate like Ross Perot. Then a fiscal-moderate/social-libertarian like Jesse Ventura becomes its most successful candidate. Finally, a social-conservative nutjob like Patrick Buchanan takes control of the party and crashes it into the ground.

While the decks are stacked against us, it's not an impossible undertaking. Hopefully we can get something going that, at the very least, will reform both major parties so they won't stay so extreme.

Update: Once again, Centerfield is on top of the issue. Apparently membership at the Centrist Coalition has shot up since the election ended. Perhaps as more people decided to participate in the election this year, they're realizing more than ever that neither party adequately represents their views.

Blue State Blues: I voted for Bush, but as I've said, I'm sure Kerry would have made a fine president. However, it still amazes me how much both sides vilify the other. Some people really believe four more years of Bush means the end of the world.

Centerfield has found a couple NYT articles featuring lefties on the Blue Coasts venting and crying about impending Armageddon. Here are a few quotables:

"I'm saddened by what I feel is the obtuseness and shortsightedness of a good part of the country -- the heartland," Dr. Joseph said. "This kind of redneck, shoot-from-the-hip mentality and a very concrete interpretation of religion is prevalent in Bush country -- in the heartland."

"New Yorkers are more sophisticated and at a level of consciousness where we realize we have to think of globalization, of one mankind, that what's going to injure masses of people is not good for us," he said.

His friend, Ms. Cohn, a native of Wisconsin who deals in art, contended that New Yorkers were not as fooled by Mr. Bush's statements as other Americans might be. "New Yorkers are savvy," she said. "We have street smarts. Whereas people in the Midwest are more influenced by what their friends say."

[and on the West side]

"I am prepared to keep my head down, possibly for the rest of my life, under a totalitarian regime," Mr. Conklin said.

[...]

"It just made me cry," Terry Mitchell, 54, an audiologist in Oakland, said of Mr. Bush's re-election. "I am sad that America is asleep at the wheel."

[...]

"I am depressed, but I am also just really angry at the rest of the country's ignorance," Ms. Sloan said.

Even newspaper columnists describe Bush's victory as "a jihad in America" and compare Christians in this country to Al Qaeda. Instapundit has pictures of San Francisco protesters with signs such as, "I'm ashamed to be an American". I guess that makes sense, because America is ashamed of people like him as well.

I have to admit, if that's the way some of these people really think, then their misery brings a smile to my face.

I do know that these are just the extreme cases, and that the Right has more than their fair share of extremists as well. I'd like to think that this election will be a wake-up call that hate has no place in politics, that it only leads to defeat. But I'm not so confident about that just yet.

Update: Who are these people? And why are they given a forum to preach their hate?

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Backwards: One of the casualties associated with Bush's win is the further attack on gay rights. This election, 11 states amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage, some going so far as to also ban civil unions. This is not just a coincidence, as the Bush campaign used gay marriage as a "values" issue to get conservatives to the polls.

It's a shame that so many states tainted their constitutions with such homophobia. The progress of gay rights is inevitable, as soon as people realize there's nothing wrong with two individuals loving each other even if they are both men. Unfortunately it will take some time, just like it did with the Civil Rights movement.

These amendments will be a deep scar on many state constitutions for some time. Just like previous bans on inter-racial marriage, these states are eventually going to realize that they must erase the bigotry from their laws. Hopefully they'll realize this as soon as possible.

Red Faced: As you know, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle lost his seat to John Thune. The South Dakota senator couldn't maintain his blue streak in a Red State.

Daschle is a likable guy, but I get the feeling that justice was served with his ouster. The Democratic leader was Bush's biggest roadblock during the past four years, obstructing much of Bush's agenda in the Senate.

That's all fine and good, except that Daschle became two-faced about it when he ran for re-election. During all of Bush's first term, Daschle was pictured almost daily in The Washington Post as Bush's loyal opposition, especially concerning the decision to invade Iraq and about how the war was carried out. Then when Daschle ran for re-election, he would be reported in small newspapers telling his constituents that he supports Bush's foray into Iraq and believes that the war is going quite well.

He could have leveled with the people of South Dakota and said, "Yes, I know you support Bush's agenda. But right now Republicans control all three branches of government. We need a strong voice challenging the president. Only if we have some honest opposition will the government make smarter choices. And we will all be better off for it."

But instead he tried to have it both ways. And I lose respect for him for doing that. I suspect that the people of South Dakota gave up a senator with so much clout as Daschle because they wanted someone who would be honest with them.

Now Democrats are looking for a new minority leader. Among the criteria, some partisans are calling for someone from a Blue State so that person won't be vulnerable like Daschle was.

A Blue-Stater is fine. But there's nothing wrong with someone from a Red State. The new leader would just have to be a bit more moderate as a result. And, who knows, such a person might help the Democratic Party gain some traction they so desperately need in the fly-over country.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Indivisible: I would like to have a word with the two Americas. And, if you don't mind, I would like to speak to each of you separately. Please disregard the paragraph that's not addressed to you.

Conservatives -- You earned a solid victory, but this was a close election among a bitterly divided population. Despite the fact that your candidate at one point garnered a 90-percent approval rating, his re-election still came as a surprise to many. This, to say the least, is not a Carte Blanche mandate. While Bush has done some good things as president, he has also alienated half of this country and much of the world. Now this is not irreparable damage. Bush can continue his vision, but he must do it in a humble manner that brings back the disaffected. He needs to show that he's learned something from this election.

Liberals -- You lost. This is the second time you lost when it came to deciding how to defend this country. The 2002 midterm elections strengthened the Republican hold in Congress. This year, we just requested four more years of President Bush, based heavily on his war record. It's time for you to give up on the anti-war factions and join us in fighting aggressively for this country. If you do that, then you'll be able to gain enough power to push liberal social issues and prevent the far right from controlling the agenda. But the people in this country want to take a hard line against terrorists and Middle Eastern dictators. Please join us in the fight.

Despite our continued differences, we have to rally in support of our president. This does not mean we're not allowed to criticize him, far from it, but we can do without the hate. However, we have to understand that he reflects the will of the majority of the people. We need to hold him accountable and help him reach the right goals that help America.

In the next four years, Bush needs to make these accomplishments:

Make Iraq succeed. Not only do we need to quell the insurgency and capture or kill Zarqawi, but we must also make legitimate elections work and help prosperity take root. The violence needs to subside quickly. Then we can foster a culture of freedom in that country over the next few years.

Handle Iran. That country sponsors terrorism, not only abroad but also within Iraq. It is developing WMD, including nuclear weapons. While military conflict is not yet likely there, we can't afford to let that country continue what it's doing unchecked. Iran is a major front in the War on Terrorism, and we must take a tough stand.

Fix the deficit. Re-election is over. There's no need to pander to the electorate by buying them off. This administration needs to practice its fiscal conservatism and show some budgetary responsibility.

Improve healthcare. Too many people in this country do not have health insurance or access to quality health coverage. It should become one of the government's priorities to fix that.

Capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. I know he's more of a spiritual leader than a mastermind, and defeating him won't have much real effect in preventing terrorism. But he is a terrorist icon that needs to be snubbed. I don't want to see any more of his stupid videos.

Continue to destroy Al Qaeda. Their cells are becoming more autonomous as they scatter around the world. They are elusive. But they have to be stopped.

Protect this country. I was wrong about there being a terrorist attack before the election. That says a lot about how well this administration has been able to maintain security. But we're still not safe. Terrorists will redouble their efforts to attack us, and they will succeed. While a successful terrorist attack is not a sign of failure, we can't lose the momentum in this fight.

While I can sense the bitterness of the Kerry supporters, not all is lost. This campaign has shed light on major shortcomings of the Bush administration. The first presidential debate brought up important issues that Bush won't be able to ignore. We're still divided, but I think this election can actually make us stronger. A good fight can toughen both sides. And we'll be a smarter and stronger country if we choose to pull together.

It's Over: Although technically Ohio is still in contention, the fact is that George W. Bush has won re-election as President of the United States. It was a closely divided election, but Bush won solidly, earning an impressive win. This is the first time that a presidential candidate has garnered more than 50 percent of the popular vote since the 1980s. Even Clinton never accomplished that.

Of course, it's only the Electoral College that matters. And that's still divided among pretty much the same Red States and Blue States as in the 2000 election. However, Bush has earned the requisite 270 electoral votes needed to win, possibly garnering a total of 286.

I understand that Senator Kerry doesn't want to give up prematurely only to find out that he had a reasonable expectation to win. But it appears that it's all but impossible for him to pull this one out. For the sake of the country, he needs to come to that conclusion soon and concede. Otherwise, desperation among some of his supporters might kick in, and rumors of stolen elections and fraud will start to seep out, even though there is no evidence of that.

There's a lot we have to learn from this election. But before we can pay attention to the lessons, we have to put this campaign behind us. It's time to move forward.

Update: Kerry has conceded. The senator is a class act, and I hope he continues to be a strong and loyal opposition to President Bush during the next four years.

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Crunch Time: I can't say I've gotten much work done today. So I'm going to head out and meet with some friends to watch the results come in. I've got a bottle of scotch I'm going to enjoy while I make fun of news anchors and their small talk.

While searching for news, I found this pledge from BuzzMachine about putting country ahead of party. I agree to follow it, and I think we all should.

After the election results are in, 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, even as we work together to make America better.

I'll see y'all tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have a decision by then. God Bless.

Dah! I can't believe The Washington Post. That paper has apparently already forgotten what contributed a large portion of the Florida fiasco of 2000. In the last election, news agencies around the country called the state at 7 p.m. Eastern Time for Al Gore, even though polls in the Florida panhandle (which goes by Central Time) were open for an hour later. Reports indicate that voters in that largely conservative area left before voting when they heard the state tally was over.

Now The Post is listing Florida polls as closing at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. ABC correctly lists Florida's polls as closing at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Hopefully other news organizations aren't making the same mistake. And hopefully none of them will prematurely call Florida or any other teetering state one way or the other. But for some reason now it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

Elsewhere: France is reportedly tougher on nabbed terrorist suspects than we are here, including the ones we've got locked up at Gitmo. Maybe we aren't so different after all.

Wild Cards: CapitalWeather.com says most of the nation is experiencing pleasant weather, which analysts predict will help the Democrats. The only exception is Ohio, which may see some heavy rain, and that could affect voter turnout in favor of the Republicans. And of course, Ohio is one of the big ones teetering helplessly, ready to fall in either direction.

Plus, keep an eye on a brand new resource, BlogTheVote.org, which is tracking all the voter complaints about polling irregularities. After the Florida debacle of 2000, polling officials are no doubt being more careful to make sure nothing goes wrong. But I'm sure there are also more people than ever before vigilantly sniffing out problems. This may become very entertaining, or ugly, depending on your vantagepoint.

Kiss Me, I Voted: Election Day is finally here. And all of us as Americans can agree that it's about damn time we get this thing over with.

It took me about an hour and a half to get through the voting line at my precinct this morning. During the wait, three people directly in front of me eventually gave up and left. I don't know if apathy suddenly struck them, but I hope they don't think they'll be able to vote after work. I'm guessing that many people who wait until the end of the day are going to get shut out when the polls close while they're still in line.

There were at least five camera crews from various foreign news networks milling about. The German station interviewed me, even though I told them that I couldn't publicly reveal my vote because I work for a newspaper. The reporter didn't seem to care and continued to ask me questions, such as, Why do people believe this election is more important than ones in the past? (Well, I reckon it's got something to do with this here war.)

Hopefully I didn't embarrass myself for the German viewers with my 7 a.m. interview. It's up to the translator now to make me look good.

All I can say is that the tension is high. Everybody is worried that their guy is going to lose. Just remember, we're choosing between two white, male, wealthy, Yale-educated, Skull-and-Crossbones belongin' cousins (ninth cousins, twice removed). Just relax, and enjoy the show.

Monday, November 01, 2004

??? Is it me, or did all the fonts on my blog just change out of nowhere? I have to say, I'm getting fed up with Blogger.

UPDATE: It appears to be back to normal. Someday I'm gonna learn how to work these here computer thingamajigs.

Hatred: When they say all politics is personal, I don't think they mean politics should be taken so personally. But some people can't help it. They get so emotionally involved that they become insulted if somebody doesn't agree with them.

This hate emanates from both sides. So many people are voting against a candidate rather than for anyone this election. And if you ask them why, you're usually answered not with words but with a series of grunts (ie, "He's just so -- ugh."), often accompanied by a shudder or a gag reflex. The policies and issues are largely a side note compared to the visceral reaction people have to certain candidates.

I know that politics has been nasty since the beginning of time, but the hatred seems to get worse every year. The Republicans took it to a new level a few years ago by impeaching a sitting president on trumped up charges. The fact that "that man" was in the White House was cause for consternation among conservatives.

Now the Left has decided to sink to the same level, and sometimes lower. Folks like Michael Moore get away with practically making up absurd allegations against the president -- and millions of people pay to see his trash, and worse, they believe it. MoveOn.org posts ads on their Web site that compare Bush to Hitler (then claim that because they didn't give the ads a prize, they weren't really sponsoring them).

Celebrities are losing fans because they're campaigning for the wrong guy. Of course, the fact that they're campaigning at all is a little silly. These people are actors/actresses, singers/songwriters, and professional athletes. They have no government experience or expertise. But they do have a deep-seated hatred for a candidate, and they have a big microphone. That means we are forced to listen to every damn word they have to say.

The Left and Right are so intent on attacking each other that they often lose sight of our real enemies. People actually believe Bush is more dangerous than Saddam Hussein was. Mass murder, real widespread oppression, and support for terrorism is one thing, but don't get them started on the Patriot Act.

Most people can't stay awake through a high-school government course, but they may have an anxiety attack if the wrong guy wins tomorrow. Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but I don't think that even a horrible president could hurt this country too badly. Americans are too strong to let a bad politician screw things up. We survived a power-hungry villain like Nixon. We also survived an impotent weakling like Carter.

This election, we have two men running who love this country so much that they have endured the unforgiving spotlight and trash compactor that is American politics just so they have the chance to be the scapegoat for whatever goes wrong during the next four years. While I would give my left eye for two better candidates, I will feel safe and satisfied with either one of them as my president.