Let It Ride

I know I've been preaching being pro-active instead of destructive, but I'm torn because of the defeat. A part of me says that we should just sit back and let them do what they want and maybe, just maybe, we'll get enough converts to win. Show the red states what a conservative America under Bush means for them by actually having it play out in real life.

Some points along this line:

--They want to ban abortion, fine. They need to stop talking and put a bill on the floor. They have a mandate, don't they? They have all brances of government and most of the state governorships. What are they waiting for?

--They want to ban gay marriages, get that amendment back out for a vote.

--They want to privatize Social Security. Go for it.

--More wars? Go right ahead.

--More tax cuts? Snip, snip, snip!

--Global warming is a myth, so the heck with the environment. Burn, baby, burn!

Part of me says let them go hog-wild and do what they want. They will go to the extreme--this is obvious--an they will bring ruin. I'm tired of unsuccessfully trying to convince people through talk and words that these people will be ruinous if they have their way. It needs to be seen in action so it can be seen as what it is. As their majority increases, they're running out of people to blame for everything bad in the world (though, as long as there is one Democrat standing, they'll always have someone).

A lot of this is bitterness at four more years of Bush and what my fellow countrymen have become. But, in many ways, it's time to truly make this a conservative society and let the debris chips fall.

The first mistake

Okay, this was quick. It looks like they've made their first mistake--Bush is calling his victory a mandate. This, less than a day after that "healing the divide" crap. The start would've been to not use the word "mandate" after winning by about 130,000 in Ohio, despite the 51%, 3M+ popular vote which is historically seen as the lower end of mandate territory. But they've been working as if they've had a mandate since 2000.

Day Zero

So, yesterday, November 3, 2004, I proclaim as Day Zero for Democrats, progressives and all who oppose the Bush administration. We just lost the election and are the farthest away we can be on the calendar from the next one. Things are fairly bleak, and it seems like there's no hope. Day Zero is a day for us to sulk, to bitch, moan, complain, scream, destroy things and hate everything about this lousy, miserable world. There are many, many people out there who are sad, deflated, demoralized, angry, and just want to leave the US of A. I don't blame you; I'm there with you right now. Not to diminish anyone's plight, but I feel like what a Jew must have felt like in 1933 Germany. But such dark, miserable times are what give rise to brighter days.

Here are some steps, I think, that we need to do to turn this thing around.

No rest. Despite what you might hear in the media, we did a great job mobilizing the party again. Let's keep it going right now. Sure, we all got the post-election doldrums. But it's common for us to tune out and let things go after such a defeat. Despite getting screwed in 2000, Al Gore disappeared from the public eye for a year or two when he should've stayed engaged. We can't afford to have that happen again. Just remember that, despite how it looks, it was a close election and not much different from 2000. Consider that we got 55 million votes against the Republican machine, a machine that has been building their strength for 30 years and has been tightening their grip exponentially on this country and the world the last four years (and especially so after 9/11). Despite what you might hear, we were not on equal footing with them and were the underdogs.

Make Howard Dean the leader of this party. Terry McAuliffe has to go, and Dean is the perfect guy to replace him. He's a pit bull and he organized people like no one ever has before. He should be out there the next 2-4 years working the talk shows and telling it like it is.

Make a place for John Kerry in this party. Sure, the man didn't win. But he got 55 million votes and a lot of money came in his name. Senate Minority leader, anyone? I think it would be a great fit and am not sure why I'm not hearing more talk about this (perhaps we need someone not from the Northeast?). Despite the outcome of this election, we cannot allow him to be cast aside, or go into hiding like Al Gore did.

Appeal to conservative Christians. I will never be convinced that religion is what truly makes them "conservative." Religious matters like abortion and gay marriage have to have equal footing with peace, fighting poverty and destitution, and justice for all people. This party has a big umbrella--we had the religious vote for years--and God, the biggest umbrella of all, is neither a Democrat nor a Republican. We need to appeal to them, and not call out hypocrisies we might see, because we're all hypocrites. They're a sizeable voting bloc, and we can't just dismiss a constituency so large. We have to let them know that they fit into our party and our party fits in with them. It's going to be hard to break through, yes, but we have to try and do so.

Appeal to libertarian Republicans. Become the party of deficit reduction, smaller government, and limited government involvement in our lives--what the Republicans used to be. Back in the 90s, they beat us over the head with these things and now they've violated these libertarian principles tremendously and everyone seems to have developed amnesia about it. Remind them that Americans are generally a fearless, independent people who distrust government and want to private lives without the government interfering. Show them that they don't need a surrogate like Bush that'll keep them safe and tell them how to behave.

Continue to build a new media. Air America Radio is a great start. Who would've thought just a few years ago this could be possible? Build this and push for more. The internet has big potential for media growth. The bloggers are fantastic and are a new form of journalism. Use what we have and expand and keep going without ever stopping.

Make liberal a good word again. Liberal has been made a dirty word by Reagan, the Bushes, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and every other conservative who has expelled a breath in the last 20 years. Don't let them define us; let us define ourselves. Liberal should mean justice, fairness, help for those in need, and inclusiveness. These things are what define the America we know.

Study the right and adopt their methods. Attack, attack, attack. Hit them where they are weak. Call them names. Come up with snappy nicknames, like "Texas conservatives," or "spend and spend and spend conservatives" (lame stuff, yes, but if you can do better, do so). Do not buy any post-election "reaching across the aisle" phony half-gestures that they are offering; say no, thanks. No compromise, much like their "Contract with America" in 1994.

Demonize Bush and make him the symbol of what's wrong with the Republican party. They've managed to do this to us with FDR, Ted Kennedy, Mike Dukakis and Bill Clinton. Do it to them. Bush gangsters, junta, thugs, brownshirts. Bush vote stealers. Do whatever it takes to make them look like the demons they are.

Be bold and daring. Do unprecedented things. Have high-profile meetings at odd, non-election centered times. Start the next presidential campaign in 2005. Make the talk show rounds. Use humor. Make it look like our entire side is campaigning for President. At this point, we've got nothing to lose.

Fight. Again--attack, attack, attack! Fight fire with fire. Hit them where they live, by all means necessary. I'm reminded of Sean Connery's Malone in The Untouchables, where he's bloodied and so shot up full of holes that he's a goner, grabbing Kevin Costner's Eliot Ness and asking, in a gurgling death voice, what are you prepared to do? Don't be afraid to fight the bastards. Violate your ethics if you have to. Do whatever it takes to fight them so you can sleep peacefully at night.

Sure, things look bleak and impossible to overcome. But we can do it. We're Americans, and we have a proud history of overcoming adversity. This is what we do. The bastards may have won this time. But our day will come.

Disaster

In the space of about 18 hours, I've drifted into bizarro world. I shouldn't be surprised by what's happened with this election, since I sort of laid it out in previous posts. But I seriously just thought it was the paranoid, conspiracy-believing part of my brain that was conjuring up such fantasies. But I hate it when my paranoia becomes reality. The big turnout was really a myth if really ends up as the 112-115M instead of the hoped for 120+M. The young voters didn't come through. The buzz in the air was really just a big historic fart.

Below are my ramblings on the sorry state of 11/3/04. Most of them are likely to be angry, appropriate for Kerry supporters this morning. They need to be vented. In a few days, few weeks, few months, few years, never, I may get over it, but for now, it is what it is.

--I cannot help but think that something rotten has happened with the vote count. Everything seemed to trend in Kerry's favor, but the popular vote count has Bush several million ahead. I just find this hard to believe. Maybe I should just wake up and see that's it a combination of fraud and American stupidity.

--The talking heads I see on tv are saying that the vote came down to "moral values" and, simply put, Bush has them and Kerry doesn't. I just find something wrong with Bush supporters voting on "moral values" when Bush has overseen, and seems to be in full support of, unnecessary wars that have killed and injured tens of thousands; a million fellow Americans falling into poverty during his tenure; a massive increase of the federal debt that falls onto our children; a lack of decent healthcare that tens of millions of Americans can afford; tax legislation that benefits the wealthy much more than the poor; declining wages and less people participating in the work force and a net loss of jobs. I guess the "moral values" end at banning abortion and hating gays.

--Thinking we're going to get Ohio through provisional/absentee ballots is a pipe dream. We know how this is going to go. The right has the Presidency, both houses of Congress, the courts, and the media. We can't win. I was watching NBC and they've had Ohio as red for some time. I applaud the Kerry campaign for continuing the fight. He needs to do it simply to show that the Democrats will not roll over. But it's over. If the shoe were on the other foot, we, the Democrats with the slight Ohio lead, would be in big trouble.

--As I write this, Kerry just conceded. Well, fuck it all, I'm done.

The most important day

This is it. I say it's the most important day in my country that I can recall. I have a cautious sense of optimism that Kerry will win this thing. Some people are sure, but we've been through too much shit the last four years to even say this. Anything can happen, and the sense of general fair play in elections between the parties that seemed to exist before 2000 is long gone. It's going to be close, and there very well may be court battles that will drag this process out forever. But I'm hoping that it will be clearly, without a doubt, settled this evening.

Here's why I have a cautious sense of optimism:

--The polls have trended toward a statistical tie the last week or so. No break away for incumbent Bush. I believe that the polls are generally unreliable in 2004 anyway and do not consider those who weren't regular voters before this time.

--A record turnout. This has to help Kerry. Sure, there are many, many people that feel passionately about Bush, and they're energizing voters to go vote for him. But, I think he has done enough to piss off a large segment of people enough that they will go vote for Kerry. That segment of the population wants to win.

--Voting irregularities and shenanigans are out in the open. We're hearing about attempts to discourage and outright deny people the right to vote as they're happening. As we know, this election and traditionally, Republicans are the culprits in disenfranchisement. But this time, we're looking for it, and people are making a stink about it.

--There's a buzz in the air. It's there--outside, online. Change feels like it's coming. This isn't 2000, where two seemingly so-so candidates are trying to win by default. A new beginning is in the works. Hopefully.

--The declining Nader factor. Yeah, he might get 1-2%. But newly registered voters aren't going to him. There aren't many tales of disaffected Democrats leaning toward Nader this time. If anything, a good number have rejoined (or joined for the 1st time) the fold.

--Many X-factors. Who would think Howard Stern and Eminem would be factors working in Kerry's favor? They aren't the traditional high-profile liberal celebrities who will automatically pull for the Democrat. Stern has always been a libertarian Republican, and Eminem is, well, Eminem. Both have the ears of masses of people who would otherwise not vote for Kerry or even vote at all.

--Faith in American democracy. The people will come through and not be fooled. Enough people see what has happened and know they can right the ship. This is still the greatest country in the world.

Reasons to be afraid (paranoia):

--The GOP machine is the most formidable political operation ever. They are powerful and their tentacles are manipulating things even as we speak. Do not underestimate, ever, their power. They have no intentions of leaving office and will fight with everything--everything--to stop this.

--The US is on the wrong side of history. Since 9/11, we're on a decline. Everything we do is now wrong and we are no longer the good of the world. Is this true?

--Diebold. The electronic voting machines are completely fraudelent and have already been programmed for a Bush victory.

Let's hope the last 3 things don't pan out. Let's hope this ends tonight, with a decisive Kerry victory. Let's hope that tomorrow, we're not all dragging our heads and talking about what we did wrong and where do we possibly go from here.

Let's all think positive thoughts. Believe. Vote. Gets others to do the same. Be cautious. And don't concede this election unless we legitimately lose.