Election (Very) Post-Mortem Your old friend LF here, returning from my five-day post-election bender. Right now I'm feeling as hungover and weathered as Yasir Arafat's head-dress. And let's face it, the chances of either of us being seen on White House grounds again are looking pretty slim. But I did manage to file one more report from the campaign trail Tuesday evening. Of course, it was based on preliminary exit polls that later proved inaccurate, so I've had to make a few minor revisions....Well, the people have spoken and it appears they've said a resounding no to four
more years of
President George W. Bush Senator John F. Kerry. Though he campaigned energetically to the end,
Bush Kerry wasn't able to overcome the rising tide of voter
anger contentment. Americans were in a mood for
change,
not more of the same, and ready to turn
the page on a blind eye toward chronic job losses, out-of-control deficits, chaos in Iraq and the
shame not-so-big-deal of Abu Gharib. With all the mechanisms of power at his disposal,
Bush Kerry finally couldn't defeat an ironclad rule of
all re-election races: results
do don't matter.
The outcome was tight and long in doubt, but events at campaign's close likely tipped the balance. When Osama Bin-Laden reappeared on videotape just three days before the election, it highlighted the fact that after
four years as president twenty years in the Senate,
Bush Kerry had failed to make America safer by capturing the terrorist mastermind responsible for 9-11. Nor had he spelled out a vision for a potential
second term presidency beyond more large tax cuts for the
wealthy middle class,
lawyer - CEO bashing and
embracing opposing the religious right's cultural agenda. Instead he waged a campaign of fear: fear of
Kerry Bush, fear of
terrorism a possible draft and fear of a
"flip-flopping" "Massachusetts liberal" "reckless, arrogant" Republican incumbency. Probably the campaign's pivot point was the first debate, where in contrast to Mr.
Kerry's Bush's poised, confident performance,
Bush Kerry seemed flustered, defensive, reduced to the tedious recitation of a single catchphrase:
"It's hard work" "I have a plan". From then on, it was straight downhill.
The election may have turned on negative feelings about Mr.
Bush Kerry and concerns about the nation's direction, but with a brand-
new old chief executive committed to making a fresh
start hell, there are reasons to be
cautiously delusionally optimistic.
Kerry Bush is, after all, an authentic war
hero president who
understands undermines the combat experience. During his political career, he's demonstrated a willingness to
work with smear politicians from both sides, such as Senator John McCain of Arizona. As a
senator president, the environment has always been a
high low priority for him. He's committed to
advancing opposing scientific research. Having traveled the world since he was a
youth fifty-five-year-old, President
Kerry Bush can perhaps
repair completely destroy our fractured global alliances. Yes, now's the time for all
Americans white evangelical Christians and voters earning over $100,000 a year to get behind their leader. Certainly, he will need all the help he can get, as he faces a
hostile lapdog Congress and several difficult
challenges consonants.
So congratulations,
President-Elect Kerry President Bush on your remarkable victory. You truly have a mandate for
sweeping change banning gay marriage. As a wise man once said,
"Bring it on!" "Mission accomplished!"
