The Post-Election Haze

So it takes me 5 months to get back to the blog and the last 7 days feel like the whole 5 months. I will wear black every Tuesday for the next 4 years. Missouri went entirely Republican. From the governor to the state house and senate to Senator and President. Goddamned W. How he can win an election is beyond me. The hardest part of his winning will be acknowledging that he DID win. At least for 4 years I've been able to deny his legally being the Prez. Now, after January 18 or whatever Inaugeration day is, he will be President. No denying it. We worked our butts off here. I am sorry to the rest of the country and to the world. So sorry. We tried, we really did. Here are some quotes from some good e-mails I've gotten in the past week. They say what I think better than I: ___________________________________________________________

Do I think the election was stolen? There is an old African proverb that goes something like this¦ Until the lions have their own historians, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter... I have come to realize that all of our efforts are not in vain. We are progressives, and the slowest force in all of nature isprogress, always moving forward with the quiet strength of perpetual motion. One day soon, the lions will have their historians.-Dyan Ortbal-Avalos ___________________________________________________________

such an evil society with the right on the prowl- Scott P. ___________________________________________________________

It is much easier to unite against a common enemy such as theBush administration. This kind of battle, which frames thingsas good vs. evil and is immediate, can be powerfully motivating. Instead, let's take the long view and pick 10 or so issues that we would hope for in a progressive agenda (i.e. the environment, ending the war, economic justice, racial and gender equality, education, healthcare, gay rights, outlawing capital punishment etc) and then work on these using the networks that have been formed by this election. What if we all commit right now to giving the same amount of volunteer hours, monetary donations (about 1/2 a billion I heard) and passionate effort that we gave for this election to an organized and united issue based progressive campaign over the next four years? -Jenny Bird ___________________________________________________________

I am still grieving the elections. Obama was a bright spot. Just got to work harder to keep the Christian Right from legislating us right into the 18th century. -My Aunt Renae Mayer (one of the progressive voters in my entire family) ___________________________________________________________

Like many of you, I have spent the last few days trying to figure out what happened on November 2nd and what it means for the future of our country. Clearly, I am upset about the outcome of the election and worried about what new attacks will be launched on our economy, environment,civil liberties and way of life. But to be honest, the strongest emotions I'm feeling right noware pride and hope. -Matt Ewing, MoveOn organizer in the STL, my blue city in the red state
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Who do we need to build relationships with to make change on a deep level,not just for one election cycle? I'm especially wondering how we can connect w/rural people who are being hurt badly by right wing policies, yet seem to vote contrary to their own interests.-Trish Curtis ___________________________________________________________

The Department of Peace becomes ever more imperative. And the eleven states whose Democratic delegations took a strong stand in favor of a Department of Peace will be focal points of all our efforts to get congressional delegations to begin to sign on in support of this concept, which is aimed at making non-violence an organizing principle in our society. If there was ever a time when we needed that approach, it's now. -Dennis Kucinich ___________________________________________________________

Tens of millions of us are disappointed today because we put so much of ourselves into this election. We donated money, we talked to friends, we knocked on doors. We invested ourselves in the political process. That process does not end today. These are not short-term investments. We will only create lasting change if that sense of obligation and responsibility becomes a permanent part of our lives. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." We will not be silent. Thank you for everything you did for our cause in this election. But we are not stopping here. Governor Howard Dean, M.D ___________________________________________________________

a draft
bombing Iran
bombing Syria
dropping THE bomb on some country
doubling the deficit
another 1-4 in Iraq
throwing out Roe
Ashcroft (or someone to the right of Thomas) on the SCOTUS
federal gay marriage ban
mandated prayer in schools, before sports, etc.
banning immigration/green cards/ new citizenship
national ID card or implanted chip system
cutting all HIV spending or taking Medicaid away from those with HIV (not a huge stretch right now)
cutting all sex ed programs
no child left behind expansion
no federal aid to non-faith-based charities
implementing fingerprinting and testing before being registered to vote
stripping states of all funds to aid domestic violence victims
more tax cuts cutting all taxes for those who earn $200, 000 or more per year
cutting fuel efficiency standards for the 6 mile per gallon H4 due out in 2006
cutting all funds for public transportation improvements
death sentences imposed for non-violent drug crimes

-Shruti and Lynn's Worst Case Scenario list, soon to be incorporated into Not Yet Anyway Bingo Game.
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And this is what I have been reading. All of the above and more. Some of my notes above come from an earlier post and I'm sure will reappear if I figure out how to post our Bingo game.

Sadness and frustration. Soon I have to move on though. Sometime soon.