Here we are on the morning after the morning after. I avoided writing any entries yesterday because of my mood, however, today I can see that that mood hasn't shifted too much in terms of how I feel about the election, so fuck it, I'm posting. I cannot tell you how utterly defeated, disappointed, and sad I feel. The fact that 51% of our nation agrees with bans on gay marriage, bans on stem cell research, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the continued blurring of the line separating church and state - not to mention this ridiculous and destructive war - is a total bitchslap out of the dark for me. I'm not so optimistic as to be naive, however, I really thought there were more of us than them. And maybe there still are: 40% of eligible voters stayed home, which is another little stat that makes my stomach turn. I truly thought we were going to win. I've been so elated, so hopeful, that this would be the beginning of a real turn for our country toward taking care of ourselves, putting the health and safety and freedom of our own citizens ahead of the supposed "liberation" of other countries and the unchecked pursuit of big business. And now I just feel like... I just can't believe there are that many ignorant, self-serving people out there. I realize not all Republicans are far right conservatives, just as not all Democrats are bleeding-heart liberals. Most of the people who voted for W probably did so because of one or two issues that were important to them, not because they whole-heartedly agree with every word uttered by the administration. Or maybe they do, and I'm just trying to make myself feel better. It just breaks my heart to think of where this country could go in the next four years, the permanent changes - for what I believe would be the worst - that could affect my daughter and her future children. Greg gave me some comfort yesterday, and I'm hanging on to what he said for dear life: that the positive side of W's election (notice I didn't say "re-election") is that this will be his last term. He will be more concerned with leaving a legacy behind, with leaving the White House with some sort of dignity, rather than a large national memory of a horrible mistake. I can't believe that W would *want* to leave the Oval Office with the rest of the world's backs turned toward us. He said yesterday in his acceptance speech, "To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust." I just hope and pray he means it.
Posted by stephanie at November 4, 2004 02:09 PM