Kerry did it and deserves our praise.
Now we can turn to the true losers of yesterday’s election: Bin Laden, Zawahiri, Zarqawi, the Mullahs of Iran, etc., etc.
[What? No Chirac?-ed. Ease off]
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Bush has handled this with class.
… ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, NYT, LAT, WaPo …
I wonder what the BBC coverage was like. They had Michael Moore and George Soros, I think. That must have been… Well, if you like Ed Wood movies, you could probably have enjoyed it in a strange way.
Better with Joel and the robots, though.
[What? No Chirac?-
Not to worry, Roger. The handwriting’s on Jacques’s wall, and its name is Sarcozy.
Your priority is correct but let’s not forget:
…CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, NPR, WaPo, NYTimes, LATimes, Time, Newsweek, USAToday, etc., etc. (and that’s just in the USA).
…United Nations, most of the EU, etc., etc.
This is the most honorable thing Sen Kerry has done!
I was disappointed last night, I changed the channel to CBS when Fox predicted Ohio for Bush, because I wanted to see Dan Rather admit a Bush victory, alas, it was not to be.
I would like to see the demographic data when it becomes available about the election.
Hurrah! for Bush!
Rush just said Kerry lectured W on the divided nation and he has to do something about it.
I have my judges, I can afford to be slightly generous.
But not today.
Jay Marvin lefty from WLS AM this morning saying the same thing, how are they going to reach out to me?
Toddle off and retire Jay. Not your century.
The Wall fell 15 years ago, get a clue.
And if Kerry wants to begin to unite the nation, his speech better be good.
Him first.
Chris M:
The demographic data being espoused today appears to be from the obviously FAULTY exit polls.
I’m not sure the Democrats are going to be capable of the self-examination necessary not to completely sink into oblivion. I’m listening to the lawyer in the office next door to me at my firm explain to a friend on the phone why the “exit polls” (I use that term advisedly) differed from the actual vote to such an extent. Her explanation? People “knew” that “the right thing to do” was to vote for Kerry, and they were just so ashamed of voting for Bush that they lied to the pollsters about it. Sigh. There’s just nothing I can add to that.
And here I was, all prepared to be angry at Kerry. Just shows you how surprising we all can be… Now’s the time for reconciliation, not gloating. If our friends and loved ones who voted for him are humiliated, no one really wins. They feel as badly, as passionately, as we would feel had Bush lost. It’s time for healing and compassion.
Dear Roger and commentators:
thank you for the sense of community, intelligence, honor and support you showed during this race. i have three grown children on the east coast, 2 in ny who survived ground zero and evacuated safely, and 1 in dc who evacuated the congressional building. as you can imagine, i am a one issue voter–security and safety for our nation above all. exit polls yesterday plunged me into depression, but our camraderie here kept me going–and look at us now. i’m delighted with the high tide of the popular vote and the strong showing bush made even in states that he lost. we are not a divided nation, but one clumped in the center, and we may move forward with confidence in our future and in each other. msm, rather than graciously accept a stinging defeat of their open and vitriolic opposition to bush, seem to be annointing themselves the bearer of the tattered flag the nation rejected. they are soooo over. they’ll slog on, but they have been rejected too. our role is to keep our voices heard.
Why do Democrats on TV keep saying that the President needs to “reach across the aisle” and become a “uniter, not a divider”.
Tony Blankley just smacked one of them by saying “the party that continues to lose has some nerve asking the winner to reach across the aisle”.
Let’s hold up all laudatory comments until we actually hear Kerry speak. I expect it to be civil but not gratious.
A nail-biter, to be sure. I woke up this morning, and came to the realization that I have eaten almost nothing in the past eighteen hours…
Katie Couric, dressed in mourning black, looks absolutely devastated.
Now you should (re)turn to a very critical observation of Bush. I would think that many who read this blog, were not so magnanimous in their support of GWB, before the alternative was Kerry.
George W. Bush is just a man (in spite of what those lunatic fundamental Christians believe), he is fallible, and he should be watched very closely.
Woooooh! Do I feel good? I love this country!!!I want to thank the Heartland and all the good folks on the coasts who voted and showed the Bush haters that more of us actually like the guy than they hate him.
The media just doesn’t get it, do they? Brokaw, Donaldson, Campbell Brown, N.Y Times, LA Times etc, talk of Bush moving too far to the right. No!!! the Democrats moved so far left, I am no longer a Democrat. I was until this election.
The Democratic party has to shun Michael Moore, Hollywood, Europe, the U.N, etc. and start embracing people like Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman or they’re dead.
What a beautiful day here in L.A.. The sky is brilliant blue, a good man is in office as President and I feel light as a feather.
Not today, mbro, not even tomorrow.
And if the MSM had watched Kerry as closely as W, this wouldn’t even had been close.
[Posted at http://tomgrey.motime.com/1099508242#368193 Liberty Dad]
The Concerned Women for America noted that Marriage Amendment Sweep America
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/6662/CWA/family/index.htm
results of anti- Gay Marriage amendments by state
(sorry if tables bad)
I suspect that such amendments helped Bush win.
Marriage vote Bush vote 2000 2004 Change Bush increase
Arkansas – 74 percent 51.31 54.1 2.8
Georgia – 77 percent 54.67 58.7 4.0
Kentucky – 75 percent 56.50 59.6 3.1
Michigan – 61 percent 46.15* 48* 1.9
Mississippi – 85 percent 57.62 59.4 1.8
Montana – 66 percent 58.44 58.8 0.4
North Dakota – 75 percent 60.66 62.8 2.2
Ohio – 62 percent 49.97 51 1.0
Oklahoma – 74 percent 60.31 65.6 5.3
Oregon – 56 percent** 46.52* 46.9* 0.4
Utah – 73 percent 66.83 70.9 4.1
Straight Average 2.4 (not pop. weighted)
http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2000/2000presge.htm for 2000, *anti-Bush
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20041103-030951-3824r.htm **56% Ore.
http://network.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/election_night_2004/us_map_govsenhouse/index.html?SITE=CSPANELN&SECTION=POLITICS Great C-Span map of the States
http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/2004_11_03.html#008388
Jeff Jarvis says the exit poll issues are surprising:
ìThe top issue (21%) was “moral values”; 78% of those who cared about that went for Bush, 19% for Kerry. That’s a huge difference. Read this one as you will (MSNBC commentators see it as code for Vietnam and the Swifties).
Next: economy/jobs at 20%; 81% preferring Kerry, 17% Bush. So Kerry got much better marks on the economy.
Terror comes in third at 18%; 85% preferring Bush, 15% Kerry. That’s the one that amazes me — not in the Kerry/Bush split but in the importance voters gave it. Bush ran on terrorism; it wasn’t No. 1 in the minds of voters; yet he still won.î
http://hughhewitt.com/ Hugh says that Bush is winning the Catholic vote, and doing well among Latinos.
The ìmoral issuesî mean gay marriage (against) and abortion (against). Perhaps also against Kerry’s Lies about Vietnam, and the SwiftVets.
Roger,
No retreat from terrorism!
No gay-marriage!
No end to federal deficits?
2 of 3 for me; I’d guess you too.
I know this is snarky but I can’t wait until Bush delivers his “State of the Union” speech and the camera pans over Hillary’s pinched face…
*squeeeeee*
PAJAMMAHUDEEN DO NOT CONCEDE.
This battle is not over for us. Do not believe that the mainstream media is going to change their ways. They are simply waiting until they can distort the news again to satisfy their personal objectives.
We must see this fight through to the finish. We must make sure the main stream media is stopped from falsifying news. We must make it very costly for the shareholders of these properties so that they will never again attempt to steal a presidential election, or any election by lying to the public.
I challenge Powerline, Captain’s Quarters, Hugh Hewitt, Roger Simon and others to meet and plan this battle. To give up now is like letting Osama take a walk. We have them on the run. Now is the time to stomp them into the ground.
Was over reading the comments on Kevin Drums site. Reality hasn’t even begun to sink in over there, and Kevin is one of the saner lefties. So, time to let it go, it’s their problem. Beautiful day, no trolls, and what the hell are we going to talk about tomorrow.
mbro -
With all due respect, I cannot recall of another president even remotely as examined, criticized, and critiqued as G. W. Bush.
He passed the exam last night. No global test, either, but the one that counted: the home room P/F special.
Kerry did an honorable thing. I pray that his gesture is not lost in media’s search for a soul – or at least a marketing paradigm – over the next few days.
I just want us to be a country again. Hell, I want us to at least be on the same side for just a short beautiful moment. We can disagree, but we should not hate. Ever.
BTW, I posted my after action report. My nick is the link, as always.
W’s victory is as much poetic as it is righteous. The malevolent forces this President was forced to confront and defeat were seemingly insurmountable: the partisan-hack-filled MSM, Soros, Move-on.org, ACT-UP, ACORN, the unions, Michael Moore, Hollywood, Springsteen, elite snobs on both coasts, tenure-protected radical University Professors brain-washing our kids, rap-culture, etc., etc.
I don’t gloat, but I can’t help the joy at seeing Chris Matthews, Larry O’Donnell, Terry MacCauliff, Katie Couric, Dan Rather, Joe Klein, Eleanor Rodham Clift, the NYT, the WaPo, the LAT, and the Dems eat heapin’ helpings of crow!
Kudos to Kerry for conceded at the right moment. Edwards simply added NOTHING to the ticket and Kerry was just a very bad candidate. It’ll be interesting to see where the Democratic party heads from here. I think the Clinton wing will win out, but not without a fight (Kos is already shouting for Dean to replace McAuliffe).
I also agree with mbro in the sense that I have high expectations for Bush’s 2nd term. The reelection is behind him, so let’s take care of Fallujah. Keep the pressure on Syria and Iran. Do something about social security. Control your silly spending. Etc.
But I think the wife and I will celebrate tonight.
Interesting– if the AP is reporting accurately (necessary caveat these days), Edwards was urging Kerry not to concede:
One senior Democrat familiar with the discussions in Boston said Kerry’s running mate, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, was suggesting that he shouldn’t concede.
The official said Edwards, a trial lawyer, wanted to make sure all options were explored and that Democrats pursued them as thoroughly as Republicans would if the positions were reversed.
I wonder whether the legal profession in its present form will have the courage for some long-overdue self-examination.
I haven’t posted here in a bit, but I just wanted to say Congratulations to the President and his supporters. I am not, obviously, happy with the result, but Bush’s numbers are impressive.
I need to go sulk for awhile, but, being an optimist, I still have the greatest faith in our country and its people.
DC
Edwards in 08!
dc:
At least you did not say Bush[hitler] should “reach out”.
The self righteous habit of demonizing people that disagree with them is what is killing Dems. Eleanor Clift started that again this am.
Tell Moore and his ilk to keep a low profile.
Takes two to tango.
DC–
Like Goof, you too are a gentleman (or is it lady?).
Now where are John Clayton, Lil Joe, Esmense, Robert McClelland, Hollywood and the rest? Still awaiting their concession speeches.
This isn’t directed at DC, but Terrye, I agree with you. Too much of the “opposition” seems to believe that “reaching out” or “being a uniter” means giving in to their demands. The Repbulicans were the minority in this nation for a very long time. They learned to reach out. The Dems need to shed some of their hubris (gosh how I’m sick of that word, but the shoe fits them) and learn to respect their opponents viewpoints and learn to give a little.
Another thing… I’ve been wandering around a bit on the web (gee, what else is new!) and reading some of the commentary from the so-called “liberals”. I’m really growing very weary of listening to their incessant shrieking that “The theocrats are coming! The Republicans need to stop trying to turn the country into a theocracy!”
Wake up and smell the coffee! The USA is in ZERO danger of becoming a theocracy. But the theocrats are coming. They are streaming out of their Islamoland with bombs strapped to their children and they will kill anyone they believe is an infidel. American “evangelicals” represent no danger other than, perhaps, the danger that they will exercise their rights as citizens, press for the things they believe in, and do things the illiberal “liberals” find “superstitious” and repulsive. Too bad. Get over it.
Fresh Air,
I’ll settle for Kerry’s concession speech. Is he waiting for Edwards to finish fixing his freakin’ hair or what? Maybe Teddie isn’t done storming and snorting and lecturing him yet.
Sandy P-
I can wait until the day after tomorrow.
But once you’re done celebrating, have a look at the deficit/spending, his environmental record, social security, etc. There are plenty of things to be critical of.
And if what he’s doing on ALL of these fronts is good for you, then congratualations on being the most diversified entity in the world.
I would like to take this time to thank Roger for providing this forum for discussing the election before our little coalition fractures over our natural differences. It was a hell of a ride. My experience with high intensity events tells me that we are going to have letdown in a few days as the excitement ebbs. I do look forward to polite and well-reasoned discussion on those issues where we differ. After a year of electioneering we will need some conflict or other to stir the blood. On a more productive note, I will be making more efficient work with your tax dollars as we return to normalcy.
And Goof, you need to come out and take your good naturedly thumping from the community.
I would like to know something about the exit poll models that were so disasterously wrong in the last two elections. Are the pollsters looking at representative precincts? How are they accounting for variations in turnout?
When I saw SC leaning Kerry in the exit polls, I immediately dismissed all of them as unreliable. I think that should have tipped the media off to the unreliability of these polls, as well.
Kerry’s coming on stage now to concede. I think I’ll watch it on CBS. The tone there is as if they were covering a state funeral.
Lisa,
That’s a feature, not a bug! The political discourse in this country will take a gigantic turn for the better when the real arguments are between the conservatives (of whatever stripe) and the libertarian-like–classical liberals, all–and today’s style Democrats are consigned to historical curiosity status, much like Marxist college professors are now.
And mbro, you might be startled to learn this, but I already know about Bush’s environmental record and am quite satisfied with it. If you want to treat every press release from Earth First as gospel, that’s fine, but don’t expect everyone else to go along with you.
If you want to see some really relieved folks,
talk to someone on active duty in the military.
If you think you had a lot riding on this election think about their stake. I shudder to think what recruitment and retention would be if Kerry was president. He is despised by 80% of the
people on active duty.
The last mystery of this election is still Kerry’s service records which are sealed by Kery’s refusal to sign DD180 and release them.
I guess some historian a generation from now will finally validate the Swifties (bless them all).
Chuck,
What are we going to talk about tomorrow?Well it isn’t my business but a Commission on Media Ethics,with emphasis on reporting and journalist education.
Secondly an IRS investingation into media funding,sources of income for journalists and alll political charities.Have a day off but tomorrow your Nation needs to start shovelling shit.
I sent a thank you to the Swift Boat Vet’s, and thought others might like to do the same.
latch@swiftvets.com
mbro
Time enough to forcibly convert you to Jesus tomorrow. For now, we kick back and enjoy.
BTW, to those who voted for Bush in states that went to Kerry, your votes were not wasted. To begin with, giving the president a clear majority of the popular vote eliminates the corrosive questioning of the legitimacy of his election.
On another level those votes are important. One of the reasons why the pro-Bush part of the blogosphere got so anxious about the early exit polls is that I think we all understand that there is a psychology to elections, particularly on election day. Nobody wanted potential bad news to discourage voters in later time zones from going out and voting. All of those battleground states that eventually went blue, did so late at night, long after all the polling places had closed. All of those people standing in line to vote for Bush, stayed in line, encouraged by the closeness of the posted results.
Clearly the MSM was not eager to state the obvious. Using the errors of the early call in 2000 as their excuse, they didn’t want to call it for the president. Had the blue battleground states not been so close, it would have been Kerry who would have appeared to have been closing on the magic 270 electoral votes, and the MSM would have put even less pressure on Kerry to concede.
So whereever you live, be happy with your vote for GWB, because it really meant something. As you drive by the cars with the Redefeat Bush and Defend America – Defeat Bush bumper stickers, give the drivers a smile.
It’s your retro thinking, mbro. I love the SS option.
You see, my 92 y.o. SAH grandmother just died. That’s who SS is for, not me and the millions of other women who are working and saving for our own retirement.
Besides, even FDR didn’t think it should last long.
You look to the past, not the future. Quit living in the 20th century.
As to environment, I hope you’re not talking about Kyoto. Please.
The Viet Nam vets have their honor back.
They performed magnificently under fire.
We owe them BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DC: thank you for stopping by–I for one hope the democratic party does get its act together because we really do need a dynamic alternative to the republicans–As is Jerry, I am not sanguine enough to believe this “community” which has coalesced as national security hawks, shares the same views on domestic issues–I do trust, however, that we can debate those issues as a civil community. (how ’bout that social security privatization; how about that chief justice nomination; how about that gay marriage thing?)
Up here in Washington (a pretty solid blue state) I definitely don’t consider my vote wasted, especially as it now appears that our Governor’s race is close enough that they’re saying the results may not be known for a week. Go Rossi!
As a lifelong conservative, I suspect that as soon as the Democratic party gets their act together (or completely collapses, and whatever center-left organization arises to take its place emerges) I will find myself on the opposite side of many of you here again, primarily on social issues. In the meantime, there are far more important things to worry about.
(I have posted this at a number of sites where it was especially important for me to say thank you so please excuse and ignore any duplication you might encounter.)
I would like to express my thanks:
-To Floridians for having their act together this time and for voting by such a wide margin that there can be no doubt.
-To Ohioans for taking their responsibilities so seriously and for being willing to stand in line hour after hour to execute those responsibilities.
-To the Swift Vets for being principled and dogged and perhaps making the difference.
-To our friends in Australia and Afghanistan for lighting the way.
-To the U.K. Guardian for lighting a fire in Ohio.
-To the New Media especially talk radio and the blogosphere and most especially Hugh Hewitt for being the calm, measured eye in an often raging storm.
-To those in the Old Media who maintained their journalistic integrity.
-To each of you out there who rolled up his sleeves and went to work even in lost cause states like mine.
-To principled liberals and Democrats who understand our new reality and its high stakes and for acting on your principles often at great personal cost (y’all come out of the closet now).
-To the members of our armed forces for keeping us safe and free and for standing unequivocally behind their Commander in Chief.
-To Americans everywhere for once again demonstrating their uncommon common sense.
-To all of you who stand in loyal opposition.
-To our founding fathers for the gift of our great democratic republic.
-To President George W. Bush for being steadfast, decisive, loyal and true and, in the words of Give ‘em Hell Zell, for having a spine of tempered steel. Congratulations Mr. President and God speed.
-To God Almighty Who always holds us in the palm of His hand.
And as for everyone else: There is a day of reckoning and it is here.
Kerry showed class. Edwards didn’t, IMO. Surprised me a bit.
In other news, I have been denied a pleasure I was keenly anticipating and going to savor: going to DU to read the lamentations of the moonbats. They’ve closed down the forums. But I’m not going to let my happiness turn to gloating.
Well, maybe a little….when I see Eleanor Clift’s pinched face, Al Franken looking shell-shocked, Michael Riefenstahl’s bulbous head, watching Dan Rather tonight choke on his lead story, et al…
I am looking to the future. I feel this election has afforded the American people great opprotunity. In fact, I feel as if I’ve been born again.
I already have plans to start a church, with combat training as part of the Sunday school curriculum.
Vexorg:
I was tempted to tease your state for reelecting such a dim bulb, Patty Murray, to the Senateby 12 points. Then the reality that my state reelected the dimmest bulb, Babs Boxer, by 20 points depressed my humor. We just have the poor fortune to live in states represented by utter idiots!
Don’t blame me, it’s that mess of LLLs over in Fremont, Capitol Hill, the U-District and down at Evergreen State who keep sending Osama Mama and Baghdad Jim back to DC. All I can say is that I sure am glad that I live far away enough from Seattle that not all of the tax hikes for their runaway utopian mass transit projects make it over to this side of Lake Washington. Of course, there’s at least one group trying to bring the Monorail and it’s $300 a year car tab hikes over here…
Today, after the Kerry concession speech and the Bush acceptance speech, I finally began to relax and enjoy the immense sense of relief I feel. I think that this is the first day since 9/11 that a tiny amount of the tension I’ve felt ever since that day has been lifted. This blog really got me through some amazingly rough times, losing or angering friends and family, and practically losing heart.
I went for a walk on this beautiful fall day, with the last colorful leaves still clinging to the trees and a beautiful golden light, and everything seemed particularly beautiful to me–even the houses with the Kerry signs still in front of them! It didn’t matter to me any more; I didn’t have to feel the wrench in my gut every time I saw one (blue state here). I know there’s a lot of work and difficulty ahead, but today I just want to enjoy this immense and unusual feeling of relief.
mbro,
There are a few hazards to religion.http://www.local6.com/news/3887764/detail.html
I already have plans to start a church, with combat training as part of the Sunday school curriculum.
Hey, works for us Buddhists.
If you’re gonna’ rag on anyone here, how about the mess of loonies that re-elected Jim McDermott by an 80-19 margin?