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I finally broke down sobbing in the shower this morning.

I know this isn't the end of the world. I know we can last four more years. But god, it's so hard to imagine what he might do now that he doesn't have to worry about re-election. I've never been so ashamed of my country. I don't understand how you can promote hate and become president. Can someone please explain that in a way that makes sense?

Fuck.

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Hate is much easier than rational thought, and can be stirred up in people with far less effort and greater results.

I'm ashamed, too, and absolutely fucking furious at the continued willful stupidity of the American people.

It's not even hate, per se. There are a lot of people in this country who think Dubya is awesome. He appeals to all the worst American qualities - that America doesn't have to be (and shouldn't be) a part of the world at large, that saying "Fuck you, Europe and everyone else!" is a fine idea, that we're 'Mercans and that's all we ever need to say to get our point across. It's our god-given right by the Constitution to be 800-pound gorillas, and it's great to be king, baby.

It's like being the playground bully. It's easy, make the average yutz feel good, and requires no deep thought. All Dubya has to do is wave his faith around, and the sea of fundies roars and loves it. Finally, someone who agrees with them! Sadly, progressive thought suffers.

*nods* True -- it's appealing to the arrogance and egotism in the less religious, and the hate in the more fundamentalist sorts. All pretty simple, emotionally-based buttons to push.

Either way, you're right -- rational, and god forbid progressive, thought definitely suffers.

Hmm, I think that's the best explanation I've heard for it!

I disagree: This IS apocalyptic if for only one reason called the Supreme Court. That's a lot longer than four years.
The (finally!) sunny skies here today are mocking me.

Yup,

tigerlilyaj is right! With potentially 4 appointments of young, ideologues it could be a long, long time before there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Dems have to really push in the mid-terms if they want to staunch the onslaught.

I keep telling myself that it takes a lot to get to the SC.

Then I list the various forms of birth control to make sure to use when I finally get some.

Then I remember that Dubya doesn't even want us to have that.

Sigh.

Although Bush isn't directly responsible for the "conscience clause" laws, the President influences what kinds of nonsense goes through under his watch. The poor women who want to take the Pill in some Southern states can have the pharmacist refuse - legally - to fill their prescription. In populated areas where there are many pharmacies, this may not be a problem so much, but what if that's the only game in town?

As for the SC - Bush appointing more conservative justices could overturn Roe vs. Wade. Rehnquist is sick. Abortion could very possibly be illegal. If that doesn't scare the shit out of you, I don't know what could.

The loss of Miranda? Scalia isn't too keen on it... its a few appointments away, but that should terrify people.

Shit, reading people their Miranda rights is in jeopardy? Unreal.

Read the dissenting opinion (Scalia, joined by Thomas) on Dickerson v. United States, its not an out and out endorsement of repealling Miranda, but its a nice solid wedge in the door in that Miranda might not apply in all cases.

If it does happen, most people will still remember that they have these rights, at least for a while, so that's something...though there will be those not sure if they have those rights just because they don't get told they do, I'm sure.

Sigh. My feelings on this matter as well can be summed up as See: Diseased Donkey Dick, Sucking Of.

It's hate and it's fear. People fear what they don't understand. They fear people who are different; they fear other countries, they fear people with ideas different from them. The campaign played that like a violin; as an independent voter in a swing state I got the most sickening campaign junk mail and saw the worst commercials. See also that ludicrous "wolves waiting to eat your children" TV ad. People take this seriously. They really, truly do. They are terrified of things they don't understand and they sincerely think that there are evil vicious terrorists/gays/liberals waiting to eat their children if that man is not reelected.

They also like that there's a guy "like them" raised to a high office; he plays that game even though he's the son of an ex-president, ferfuckssake. People are class-obsessed in many ways. They fear and hate "rich people" and want to see somebody "get back" at those people. They are intimidated by the "rich" and "smart" and "political" and would rather be talked down to with folksy slogans than made to feel dumb by big speeches about ideas they don't understand.

Im a lot older than you and I feel the same way. I don't get it.

The only thing I can imagine is that people are just afraid and ignorant (see my last post)

Feels like the end of the world to me. We could have survived this if the Supreme Court wasn't in play. But now that it is, I'm absolutely despondent. Friends keep telling me that there's no way women will stand by and watch their rights be taken away, but we just stood by and watched our civil rights being eroded; then we re-elected the man who has started the process. A war criminal. I think a lot of it is hate and fear. Americans get more isolated from the world and more afraid of the Other every day, and the Bushies played the isolation and the fears like a violin. Wolfs waiting on our doorsteps - have you seen that ad? I could not believe the fear-mongering and the racism implied in that metaphor, yet the voters ate it up. I don't think this would've worked if the "enemies" didn't also happen to be people of color. His whole campaign played up to the worst human qualities and unconscious fears - gays waiting on the doorstep to destroy marriage, scientists destroying fetuses, and hordes of outsiders waiting to devour us like wild animals.

And it also seems to me that people are threatened by manifestations of intellect. It happened with Gore and it happened with Kerry. The Bush campaign was able to play on class-related fears in both cases, by pointing out that those who opposed him were members of "political elite." I don't know how people tend not to notice that he is about as ruling elite as it gets. I'm already imagining the littlest Shrub running in the next election.

I look forward to that inevitable time when Bush 'punishes' Iran and introduces the military draft, and all those fine Bush-backers send their sons off with a smile. Because that's what they'll do, isn't it? Because they voted for the bastard.

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