O victory, thy nectar is sweet!
Just kidding. This is not a gloat thread. I just thought that title sounded pretty cool. Actually, last night's results are very near my nightmare scenario, inviting four more years of recriminations and charges of electoral theft. There is no realistic way in which John Kerry can piece together a victory at this point. Is it too much to ask that he just freakin' concede already, in the interest of the "unity" he claims to cherish?
Yes, I suppose it is. Silly question. Ah well....
You know something funny? A couple of weeks ago, I penned an essay that I was going to post here in the event of a Kerry win (and a very eloquent one too, I might add.) I don't know what this says about my subconscious, but I never got around to preparing a piece for a Bush win or an ambiguous outcome. As a result, I suppose I'm going to have to wing it.
I don't have that much to say yet, just a few observations, really. First of all, it seems those people who were targeted by the "Vote or Die" campaign did not, in fact, vote in appreciable numbers. Are they now to die? Can we please, please at least agree never again to launch a public service campaign with such a stoopid fargin' name?!
On a personal note, with Bush the apparent winner and the Republicans picking up seats in Congress, I still can't muster much of a celebratory spirit. How can I be happy when my wife is so upset? And it's not just her, it's half the country. This was doomed to happen no matter who won, and that's why I'm glad this election is finally (sorta) over. I feel badly for the millions and millions of good, decent Americans (not Michael Moore) who put their heart and soul into this race to have it stomped out. There is probably not much I can say to these people to make them feel better, but I'll do what I can. Let me point out a few things.
If Kerry had won, our enemies would have viewed it as a sign of weakness. I'm not saying their interpretation would be correct, but there can be little doubt they would see it that way. We have been spared that. We have been spared the sight of joyous Palestinian militants and Islamist fanatics dancing in the street, burning the American flag, and firing rifles into the air. I don't think any of us want to see that.
For as contentious and bitter as this contest has been, we must remember that our political opponents are not our enemies. Our enemy is very real, and he haunts the caves of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the slums of Fallujah and Najaf, and secret, squalid cells the world over, where he seethes in hatred and schemes of ways to bring us death and destruction. We've had a very divisive election, but it's over. Now let's get back to the business at hand. Killing them before they kill us.
So back to it.
On a personal note, I went to sleep listening to ABC's election coverage on the radio. I was lulled to sleep by the sound of an old friend, my second-favorite talk show host of all time, Gil Gross (my first favorite is this guy.) Gil, it was good to hear you again, buddy.