it going to take time to know what the h*** really happened in this election. we come to this blog to get information, be encouraged, learn from each other, now we look for ways to learn from disappointment.
while i agree with Kos that the youth vote 'left us waiting at the altar' and yes, it is 'values' that was of utmost importance to millions of voters, i think it's premature to try to wrap our understanding around why this election unfolded the way it did. but i want to take a stab at part of it.
i think many red state voters for one thing wanted to stick it to all the 'know it all's' who are not going to tell them how they should feel about this country. every book that came out describing the problems of the bush presidency, probably sent another couple thousand votes into the shrubs column. to most of us this information provided a common sense way to evaluate this administration, to millions it was one more attack on america.
how do ya change that? i think there has to be a.... what i will call, mingling, for lack of a better word; rubbing shoulders, and better understanding of each other. so very many people are isolated and feel they have little to no say, no control over their lives, 'damn it, the east and west coast are not going to tell me what to think or what to believe in.' seeming to cut off their nose to spite their face, one might conclude that with most of the electorate, the politics of ..voting for what's good for me, the common citizen's economic interests ...at least to some extent, are no more; at least not now.
i'll take a stab at what i think is a problem and it is in what is for many, the delicate area of spirituality; my view is that until there's a recognition of ONENESS, an emergence of mutual respect, it's going to stay a divided country. i don't think that oneness can be related to in ways other than spiritual. look at the electorate, half of us disagree on almost Every Major Issue.
as interesting as it is to talk with people who agree with you and can help elucidate your position, the strategy seems to be i'll just find, register, convince more people who see things the way i do and then we'll win; this does not solve the problem of a divided nation. this sense of division is what is keeping us from moving forward, in my view.
the way for democrats to win, (in order to build new economies, protect the environment, provide healthcare to everyone, live in good relations with others in the world, establish foreign policy which will be successful) i think is to ask the question: where is it that there is the element of Oneness within us? where are we all One?
my answer is that we have to look at each and every person as a child of God and show respect for each individual. the christian tenet is "love your neighbor as yourself."
this i think is part of the problem and part of the solution. at dailykos, this topic may not be well received. but i've come to the conclusion that this is the great discussion that fundamentalists are trying to force.
they Want To Talk About God.
which is fine with me. i enjoy a hearty discussion on what were long thought to be taboo subjects, God and politics. let's discuss and not kill each other or vote against our own interests.
today Is a solemn day. in my part of town it's overcast; a sad day; it's sad, not just because victory is sweeter than defeat, but it feels like a day of mourning. we won't know what happened in this election for awhile. we are i think witnessing the death of something. but it's not the death of our democracy as we might fear, but the passing of other things; things we can't know what they are yet; but i think they are things which are necessary to have pass away in order for this country to really mature.
in the defeat of many hopes, today is painful and this next four years may be a difficult step in the maturation as a nation; but i see it as a step on a journey. the confusion and difficulty of this time will inevitably bear fruit. we don't know what that fruit will be. this is a painful step but here it is, so it's a necessary one.
our culture is not good at mourning; we tend to immediately move on; we need to take time to mourn a great loss; wail and curse, weep and pace, shake our heads and sigh, shake our fists at this sad outcome. take time to mourn. and be prepared after a time to learn and do things in a new way; to look for what unifies us; for the good of the nation and the world.