Soul Searching and Trench Digging

"Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it."
—Gandhi

Yes. It's mind numbing that all that hope, expectation, and effort could amount to nothing. It didn't. I've heard a lot about how the glass is half-empty but at the risk of sounding delusional I have to admit, this doesn't tick me off that much. I look at it as half of this country's voting public still doesn't like their President and the other half came out to vote because of a well-oiled campaign to target them (abortion, Constitutional amendments on same-sex marriages etc.). Rove and company dangled carrots in front of the deeply religious, conservative, right-leaning voters. It's frustrating to think that this election was lost because the left spent more time trying to find a way to channel their passion properly and it worked, not perfectly, but this is just round one.

Ahead is a period when the left has to dig in, duck and stay active. I thank Bush for this. In addition to knowing that he will never be able to return as President in four years he has given us the ability to rebuild a sagging ideology and to infuse new energy and ideas into it. We benefit from viewing the glass as half-full not to bolster our shell shocked masses but to remind them that the reward is never victory but the pursuit of right action.

I agree that Bush could spend the next four years trashing the place, but that in and of itself allows us to stay fit and active constantly being involved with the democratic process and using the next four years to change minds, bone up on our beliefs and get out there to oppose any dilution of the democratic doctrine. Elections are not the beginning or end of the process, their just the fireworks. So if you're feeling low, revel in it, vent it, feed it, breed it and then let it go. Find some small way to get involved and do it, above all, don't let some smug snot who thinks government is a team sport get to you. Remind them that there is much more at stake than their pride.

Now that Bush is in for term 2, we can only hope he lives up to his promise of trying to promote peace in the Middle East and assists the Palestinians with their effort to get a state for themselves. Unfortunately, I think his promise is full of hot air given the weight the Christian right has in this administration.Foreign Policy in Focus has an excellent paper/article at its site analyzing the situation and the effect the Christian-right has on the whole deal.