Voting and the Aftermath; Stony Sleep

[ase]

Yesterday I voted at 2:30 in the afternoon of an unseasonably warm day. I left the hoodie at home (see comments on unseasonable weather) and missed some really long lines; it took longer to make this icon than to bike to the polls and cast my ballot on one of the notorious Diebold machines. (If I voted in a swing state, I'd be expressing grave misgivings, but I don't. Actually, Maryland going Republican would probably be an excellent piece of evidence in favor of the Apocalypse hacking.) So I've secured my whining rights, which I'm planning to bank as smackdown points when people get too crazy.

Actually, I think I'm going to spend them right now.

If you're that upset about Bush's re-election, I strongly suggest volunteering your time and money for the candidates and party (or parties) of your choice. If you think there's been electoral fraud, volunteer for your local elections committees and lobby for election reform. My mother may be crazy, but she has two sayings that are very applicable here: "put your money where your mouth is," and, "lead, follow, or get out of the way."

Republicans are not evil incarnate, people. They're not necessarily stupid or blind either. Please don't ever suggest that, because my very bright and admirably self-possessed sister is one. Maybe they didn't vote for Bush. Maybe they think he's the stain on their party. "Evil" isn't these people. "Evil" is the sloppiness, corruption and extreme polarization the Republicans and Democrats are capable of. The major difference I saw between the two candidates this election is that one of them sidestepped more deviously. "Who is less blatant in their evasions" is not a good criteria for picking Presidents, in my opinion. So please don't tar every person who disagrees with your political stance with the same brush. I know a number of liberals who I want to beg to please not be on my side, and a number of conservatives who I rather like and respect. The people I am most disappointed in are the liberals who are throwing temper tantrums (like this one!) today.

Thus endeth the rant.

I don't know how I am going to deal with what I percieve to be some serious problems with the contemporary USA, but I think compassion and reaching out to the "other side" would be a start. We are all American, people. We have profound disagreements about what that means and what it means we should do, and I'm sick of seeing our strengths as a country turned inward so we can savage each other. There must be a better way than the current divisiveness and strident voices. "The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity." Think about what hedda62 is trying to do, and look at norabombay's reaction to the election, and think of Jim. Follow the links from coffee_and_ink.

I think this may be the year I join the college Democrats. Or maybe the Republicans, to figure out how they think. Either way, it means I'll be attending more obnoxiously time-sucking meetings, but... civic duty. I do not want to move to Canada, the winters would kill me.

(Is a reluctance to move patriotism? I've spent a long time cultivating my jaded and blase edge, I'd hate to lose it now. Curse you, election.)

I'm getting political in frustation. The system's not working for me, at least; it's time to fix it.

In other news, I slept terribly Sunday night, and woke up Monday morning with a sore throat. Oddly, the cold has lead to me getting more sleep than usual, because my body whacks my intentions upside the head and forces me to take some down time. This has not necessarily improved my mood.

Comments

[hedda62.livejournal.com]

A reluctance to move can be inertia - I suspect that's what it is in my case - but you know, I hate to cede patriotism to the cynicism-impaired, the non-jaded, the devoid-of-irony. It doesn't just mean "my country right OR ELSE!!" dammit. I look at you and see an American, and one who loves at least some things about her country, and wants to fix it even if she's not sure how yet. So yeah, you're a patriot. Go to it. :)

[ase.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It may be inertia - but it's also keeping my options open. Why shouldn't my options be the US and Canada and Europe and...

Besides, the US crumbling and imploding would likely rock international boats. We may be traditionally isolationist, but we're fairly inextricably economically tied to other nations at this point, IIRC.

United States of....

[nwl.livejournal.com]

I'd have to look up the author, but there is a book currently out called, "The United States of Europe", which examines the EU and its relationship with the U.S. It also makes the case that the EU will be the super power of the 21st century. I heard the author on Fresh Air and he made a strong case. The EU has more votes in the UN than we do and are a larger market. The borders have been dropped and they have a common currency. They have even scuttled several big business plans the US had and even major Republicans in Congress have acknowledged we have to take the view of the EU seriously.

Hear Hear

[soorena.livejournal.com]

I couldn't have said it better myself!! Right on!!

Great Rant!!

SIR

Re: Hear Hear

[ase.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're alive! How's classes?

[weyrlady.livejournal.com]

The major difference I saw between the two candidates this election is that one of them sidestepped more deviously. "Who is less blatant in their evasions" is not a good criteria for picking Presidents, in my opinion. So please don't tar every person who disagrees with your political stance with the same brush. I know a number of liberals who I want to beg to please not be on my side, and a number of conservatives who I rather like and respect. The people I am most disappointed in are the liberals who are throwing temper tantrums (like this one!) today.


Here's the thing, though: We know Bush's policies. We know,based on the last four years, that they don't work. We know he's only going to get worse once he isn't worrying about popularity. Kerry, at least, promises a change, and based on the last Democratic president, we have some idea of how effective those changes are. I think I'm justified in saying that the (slightly over) half of the country that voted for Bush did so knowing this, and that really, really upsets me.

[ase.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing, though: We know Bush's policies. . . I think I'm justified in saying that the (slightly over) half of the country that voted for Bush did so knowing this, and that really, really upsets me.

You're justified. I'm upset, too. I'm also reacting to the defeatism and emotional posts that have littered my flist today. Bush carried the election, which is terrible, but it's a done deal. What do we need to do now, to get what we want out of this admistration, or at least prevent them from screwing up the values we consider most important? If we the people who didn't vote for Bush are genuine in our displeasure at his re-election, we need to be activist, not spend another four years grumbling about a "stolen" election. We need to explain to our fellow Americans why we voted the way we did and why we think they should join us. Voting is the low bar; if we want things to improve we need to jump the high bar.

Or I could just skip people's Nov. 3rd posts. But ignoring the problem rarely makes it go away. Bush certainly hasn't.

[toraks.livejournal.com]

Well said!

Thanks for the links!

Especially to what

hedda62 is trying to do

Definitely gave me some ideas too. I may not live in the country anymore, but I am just as able to write from here.

[ase.livejournal.com]

Don't thank me - thank hedda62. Or start a meme! Find and post 3 links to ideas for people who want to increase their political activity in the next four years.

[toraks.livejournal.com]

I will thank hedda62 as well! :-)

I'm thinking about starting a meme, but maybe after things have died down a bit.

[coyotegestalt.livejournal.com]

I want to try to help fix it... but I'm so scared I don't know what to do.

[ase.livejournal.com]

Did you vote? If you voted you started fixing it. But like I said to weyrlady, that's the low bar. It's the minimum expectation if you really want to fix stuff. Are you taking classes this semester? Find out if your campus hosts a chapter of the college Democrats (or, if you can keep your tongue between your teeth, the college Republicans - sway the party in power from the inside and all that). You live near DC - protest! See if there's a Democratic meetup in the area. Work with your city government and learn the ropes. Follow the links I posted and see what other people are thinking of. You don't have to jump in the deep end today. You just need to start asking what you want to change and how you can best cause that to happen. This isn't going to be fast or easy. But change is going to happen, if people say they want it to. That's the only way it ever does.

Fear is not an excuse. We're all freaked. That's why we're asking what we can do. And no one's in this alone - force your friends to come with you when you do this stuff. It's more fun in groups anyway.

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

Well ranted, Ase!

At least it's over, even if my horse didn't win. And, although I quite often find myself voting for the democratic candidate, I am a registered Republican. Go figure!

[ase.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I think both parties have gotten so outrageously polarized that a lot of people who consider themselves moderates sit between them, or possibly on an entirely different axis.

Keeping on

[nwl.livejournal.com]

Stay Independent (as in unaligned) and make both sides work for you.

Be prepared to find out what happened in the back rooms and planning sessions of both political parties when Newsweek comes out next week. According to a reporter on Today, a number of reporters from Newsweek had unprecedented access to both major parties during the entire campaign with the understanding that nothing would be published until after the election. The reporter indicated that the Kerry camp was in a lot of turmoil while the Bush camp wasn't. The most shocking thing that happened (according to the reporter) was that Kerry didn't take Bill Clinton's advice about moving to the center on several issues. Should be an interesting magazine.

Helllllp!!!

[sunlizzard.livejournal.com]

Ase, this is one of only two posts from the whole post-election burst that I wish to archive, but for some reason, I cannot figure out how! Do you have some setting that restricts anyone from saving your posts?

<*sniffle, beg, plead*> Help???