What Now?

The reality has hit me, and I'm pretty bummed out right now. After I woke up and saw that it was all official and Kerry had conceded to Bush, I was overwhelmed with a great sense of disappointment. As a Democrat and Kerry voter, you just sit and wonder- what could have been done differently? And why? The difficulty is trying to control your emotions and understand that more than half the voting public thought differently than you did, and in our democracy, Bush won fair and square. I applaud Kerry for conceding this morning and admitting that he didn't want this to go down the way Florida did in '00. But you have to commend Bush for his campaign; I think everyone on both sides was surprised at how it played out (or perhaps not, and those of us who were on the Kerry side were just clouded by our desperation), and in these final weeks we may have underestimated our President.

I understand why the sentiment now is that we all should unite and move on from this, because that is what our country needs most. But let's be honest- those of us who have believed in our candidate and the vision he had for America will have a difficult time dropping this and pressing on. When you believe so strongly in something and a given set of ideals--political, social, whatever-- it's so easy to say "What is wrong with everyone??" and have difficulty accepting the other side when your explanations seem so clear and rational. Even in the midst of war and all the other indictments against Bush, the fact that he ran away with a victory is telling. The Democratic party just was not strong enough. Even those who were so adamant about a change in the White House still were not completely comfortable with our candidate, and I think this was the overriding factor yesterday. The Republicans effectively played on the values of America (albeit "values" I mostly disagree with), and truth be told, that works for most of the voting public.

I was sad watching Kerry give his concession speech. I was with my mom at the World Bank cafeteria, and I was trying not to get emotional in a public place-- that would have been a weak showing for a defeated citizen! But, it was definitely a quiet and moving moment, and Kerry handled it well, still showing optimism and believing we have to continue to fight for the American people. Then on my drive home from DC around 3 PM I drove by the Reagan building and saw all the cop cars and motorcycles and droves of Bush/Cheney supporters looking so gleeful. That was also kind of moving.. in a different way, of course.

Last comments: The whole "I'm moving to Canada" thing following an election result is getting kind of played out. (Why always Canada? If you're going to say it, be bold! Go to Australia, or how about India!) I didn't see anyone go to Canada in '00, and my guess is, no one is really going to pack their bags this time. (I'm not calling anyone a sissy- challenge me, and if you want to move, by all means, do it!) It's not the end of the world. And at the end of the day, the U.S. is still a great country and I am still proud to be an American. (That doesn't mean I can't be bummed for a few days about a big election, though.) Now it's time for Bush to put on his game face because he has been given a mandate (buzzword #2) by the people who voted for his re-election, and he's definitely got something to prove. For now, "4 more years" til we can do this again, and I just can't wait to see who the Dems will have lined up. No predictions yet ;)


Current music: Politik, by Coldplay
(after all, there is a song for every story and mood)
Current mood: bummed out