Give Them Space

This is obviously a tough time for the Democrats, and we have to expect that there will be some bitterness and hard-feelings from their side. After all, how could they have possibly expected these election results? They had celebrities and singers, foreign billionaires and documentary film-makers, comedians and newscasters in their corner. How do you go wrong with that crowd?

Maybe with time their anger will subside. Maybe they will even open their eyes and realize that their opinions actually don't mean anything more than ours. We can only hope. For right now, though, we must let them have time to heal.

Of course, just because they're down and depressed doesn't mean we should ignore them. Let's keep an eye on them. In fact, let's see just what they're saying here in the hours after Kerry's concession speech.

The Village Voice, in an article titled "The Dream Is Lost", has these comments:

"The dream has become a nightmare. Not only did George Bush win, but he captured the presidency by a margin of what now looks like 4 million votes. That's a clear mandate and a big green light for the right wing to push ahead with an ideological program.

"The dream of a secular, liberal democracy is lost: Christians are stronger than ever...

"Abroad, the United States can only continue to lose standing as Bush presses his military agenda. European alliances will continue to wither and more and more people around the world will start seeing America as an empire in decline."

Robert Borosage, writing at TomPaine.com, says:

"Some argue that the strength of the president’s evangelical base suggests America is headed toward a new era of prohibition and moral reaction. But John Kerry was the most secular of candidates. He championed science against the forces of moral reaction. He stood clearly for liberal social issues from civil unions to women’s right to choose. He was a liberal senator from Massachusetts, as the president delighted in repeating. Kerry’s campaign may mark the beginning of a reaction not by the right—but by the center and left against the forces of intolerance."

Techno-pop singer Moby, writing in his online journal:

"Can someone remind me why secession is not an option at this point?... one other option would be for us to all join the republican party en masse and make it socially liberal and fiscally conservative(as opposed to it's current 'socially puritanical/fiscally insane' status)."

The kind folks at DemocraticUnderground.com have restricted access to their discussion boards to registered members only. They do this every time the discussions get too heated (hate-filled?).

We'll check in with others later...