Today's Musical Selection: "How Blue Can You Get" by B.B. King

So, how did you like that Election Night?

How is everyone? I've been better. Suffice it to say the electoral results didn't make me very happy. I think "crushed" would not be an inappropriate term. "Dumbfounded" might be more appropriate. I thought we had this one. I thought it'd be close, but in 2000 the momentum was clearly breaking to Bush, and I sensed he'd win. This year, though... the indicators were swinging our way. At least I thought so. Obviously, I was wrong.

So instead, I put up with Slate's maddeningly inaccurate exit polls (hey, Jack Shafer, thanks for nothing) and over 6 hours of CNN's hugely disappointing coverage. I'm not sure what bothered me more about CNN's shebang: the fact that they stopped every 15 minutes to pat themselves on the back for refusing to call any states that might be even remotely controversial, the fact that the guy operating the video screen was 30 seconds behind the anchors, the shifting-with-the-wind tone of the coverage (most notably Bob Novak, who is hereby dubbed "Weathervane" for his tendency to tailor his remarks to the trend of the electoral results), the fact that no one on CNN's political staff appears to know which senators represent which states, or the general presence of Larry King. (When King put his hand on Carlos Watson's shoulder and left it there, I cringed.) Considering the result, and the fact that I'm never going to get those hours of my life back... well, you'd be down, too.

But just because I'm down, that doesn't mean I have to be graceless. It wsa a great night to be a Republican, and my conservative friends deserve a chance to rejoice and be happy. So have your celebration. You've absolutely earned it. I'm not sure what you did, but you notched an impressive victory, not only on the presidential level but in the House and Senate races as well. Take a bow, Republicans.

That goes for you too, President Bush. I've ridiculed and derided you plenty over the last four years, but you not only won, but notched a solid, no-doubt-about-win, for which I commend you. I wish you the best of luck in your second term, and I pray that you have the wisdom and foresight needed to guide us through a very difficult chapter in our history. You've defied the skeptics and made yourself a legitimate president. I probably still won't agree with a lot of your actions, but I respect you and pledge to keep the "loyal" in the loyal opposition.

John Kerry did a good and classy thing by conceding this morning. For any Republicans who might be tempted to sneer, "What choice did he have?", I'd point out that he could have picked a legal fight in Ohio, one he might not have won, but one which other candidates in his shoes might have chosen to fight. And had he done so, he would have solidified the dangerous precedent of having all close elections decided by lawyers and courts. Al Gore opened Pandora's Box in 2000 during the Florida fight, and if Kerry had done the same, we might never have seen the end of it. But Kerry knew he was beaten, and he handled the end gracefully, for which we should all be thankful.

He also did a grand thing in calling for unity in his concession speech, in asking his party to support the country and recognize the legitimacy of the president. This was something I don't believe either Gore or Bush could do. In 2000, you got the impression that the two of them really disliked each other. I don't think Bush and Kerry necessarily like each other a whole lot better, but Kerry showed a lot of class in his defeat, much as George H.W. Bush did back in 1992. By behaving so well in the spotlight, Kerry has set the stage for better partisan relations in the coming years, and he deserves to be commended for it.

Again, I can't picture Gore doing the same in this position. He's too willing to put personal ambition ahead of the national interest. As the recount wore on, I got the impression that he would rather be president than have an outcome that the nation could feel comfortable with. (I felt the same about Bush, for what it's worth.) Whether he wanted to be that president that badly or was just that appalled by Bush, I'm not sure. But his bulldog insistence on victory was evident, and I think his stature in the party has been damaged as a result. By all rights, Gore should be a Democratic elder statesman and power broker, but I don't think he ever will be. Kerry, on the other hand, has an excellent shot.

That's the other reason I'm happy he went down with class. As I've said before, I really like and admire Kerry. He ran the risk of going down in history next to McGovern, Mondale and Dukakis, admirable men who tarnished their reputations with crushing presidential defeats. Or he might have taken a seat next to Gore, remembered primarily as being angry and bitter at his loss. Instead, he's positioned himself to be remembered along with men like Hubert Humphrey, men whose virtues shine brighter and flaws grow dimmer as the years pass. In time, I think Kerry will receive the favorable judgment of history, in a way he might not have even if he'd won. I hope this is true, because he does deserve it. He may not be the ideal candidate, but he's a fine statesman.

Jeff Jarvis was circulating a pledge for partisans before the election that went like this:

After the election results are in, I promise to:
: Support the President, even if I didn't vote for him.
: Criticize the President, even if I did vote for him.
: Uphold standards of civilized discourse in blogs and in media while pushing both to be better.
: Unite as a nation, putting country over party, even as we work together to make America better.

That's a pledge I'll gladly take. I have one of my own:

For Democrats: I won't get bitter. I won't pout. I won't scream. I will let go of this idea of President Bush as a sub-literate mouth-breathing frat boy who became president by accident. I will learn what "majority" means. I won't go down the Michael Moore road. And I won't give up on politics or on America.

For Republicans: I won't gloat. I won't try to rub the Democrats' noses in the dirt. I will learn that Democrats love this country too, and are just as interested as I am in maintaining America's greatness in the future. I will learn the difference between a victory and a mandate. I will learn the difference between a mandate and doing whatever the hell I want. And I won't treat opposition as unpatriotic.

For everyone: I will stop the gotcha game. I will stop keeping track of every little perceived slight committed by the other side and use it as an excuse to abandon civility. I will remember that open and reasoned political discourse is what makes our nation great, and what makes us a shining example to the rest of the world. I will keep that thought foremost in my mind as we determine the future course of our country at a crucial time in our history. And I will remember that if I want change in our country and our political system, the change starts with me. If I can't be bothered to fight for what I believe in, who will be?

And on that subject... we Democrats have a lot of thinking to do after this one. I intend to do my share. I'm not sure exactly what this will entail, but I intend to keep all of you informed about it. Suffice to say that I think the Democrats need a new direction, and I want to have a say in it. Watch this space for further developments.

Programming note: I know Uncle Millie and Aunt Beatrice were supposed to have a column yesterday. But they've been keeping tabs on this election pretty closely, and Uncle Millie's been a little... less sober than usual. (If you can imagine.) Tense situations will do that to him. He needs a little time to dry out, so we're going to see our favorite couple next Tuesday.

As for me, I'll probably be back tomorrow, if I'm feeling better. If I'm not, I hope you'll understand. I am taking this a bit hard. See you soon.

Posted by: Fred at 09:11 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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... instead of blogging. Sorry about that, but I'm wired. Talk to you tomorrow.

Posted by: Fred at 08:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If you have a moment, I urge to read this article in Salon about Scranton, Pa. and the election. My mother was born there, I've got a lot of family up there, and though I've never lived there, I consider myself an honorary son of Scranton. And like the article's author, Geraldine Sealey, I'm pretty well sick of all the jokes. It's fitting that the city's a presidential battleground; Scranton's been sliding downhill for awhile, although it's better than it was. It's a city that could badly use an infusion of hope. Just read the article. And next time you feel like making fun of Scranton, maybe you could do me a favor and lay off, okay? Thanks.

Posted by: Fred at 10:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Today's Musical Selection: "Election" by Alice Cooper

Hi, everybody! As promised, today I offer you a variety of political thoughts. Before I offer a variety of endorsements, I'd like to encourage everyone who's eligible to get out and vote. I often like to share a laugh with my fellow elitists at the uninformed voters, but I do firmly believe that our democracy is stronger when more people participate. So please, get out there and cast your ballot, okay?

Now, to the endorsements: If you don't know who I support for president by now, you haven't been paying attention. So I'll be brief: I'm voting for John Kerry because I want to bring intelligence and class back to the White House, plus I can't think of anything President Bush has done that I agree with. It's an easy decision for me. Having taken a look over the minor-party candidates out there, I must say that the far left and far right would benefit from consolidation. There are about 5 different socialist candidates out there, plus the Greens, who are socialists who live in gated communities, and Ralph Nader, who is a socialist in a really bad suit. The far right is no less fragmented, what with the Constitution party and the Independence party and the Prohibition party and the Concerns of the People party and so on. (The Libertarians are not included in this bunch, since they're not as moralistic as the above groups.) Consolidate and get that 3%, guys! What say you?

My dad reports he too will be voting for Kerry, although he's in more of an anybody-but-Bush mindset. My mother, after months of making "Can't we do better than these two clowns?" speeches, is threatening to write in Laura Bush, which is not an entirely bad idea.

Here's a counterfactual for us all to ponder in quiet moments: How would this election have been different if Howard Dean had won the Democratic nomination? You remember Howard. Little guy. Used to be governor of Vermont. Liked to shout a lot. Suppose his bubble hadn't burst when it did.
How would the election be different? On one hand, Dean is a tad temperamental, and it might have been easy for Bush to portray him as unpresidential and dangerous. (Also, I don't think Dean would have thumped Bush as soundly in the debates.) On the other hand, Dean has no problem inspiring passion. He might have been viewed by many as a more inspiring alternative. It's hard to say how it would have played out, but I bet it wouldn't have been nearly as close as this election. Either Bush would have decisively defeated Dean, or vice versa. Would have been interesting.

Oh, and the electoral action should be quite enough for any of you, but in case you find the excitement a tad lagging, allow me to offer you an idea that The Smart Lady and I devised one time: Strip Electoral College. You and your special significant someone suggest a party to represent. Whenever your party captures a state, the other person removes an article of clothing. You might wish to restrict the game to the eastern U.S., in order to keep the game manageable. This is the kind of thing that can really liven up Election Night, no?

A couple more important endorsements I wanted to cover while I have you all here:

- Attention, Virginia 8th District Democratic voters! Are you sick of Jim Moran? Do you wish you could run him out of office before he has a chance to embarrass us all again? But does the thought of voting for a conservative Republican named Cheney make your skin crawl?

There is an alternative. There's an independent in the race, fellow by the name of Jim Hurysz. He's an Arlington businessman, reliably liberal on the issues, a bit of a gadfly. All of which I support. Especially because it means I don't have to vote for Moran. I did that two years ago, and I felt like taking a shower afterward. I won't have to do that this year. I encourage you all to vote for Mr. Hurysz tomorrow.

- This next endorsement repays a debt of long standing. Last year, a buddy of mine and I were tooling around Georgetown, looking for a place to get a snack. We discovered we were heading the wrong way down Connecticut Avenue (easy enough mistake to make, I guess) and we pulled down a residential street to bang a U-turn. We succeeded in banging the U, but my friend didn't watch behind him, and he found himself nose-to-nose with a Chrysler convertible driven by an older gentleman with an aggrieved expression. We didn't collide, but it was close. As we pulled away, I looked back and noticed that he was driving a convertible with New York tags with a "U.S. CONGRESS" designation stamped on them.

When I got home, I looked up New York's congressional delegation, and I discovered that the gentleman we nearly crashed into was Maurice Hinchey (D-22nd). Once I found it out, I swore I'd find a way to make it up to him. Therefore:

Re-elect Maurice Hinchey!

That's enough for today. Please vote! See you tomorrow!

Posted by: Fred at 09:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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