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	Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Post Election Ruminations O.K. It's been a week since the election. I've moved beyond my crushing disappointment and have some thoughts: Kerry and the Democrats flat out lost the election. Period. This election was not stolen. Over the past few days, I've heard and read all sorts of things regarding electronic voting machines and electoral fraud. There were certainly problems with the fundamentally flawed electronic voting machines - those things should be junked. And I don't doubt there were incidents of fraud and election stealing. However, not three million votes worth. Kerry lost. The sooner folks face that fact, the sooner we can get on with moving forward. We voted in George Bush. And by "we", I mean the United States as whole. We voted Bush in. I can sit here and say "Don't blame me. I voted for Kerry." But the straight up fact is that if I, the Democrats, and Kerry had done their jobs, Bush would have not been re-elected. But, he was. And we, the United States of America, elected him. If we non-Bush voters continue say, "They voted Bush in" we will never solve the problem. Divisive thinking is how we got here - "here", being another four years of George Bush. I was absolutely appalled by the red-blue map showing the vote distribution. Kerry had sort of a horseshoe shape of states - two thin blue lines on either coast connected by a red line across the northern tier. Everything else was bright red: the entire south, midwest and most of the West. Folks - that is simply ridiculous. The Democrats will NEVER get anywhere if they cannot win at least a part of the midwest and south. And it would have been fundamentally wrong for Kerry to serve as President with so much of the country against him. I know that's how George W. Bush served his first term, but two wrongs do not make a right. It is a poisonous situation. So, as I worked through the above, I came to some interesting conclusions - whose fundamental basis is that, perhaps Kerry's loss may end up in the long run, being a positive. Here's why and here's some steps that I, the political hotshot (not) think that the democratic party can take: I strongly feel that the country as whole has about run the string out in terms of our current political approach. Let's see if I can figure out a way to explain my thought - the 60's and 70's were a time of political turmoil. However, by the end of the 70's both parties were mired in a sort malaise thing. They'd exhausted their methodologies and ideologies. And right at that time, up popped Ronald Reagan with a revolutionary approach and attitude. He read the mileau correctly and he was there with a message that appealed to a broad spectrum of America. Now, I am NOT a Reagan fan. But love him or hate him, one cannot deny the strength and appeal of his message. Well, I feel that right now, right at this time, we're in the same sort of situation. And this situation is golden opportunity, a true gift. The Democrats are on the outside. They have nothing to lose - they can rethink their approach. Kerry, with his old school approach and a hostile majority in both the House and Senate would not have had a prayer of moving forward with anything revolutionary or positive. And he would have been blamed for the mess - which I am 90% positive will continue during the next four years. Bush, with help from the Democrats, has made such a monumental cow pie pile that it cannot be cleaned up in the current environment. A major change is needed. The Democrats must dispassionately and thoroughly analyze why people voted for Bush. Understand what it is that Bush is communicating. The Democrats need to understand the real reasons inside and out. The only way to win is to truly know one's enemy. Do not let ideology and anger get in the way of the analysis. Use the results from the analysis to rethink the party's positioning and communication. The party doesn't have to change its values, but it needs to understand how to position and communicate. Which it obviously didn't do in this election. Start identifying viable candidates from the midwest and the south who are not fatally flawed. It is now clear that a democratic candidate from the northeast is simply not going to win an election. The candidate must come from the south, mid-west or the more moderate western states. Do not, under any circumstances allow Hillary Clinton to run. She is incredibly divisive. The animosity towards her runs deeper than towards any other political figure - including her husband. So, that about covers my ruminations. I wonder if I'll actually have the gumption to walk the talk and start trying to help affect a logical focused revolutionary approach. 9:07:55 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2005 Stephanie A. Kesler. Last update: 3/5/2005; 8:49:12 PM.