Yeah, I went into deep depression after the election. I still mourn the collective shortsightedness of my country. Then I spent last week on a business trip to Beijing, of all places. Beijing, with its booming economy, massive construction projects to modernize the city (and massive tree-planting campaign to improve air quality), and a sweeping embrace of capitalism. Yes, I know, there are human rights violations there, but after Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib my country no longer has the moral authority to chastise others on that issue.
W thinks he has a mandate and political capital. Great rhetoric, and I hope it's just that. He'd better not lose sight of the fact that 49% of this country DESPISES HIM and hates what he's done to our great nation.
David Brin has some interesting thoughts on the election and its aftermath.
On the bright side, at least it's over. I maintain my prediction that Cheney will resign for health reasons in the next 12 months and Bush will appoint his heir-apparent. The only reason that won't happen is if Karl Rove can't bully the Republican leadership in Congress into settling on an heir; if there are enough ambitious Republican governors or senators who insist on an open primary, Bush/Rove will have to go along with it so that their legislative agenda won't be blocked.
I agree with the pundits who post-election said that the reason the Republicans won is that they have found a vocabulary to talk to middle and rural America while the Democrats have not. Bill Clinton was masterful at this; recall "It's the Economy, Stupid" (an internal rallying cry) and "A Place Called Hope." We have two years to fix this.
OK, now I'm settling back into life in the Pacific Northwest. I promise that this blog will go back to talking about non-political things.
10:23:48 AM  ; ;
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