MY ORIGINAL POST:
I have to say I was pretty surprised by the way everything went down. I had actually prepared myself for a democratic loss, so the ass whoopin that occurred last night came as quite a shock! A fabulous shock, but a shock nonetheless. Now the question is, where do we go from here!?
- Watching CNN last night, I heard one of the pundits (who I think was Republican) say 'Great, now nothing changes'. And, I have to say, that's a somewhat scary notion. The president and the Congress have been at a virtual stale mate for so long and the partisan posturing has been so over the top that very little has been accomplished in the latter part of the last administration. So, will things change? Mr. President, I hope you take this win with a grain of salt and realize that things really do need to be shaken up. Congress, please stop the pissing match and let's actually do something. With the notion of a 'fiscal cliff' looming large, we need strong politicians who plan to work together more than we may have ever needed them before. Speaking of a 'fiscal cliff', anyone notice the stock market today? We (the majority of Americans) may be happy about an Obama victory, but there are a lot of people (with a majority of the money) out there who are not feeling the same way.
- MSNBC has been asking the question all morning 'Who is to blame for this loss? Mitt Romney or the Republican party?' and I feel VERY strongly that the Republican party, and it's pandering to right wing extremists is 100% to blame for this loss. Obviously Mitt Romney was the face of the party, but if the party didn't come with so many strings, maybe things would have gone differently. As I see it, although this election was said to be about the economy, (with foreign policy/defense a close second), I truly believe that social issues won (or lost as the case may be) this election. Despite the fact that social issues were not even discussed in the 3 presidential debates (which drove me crazy), Americans showed last night that they have been paying attention and that they care about health care, women's rights, and (as was seen by the passing of gay marriage in 3 states last night)- equality for all people. And, because the Republican party- a party supposedly based on the notion of SMALL government- hypocritically insists on inappropriately extending itself to restrictive social ideals- many Americans are just not able to even consider casting a Republican vote. Until the Republican party begins distancing themselves from the wackdaloon Teaparty and the crazy conservative Christian right, I don't see things changing for them at the polls.
- I'm proud to be a Marylander today. Maryland, Maine and Washington (state) are now the first 3 states to legalize gay marriage via the popular vote. (The other states that already have legal gay marriage, like CT, did so via legislative action.) Previously 32 states had gay marriage on the ballot and ALL 32 referendums were cast down. With the 3 states voting to affirm gay marriage last night, I think we are seeing a positive swing towards acceptance and openness. At the end of the day, love is love. And, even if you don't like it, what do you really care? Who are any of us to tell anyone else who they can or can't marry? I, for one, am very very happy that restrictive and discriminatory laws are being voted down.
- It struck me last night that one of the most impressive things about Obama, and what I'm sure will become part of his legacy, is the fact that he has managed to involve Americans of every background in the political process. He has effectively taken the vote out of the hands of what was once only middle/upper-middle class whites and given a voice to minorities across the country. Women, hispanics, blacks, young folks, and other minorities came out in record numbers and truly did win the election last night! Power to the people, man!
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