I read someone's blog commenting that this was not the most significant election of our lifetimes, and that it wasn't really a big deal if Bush got re-elected-- basically forwarding the argument that while we are in a war that we shouldn't be in and probably wouldn't be if Gore were elected in 2000, now we are in the war and there's not much that Kerry could do to make it better.
Well... I do happen to think this is the most important election of our lifetimes, and I am very very disappointed that it went the way it did. Why? Because I think in choosing Bush, our country has taken a significant step in the wrong direction-- fundamentally away from the ideals that America was founded on. Many Bush supporters cite his "moral leadership" as the reason for supporting him. I don't understand how these people, who absolutely hated Clinton for lying about having sex, think it's perfectly okay that Bush lied about why we were going to war. Why is Clinton's sex life more important than their kid going to war? Anyway... I guess I don't have a problem with you if you are socially conservative. Certainly, I disagree with you if you are anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage, but I think it is clear that many people do feel that way, and cannot be persuaded by logical arguments to feel otherwise. What I do have a problem with is that many people seem to have forgotten this country was founded upon the belief that there were multiple ways to pursue happiness. There is no question that some ways are better than others, I have no doubt. But which is the best way? And why is George W. Bush the clear authority on what that way is? Why do people want (as this vote seems to indicate) to be told what to do and how to live their lives? To me, it's a fundamentally anti-American notion.
I am pro-choice. Would I have an abortion? I don't know. I would like to say I wouldn't, but I honestly don't know... and given the timing and circumstances, I might. I am pro-gay marriage. Am I gay? No. But who am I to say that gay people can't get married? How come straight people can get married to the wrong people all the time? Wife beaters can get married, drug addicts can get married. Bad straight relationships are more prevalent than good ones, I would say. So I don't buy into the logic that gay people getting married is any more deviant or wrong that two straight people getting married. And, if you're not gay, honestly, why the hell do you care? It seems to me if you follow the sort of logic which presumes that you have moral authority over other people's lives than you would also extend this argument over into religion. I grew up Catholic. I was raised to think that being Catholic was right. So, maybe everyone who isn't Catholic is wrong. Maybe everyone should be Catholic. Of course, this is fucking crazy talk... but it is a logical extension of the other arguments. "Moral leadership" which so many people crave seems to me to be a really slippery slope. It can justify going to war for false reasons, deny people the right to get married, and who knows what is next. I don't want to know, but I guess we are all going to find out.
The even more sad thing about this "moral leadership" is that it is really just an excuse for those claiming to give it to get into power. As President, what has Bush done for the "average" American? Let's see. Hmmm... oh wait, that's right-- NOTHING. Nothing except make it more likely that you or someone you know is going to war. Funding has been cut for firehouses, police forces, and Pell grants, while the richest people in America get huge tax cuts. Seems pretty moral to me.
It all makes me worried and sick to my stomach. Fortunately I live in the growing-ever-smaller corner of the nation where sanity still partially reigns. We'll see how much Bush can screw that up over the next four years though.

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