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November 03, 2004
It's Not the End of the World
But, sadly, apparently many people believe it is.
After a particularly divisive campaign, it's all come down to this:
George W. Bush is our president for four more years.
Prior to the election I heard people say that they would be scared, should Bush win. I took that to be common political rhetoric and assumed that they were speaking figuratively, perhaps exaggerating some to make a point. Fair enough - we all do it.
Apparently I was wrong. There are people who are truly and deeply frightened by the prospect of four more years of a Bush administration. One person (intelligent, respectable) spoke to me of making sure that her family's passports were in order because she was afraid they would have to leave the country at some point in the coming years.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Look, I'm not particularly fond of the guy or his positions myself, but if you honestly believe Bush will "ruin the country", you're giving him way too much credit. Not only does he not have that kind of power, (or smarts, for that matter), but the very system we live in is self-correcting.
I guess I just have faith that our system of government is stronger than any one person or party. Does that mean I don't care who's in power? Of course I care. But ultimately we live in a democracy, and a majority of the voters have, in fact, indicated that George Bush is their choice for president. And now we work in that reality. It doesn't frighten me, and I just don't get why or how it actually frightens anyone - except maybe the conspiracy theorists.
I am however, disappointed.
I'm disappointed in a system that gave us the Bush versus Kerry choice to begin with. In all honesty, I don't really want either of them. Neither deserve to be president. Certainly neither are the best America has to offer. But it's the choice we were fed, courtesy of each party.
So be it.
I told my wife before the results were announced that I knew I'd be disappointed this morning no matter who won. Because no matter who won, I'd feel like "we" lost.
But I'm not frightened.
Sheesh.
Posted by Leo at 06:21 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack