See, this is the part I don’t get. Bush diverts our armed forces, and pours billions down the black hole of Iraq when he should be rooting out Al Qaeda. Pre-war Iraq, to my knowledge, had no WMD and no strong ties to terrorists. Now, the place is brimming with terrorists, weapons and explosives go missing in the chaos, and 1,000 more Americans are dead. How is this an effective strategy for keeping us safe?
Let’s just point out for the peanut gallery that the 2 biggest targets in the nation, NYC and D.C. both did NOT support Bush. Luckily, all of the people living in areas that terrorists wouldn’t attack in 100 years are looking out for our safety.
Bush, you’ve got another 4 years, please don’t try to “protect” me by invading another country and pissing off 20 million more people. I think NYC would be better off by getting a few more dollars for local security, thanks.
Bush managed to convice the majority of voters that The War in Iraq = The War on Terror. He managed to define Kerry as a typical tax-and-spend liberal with an undistinguished Senate record. And Kerry let him do both these things.
Kerry got every I-hate-Bush vote there was, and by God there were a lot of them. But he never galvanized an I-Love-Kerry vote, which is what he needed to put himself over the top. He never defined himself, and Bush happily filled in the gaps.
What have you won? That is my question. It may make you feel good to know the “left” lost, but what are you looking forward to out of the Bush presidency?
If my question is a strawman, then point to some other outcome of the last four years that makes you think the next four will be good for America.
See, this is the criticism that I don’t get, how is the USA not rooting out Al Qaeda? Last time I checked, we still had folks with guns looking for them.
I would, with respect, suggest that complaining about Iraq as if it’s another Vietnam does no help to your cause.
Weren’t we attacked before the invasions of Afghanistan and iraq?
This is indicative of why the Democrats lost. They blame terrorism on the Republicans, the Republicans blame it on the terrorists. John Q. Voter knows that Republicans don’t blow things up, terrorists do. The vote shows that most Americans subscribe to the more realistic view held by Bush and Co.
The left (including many here) belittled Bush for running on the Post 9-11 platform. They tried to vilify Bush and his handling of the war on terror and in Iraq instead of rallying behind the efforts. The American people have spoken and security is the top concern, and the party with its eyes on the terrorists trumped the party with its eyes on citicizing the Republican efforts.
Now you can trot put the arguments about Bush taking his eye off the ball with OBL, or spout on about the troubles in Iraq etc., but it only serves to illustrate my point. While Kerry may have thought he could handle these issues more effectively, the American people only heard his criticism of Bush and not a reason to vote for Kerry.
You cannot win an election on bile and venom. The Republicans demonstrated this in 1996 and the Democrats affirmed it here.
This is exactly what happened. Kerry did not do enough to hammer home the point that the Iraq War and the War on Terror are not the same thing. Among other things. Kerry reacted to everything, and slowly, while the conservative election machine, assisted by the media, controlled every single major issue.
Bzzzt. Wrong.
You had it correct in the first three paragraphs. The Democrats have been offering nothing, still bobbing in the wake of the Clinton Administration - which offered nothing but did it with a profound sincerity. The Democrats need to offer something - a clear and defining plan for what’s going on. That plan can most certainly be center-left and still win. But they have to outline and freaking explain it.
Wha-?
Reagan was born in Illinois and spent most of his political career in California. Certainly not a southerner.
Ford was from Michigan, certainly not a southerner.
Nixon was from California, certainly not a southerner.
H.W. Bush was born and raised in Massachusetts, although he spent his political career in Texas, so I guess he might count as a southerner.
Then this election boiled down to cowardice and bigotry. Did you notice that the place where the 9/11 attacks occurred went for Kerry? And yet all these rubes in places like Knob Lick, Kentucky and Bedford, Indiana are terrified that the planes are coming for them next. What we need here is a collective growing of a spine. And the “morality” issue that drove most voters is pure anti-gay bigotry. Not a proud day for America.
And you further illustrate my point. The left does not understand that Americans believe that there is a real threat and they believe that Kerry did not provide a reason to unseat Bush. Your anti-Bush passion is not a reason to vote Kerry.
There IS a terrorist threat. There IS a reason to be fearful. Democrats lost because they spent their energy talking about how they would defeat Bush, not how they would defeat terrorists who want to do Americans harm.
As far as a campaign of ignorance, do you purport that most Americans are ignorant?
Actually the “rubes” in flyover country are quite aware that there is little threat of a direct attack in their own towns, but they feel as Americans, the yare affected by attacks ANYWHERE in AMERICA.
I have said the same thing as well, Shodan. The response is along the lines of fingers stuck in ears while saying “Yah Yah! I can’t heeeaar you!!!”
The Democrats are trapped in a box of their own making. They don’t want to move to the right because they just can’t bring themselves to admit that the leftward point of view is a demographic minority in the United States. Yet they seem to be aware that a unabashedly leftward move will alienate the center.
The Democratic drive to increase turnout ended up helping GWB more than Kerry. And those voters also voted in two more GOP Senators and ten more Representatives.
So what are the lessons for the Democrats here?
Don’t expect to win the presidency without running a southern or western moderate. John Edwards could have won.
Don’t rely on being “not the Republican”. You have to give them reason to vote FOR you.
