I'm of very mixed feelings about this election. It's wonderful that Obama won. I think he'll make a fine president and between that and additional Democrats in the Senate, I think the country has an opportunity to get back onto the right track in terms of things like the economy and foreign policy. It's also a historic change from the usual old white guy.
But I can't get all that excited about it, for some reason. I think it's partly I pretty much expected it as of some weeks ago. Not the way I expected Kerry to win ("Surely, America would never be so dumb as to re-elect a president that awful!"), but with considerably more certainty, since the polls were so overwhelmingly in Obama's favor and McCain's campaign was falling apart so spectacularly. I also think it's partly that I just don't feel that this marks the kind of fundamental change in attitudes and politics that we need. I think we as a nation are fed up with Bush and his cronies, and I think Obama's charisma, intelligence, relatively untarnished history, and other personal characteristics were strongly influential. And of course, McCain's campaign turned spectacularly bad, especially after Palin was picked as VP.
That is to say, I think Obama's election (and substantial lead) were due to a combination of situational elements and his own strengths as a person and candidate. I don't think they have that much to do with the country moving left, or the fading of bigotry, or any of the sorts of long term things I'd like.
And to me, this is borne out by such less prominent electoral failures such as the passage of no fewer than three anti-gay marriage ballot initiatives and Arkansas's infuriating (and infuriatingly low-profile) ban on adoption by unwed couples (including all homosexual couples, since they don't permit them to marry), as well as a worryingly possible win by the odious Republican senator Norm Coleman in what's traditionally been one of the bluest states in the union. (The only one not to go for Reagan.)
There's going to be a recount. The margin is about 250 votes, so it's entirely possible Franken could still bag this one. But I don't have a good feeling about it. And even if he does, it really should never have been as close as it was.
But I can't get all that excited about it, for some reason. I think it's partly I pretty much expected it as of some weeks ago. Not the way I expected Kerry to win ("Surely, America would never be so dumb as to re-elect a president that awful!"), but with considerably more certainty, since the polls were so overwhelmingly in Obama's favor and McCain's campaign was falling apart so spectacularly. I also think it's partly that I just don't feel that this marks the kind of fundamental change in attitudes and politics that we need. I think we as a nation are fed up with Bush and his cronies, and I think Obama's charisma, intelligence, relatively untarnished history, and other personal characteristics were strongly influential. And of course, McCain's campaign turned spectacularly bad, especially after Palin was picked as VP.
That is to say, I think Obama's election (and substantial lead) were due to a combination of situational elements and his own strengths as a person and candidate. I don't think they have that much to do with the country moving left, or the fading of bigotry, or any of the sorts of long term things I'd like.
And to me, this is borne out by such less prominent electoral failures such as the passage of no fewer than three anti-gay marriage ballot initiatives and Arkansas's infuriating (and infuriatingly low-profile) ban on adoption by unwed couples (including all homosexual couples, since they don't permit them to marry), as well as a worryingly possible win by the odious Republican senator Norm Coleman in what's traditionally been one of the bluest states in the union. (The only one not to go for Reagan.)
There's going to be a recount. The margin is about 250 votes, so it's entirely possible Franken could still bag this one. But I don't have a good feeling about it. And even if he does, it really should never have been as close as it was.
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Do they work on Vista, or will I have to play them on my laptop?