This, if it turns out to stand, is not the end of the world. The Republicans now CONVINCINGLY hold the House, Senate and Presidency - and they won this time with the popular vote (so it would seem). Democrats should scrutinize the election to the extent practicable, but in reality, it is time to move on from this stinging defeat. Nobody likes to see someone get their ass overwhelmingly kicked in, and nobody likes to see that person ramble on about the unfairness of the fight. They want to see that person learn their lessons and recover and stand on their feet the next time.
Yes, if we thought Bush was acting brazenly when he didn't have a mandate, now he has his mandate and we may be in for a LONG 4 years.
The good news is that we should learn a LOT from this election.
The bad news is that the US Supreme Court may be in for 20 to 30 years of total darkness - in fact, the BEST we can hope for is a slide towards states rights, rather than an outright acceptance of theocracy by the Court. Rehnquist will retire or die within 3 months. O'Connor, Stevens and Ginsberg are all on the short list of those that may not make it through another 4 years to a new president.
Prediction for the Court: Get used to the idea of Chief Justice Thomas (younger than Scalia, minority, and not quite the same lightning rod as Scalia). Next up for the court: Ted Olsen.
Prediction for the rest of us: Partial privitization of Social Security (sorry, the "creation of investment accounts for retirees"), the continued slow bleeding and bankruptcy of the US, and a gradual dismantling of the social safety net, with a replacement by "charitable organizations" (read: churches and other religious groups).
The biggest problem for the American people is that they do not understand how they overwhelmingly voted against their own interests. With the threat of unending war and a draft, young people that turned out voted for Bush in larger numbers than you'd expect. People accept that even though they received tiny insignificant tax breaks, the "average family" received thousands of dollars. People buy these arguments because they do not understand where they stand in the overall scheme of things.
That is the Democrats job - to help people understand how the system is REALLY working, and where they fit in it. And to do it with simplicity, because apparently, we don't want our president to be too smart or wordy.
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