Us versus Them

Eric Alterman and Charles Pearce pretty much sum up the bitterness.

Altman:

Let’s face it. It’s not Kerry’s fault. It’s not Nader’s fault (this time). It’s not the media’s fault (though they do bear a heavy responsibility for much of what ails our political system). It’s not “our” fault either. The problem is just this: Slightly more than half of the citizens of this country simply do not care about what those of us in the “reality-based community” say or believe about anything.

Pearce:

As Mo Udall once put it, the people have spoken, goddamn them.

They showed up. The Republican base, that is. The people who believe that their marriages are threatened by those of gay people, the people who believe there were WMD in Iraq and that Saddam waved a hankie at Mohammed Atta, the people who believe His eye is on every embryo. They all showed up, and there are more of them than there are of us. This was a faith-based electorate and, for whatever reason, their belief was stronger than our reality. This is a country I do not recognize any more.

Turns out one of my concerns came true. We put too much -- way too much --faith on the youth and minority vote. Just like '72, the kids didn't show. Thanks, guys. Lucky you, you'll get what you deserve. And the minority vote was about the same as in '90. Let's face it, GOTV has its limitations, particularly when Republicans are even more aggressive in their efforts to get the Christian fundamentalist vote out.

And, as if in response to the election results and what four additional years are going to do the planet, we get this little postcard from beautiful Venice:

ITALY: VENICE IS FLOODED Tides around Venice rose nearly a yard above normal, putting many squares and streets in the city under water for the seventh day in a row, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. On Sunday, tides rose four and a half feet above average, flooding about 80 percent of the ancient, slowly sinking city. Such flooding has been a growing threat to the city of 117 low islets, partly because the marshy region is subsiding as underlying peat compacts and because seas are rising as global warming melts glaciers. Andrew C. Revkin (NYT)

And think of it. Bush, who did little to attract voters outside of his base in his first term, has no need to worry about re-election for the second (yeah, sure, there's Jeb's career to think about, but I don't think Selfish George gives a rat's ass about him). And listening to the Republican response to the results this morning/afternoon, they're already talking "mandate!"

In this election, we came to a moral fork in the road, and more than 50% of the country decided to go down the road that is horrific if you care about this country's place in the world and in history. A road on which gay marriage is more repugnant than 100,000 civilian dead in Iraq/1,000-plus U.S. dead; one on which tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans are more morally valuable than health coverage for the poorest; a potholed stretch of road on which drilling in ANWAR is a better choice than reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

There was a lot of talk about "values" in this election, code for a lot of things. A sense from their side that "God" was on "their side." Well, God help us.

Oh, and by the way...congratulations bin Laden, Zarqawi, and the vicious pigs who follow and support you. You got exactly what you hoped for last night. It gives me small comfort to believe that you and Rove will burn in the same circle of hell.