WEEK NINETEEN OF FRIENDS OF FRIDAY FORUM

Election Day 2004 … I woke up feeling optimistic, then as the day progressed and I turned on the news a feeling of disbelief took over, even denial. I went out that night to see a band, the place was filled to capacity, I had never seen it that full before and then it hit me...Bush won! I felt so stupid in that moment, how could I even think that Kerry could win? The voting, all the build-up, it was all a dream, none of it mattered, Bush was going to win no matter what we did and everyone in that place knew it. A feeling of sadness and numbness has taken over. It's like if I think about it I have to acknowledge that there are people out there that just don't think or care. Half of the US has a heart, and I truly hope that they can see the light and find it in themselves to keep up the good fight. But Nov. 2nd proved that half of the US has NO heart. That is just the way I feel right now. Josee [Ottawa, Canada]

QUOTE OF THE WEEK … It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder. Albert Einstein

Well my Friday Friends, what a week it has been. Another one for the history books I suppose. Me being in a small town my voting experience was quite painless, no lines, no problems with procedures etc, I felt a sense of dread though really as I was on my way there. I was nervous and fidgety all day and my stomach had 'butterflies arriving". I put in my vote wearing my VOTE FOR CHANGE t-shirt, which was purchased at the Grand Rapids Pearl Jam VOTE FOR CHANGE Concert. What a kick ass concert! For some reason I felt the need to watch the election coverage that started at 7:00pm. I hate all the projection crap but I couldn't help myself. As the night got later and the numbers started rolling in, I fell asleep with a feeling of dread but trying to feel hopeful.

I woke up and immediately went to CBS my morning news station, and when I heard and seen all the red states and blue states I was like "NOOOO...DAMN IT .....NO" my first thought being why would people vote for him? I don't understand what people think, I've tried to stay on top of the issues and debates and records and history, and I just wish my fellow Americans had as well. With everything I've read from both sides, to me there was no choice but to vote for Kerry. My state was won by Kerry, but the county I live in had the majority of votes go to Bush, as I figured from all the bush/cheney signs I see around me. It's just "SAD", here it is Friday, and I still feel perplexed, disillusioned and doom over the re-election! Kim [Michigan]

QUOTE OF THE WEEK ... Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods. Henry Louis Mencken

I woke up about 5:30 AM, and I just had to know. You see, when I went to bed, Ohio was still in play, and the urban center vote had not been tallied. So, I went downstairs, grabbed the laptop (Wi-Fi RULES!), and crawled back into bed. In the cold light of the screen, with the wind whipping leaves and flags outside, I learned that our worst fears had been realized. Four more years of the Bushies, a Republican Congress, Supreme Court vacancies, and endless War. I mean, Gore did better than Kerry four years ago! This especially angered me, because I, like many of you, gave the man time, energy, and money knowing that he was a stopgap measure – the only candidate who had a chance of beating Bush, not the panacea we long for.

So, I started to think about all those people who voted for Bush, and why I can't or don't want to hear them. I not talking about the fat cats and the power elite that are benefiting from the current paradigm. I'm talking about the people who know that Bush is a liar and voted for him anyway because he speaks to them on a more important, fundamental level. We must listen to them, and address their values, needs, and fears, if we are to build a progressive movement to take back this country in four years. With no worries about re-election and a "mandate", the Bushies will give us plenty to run against in the next four years. What we must figure out is what are we going to run for? How can we maintain a progressive agenda in a populist rhetoric that re-captures Joe and Suzy Six-Pack and their church-going cousins from the Republicans? We can't ignore them, for there are more of them than us, at least among those who come out to vote. We've got to subsume diversity in unity, and distill what's important to the simple and essential, and find a way to reach out to them. We've got to do it to preserve the American dream, yet to be realized, that the whole world is depending on. We've got to do it for my son, and all the children of the 21st Century who deserve a better world. So, don't get mad - get reflective! Then, get busy! Larry [New Jersey]