topaz

So we've had a bit of a day.

I've been pondering the aftermath, and rereading many of the excellent posts and essays people have written on the subject. I'll quote from a few here. I don't usually like to do the "blog quilt" thing — patching together bits and pieces from everyone else's journals — but I was struck by how everyone seems to be coming to the same conclusions independently:

pinkfish said on Monday:

...while I hope Kerry turns out to win tomorrow, that isn't really my goal. I don't want to work for getting someone elected.

I hope Kerry wins tomorrow because it will reflect that America and Americans have decided that they don't want to live in a world where might makes right. That they don't want to change the constitution to remind themselves that they really aren't gay and how horrible being gay is. That they don't want to sell out to fear.

trapezebear said yesterday:

Yesterday, those people voted for him again, and so did a lot of others. Even if Kerry pulls it out in Ohio (the largest still-unclear state as I write), we have to face the reality that a lot of people in this country think that what Bush accomplished is either a) just fine, or b) better than the alternative.

Chris Bowers writes at MyDD:

Our activism kicked ass. Our ability to appeal to the center kicked ass. Our problem is that we are in the minority. ... The solution to our problems, the only solution that actually addresses our problems rather than criticizes us for not doing well at tasks where we actually excel, is to increase the number of liberals in this country at a more rapid pace than the number of conservatives are increasing. We must grow liberalism.

That's the problem in a nutshell. It's not just about campaign strategies, polling tactics, demographics and phone banking. It is about those things (and always will be) but it's also about the most basic, most classic problem: we just haven't convinced enough people. We haven't found the language to talk to them. We haven't figured out how to persuade them of the rightness of our issues. We don't have the votes. We just don't have the votes.

It pisses me off. I want to see a strong, functional, effective left wing in this country. I want to see a major American party represent progressive politics. I would prefer this to happen before I die. And judging from the last few years, well, baby, we got a long, long way to go.

I don't know what to do about it. I don't have a magic answer. But the first step, obviously, is to get involved again. I don't know how I can work political volunteer work into my life — right now I can't work time for my life into my life — but I can sure as hell try.

cos mentioned elsewhere that the Dean Meetups are still going on. Are you coming? I need somebody to keep me honest. :-)