Election Feelings
I have really wanted to post my thoughts on the Presidential election, but truthfully my mind has been very clouded with a lot of anger and bitterness. IÕve watched some of the TV pundits, listened to talk radio, talked to several people, and read a lot of other peopleÕs thoughts about the outcome of the election and itÕs causes and ramifications. ItÕs all been said. Really. ItÕs exhausting, because people are still arguing with rhetoric and propaganda. IÕm sure IÕm guilty of it, too, probably right here in this entry, but I'll do my best to avoid it. IÕve written and deleted 3 posts completely, but now IÕm just going to get this out there and follow up with points as I feel like it.
I woke up on November 3, 2004 and checked the web for the election results. My prediction was correct, that even though I voted for Kerry, W was going to win. NPR confirmed it while I was driving to work, and I was honestly feeling a little down because of it. Perhaps I was taking things too personally; after all, I didnÕt lose the election. In fact I did my part by voting in a swing state. Walking into the lab was a really odd experience. Most days I get a smile or a quick hello from people I know, but today everyone just had a sullen look on his or her face. I was shocked that everyone was so sad, just like me.
Even after waiting a few days feel disappointed, disgusted, sad, and ashamed. Disappointed that fear beat hope. Disgusted that I can expect 4 more years of the same destructive policy decisions. Sad that innocent kids will continue to die while rich men get richer. Ashamed of the people I love who voted for a candidate that has a consistent record of limiting liberty, preventing honesty, and threatening civil rights.
To the rest of the world: 49% of us are really sorry.
Comments
(CBS) If Republicans and Democrats would focus on the things they have in common as Americans, they would be able to move the country forward after the bitterly divisive presidential campaign, says Dr. Phil McGraw, author, TV host and therapist.
"I think it is our finest hour when we can have this kind of difference of opinion, which is at a really core value level, and the next morning, everything is running just fine," McGraw tells The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler. "Everybody is going to school, everybody is going to work. It's the only country in the world that can you really expect that kind of reaction after a really huge difference in an election."
McGraw says he is not surprised that each side showed contempt for the other because the issues in this election are "things that really cut to some of our core values and beliefs, that really can make a difference. And it seems to threaten family, and family is the most important thing in people's lives."
The way to move on, he says, is simply to agree to disagree.
"People aren't going to see things exactly the same. But the point is we have to respect the other person's right to disagree and recognize that doesn't mean that they're less patriotic and it doesn't mean they love the country less and it doesn't mean that they're wrong," McGraw says. "It just means they're different from where we are. We have to respect people's right to disagree and understand that on other areas, very important areas, that we all have the same important priorities and, again, that's family, it's our health and making our lives and our children successful."
Americans have so much on which they agree that they don't need to focus on the disagreements, he says.
McGraw, whose TV show is in its third season, has just written a new book, "Family First," and is devoting a lot of his show to the concepts in the book. On Friday, a special segment looks at "How You Look Drunk." Thirty volunteers allowed cameras to follow their every move during a drinking experiment to capture how alcohol affects their inhibitions, skills, better judgment and personality.
"I want every parent to get their teenager by the ear and have them sit down and watch this show," McGraw says. "I want the adults to watch it, too, because we're coming into the holiday season. This is a time we've looked at a very important issue, and that's drinking and partying, and what you see in this show is the personality changes, the reasoning changes that go on throughout the evening."
©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Posted by: No One You Know | November 8, 2004 12:07 PM
Quoting Dr. Phil to me? Is this some sort of spam?
Posted by: Jeff | November 8, 2004 03:39 PM
No it's not SPAM...
it's the VOICE of reason.
God Bless Dr. Phil, God Bless America, and God Bless You
Posted by: No One You Know | November 8, 2004 04:55 PM