Shoulda had more dead people vote.
350,000 isn't enough.

I wish more democrats would win so there would be economic development in Philly. Republicans know nothing about creating jobs.

Kerry should have gotten Clinton's people in a lot sooner. I have to give them credit. They're fierce campaigners. In the end I think they proved too little too late.

I was hoping badly for a Kerry win. I thougt it would come because I thought Kerry would have made a decent president, he had a pretty good, modest health care plan, would have attempted to tackle the deficit and he would have helped salvage some of the damage that's been done to our international reputation.
I can not think of one positive thing that Bush has done in four years. He's turned a $550b surplus into a $500b deficit and what's to show for it? 9 milion more people have lost their health insurance and he's lost close to a milion jobs.
Are we any safer because of this war which has alienated us from our traditional allies and made the Muslim world despise us? Kind of doubt it. And can any thinking person believe that the occupation is anything but a complete disaster?
I've lived overseas for 26 of the my 30 adult years. I've lived in Japan now for the last 15 years, I've been in the military for four years, three of those overseas, and I've served in the Peace Corps for two. I've also studied and taught in Europe, Latin America and Asia so I guess I've seen a bit of the world from several points of view. I've never in all my time abroad seen or felt anyhing approachimg the level of animosity that the world feels towards us right now. Before this administration took over I've always felt that we were respected and liked.
Juan Cole in his 'Informed Comment' blog about the Middle East said yesterday that America was an island. A 3,00 mile long, 2,000 mile wide one but an island nonetheless. To most of us the world is something that happens on TV.
But I live in it and I see and feel what the world sees and feels about us. What they see is Abu Grahib, a country that has no regard for the Geneva conventions, cares little about what the world cares about, such as global warming, and has launched a reckless, unnecessary war followed by an unbelievably incompetent occupation. Reelecting Bush tells the world that we're okay with that stuff.
And how about OBL showing up all hale and hearty with a nice clean, sharp looking robe on, a little color to him, thumbimg his nose at us? The whole time we could have been hunting him down we're in iraq, looking for WMD that weren't there. And we reward Bush with four more years? I wonder about my country. And the rest of the world really does too.

The Kerry campaign made too many promises. Promising 95% of Americans health insurance is impossible without major changes to the system. The health insurance is broken and taxing people to give up to $1000 per person wouldn't have fixed the system. I'm self employed and have to buy health insurance on my own. I know what the flaws are in the system and Kerry wasn't addressing them.
Also the country is divided and in my opinion the country is divivded because of people like Jessie Jackson and his crew. I'm sure Jessie and his crew are on their way to Ohio to state how blacks were prevented from voting. In Philadelphia just last week Jessie Jackson was in Philadelphia stating how blacks were prevented from voting in Florida and cost Gore the election. Jessie Jackson's strategy is to create an uproar in the black community and get a big turnout. Well I guess people like myself hear about all these lies and I make sure all my families vote against Jessie's side.

People like Mikey Moore also hurt the Democrat party. When Mikey Moore makes a documentary with more holes than swiss cheese this turns people off. During the Democrat convention Mikey Moore was embraced like a celibrity and was sitting with Jimmy Carter. This does no good to the Democrat Party.

Having people like Jessie Jackson and Mikey Moore will divide people instead of uniting people and this is one major reason Kerry lost.

It's probably too early to say anything, but:

* Bush's Evangelical base came out for him bigtime. The Evangelical/Born Again crowd is a tough nut to crack; they have a strong ethic of "never criticize a Christian"; the more socially conservative someone is, the better "Christian" they are.

* The nutcase bishop who wanted to deny communion to Kerry was badly mishandled. They should have gone after him (and all religious authorities who want different treatment for Republicans and Democrats) hard. In general, Democrats handle religious issues badly.

* Either as misplaced objectivity or as pure partisanship, the media gave far too much exposure to the Swift Boat Veterans. The Dems need to ride herd on the media; the SVB and other tinfoil hat types are not news and do not have a "legitimate viewpoint".

* Needed more talking heads who know how to yell. Most political talk shows are right- wing shoutfests; Democrats are 'way to nice. They simply get yelled over.

In any case, what we are seeing is the triumph of Rovian politics -- sleazy, slimy, manipulative, and with a total unconcern for truth or real- world consequences. The media love it -- tabloid stories sell. The right- wing base won't listen to anybody else. How do we dig ourselves out of it? I have no idea.

One word - Diebold

The democrats will NEVER win the whitehouse if they don't nominate a southern moderate. We just repeated the lesson of McGovern, and Dukakis. Im surprised the vote was as close as it was. The democratic party needs to be rebuilt... and find a core message that is more in line with mainstream america.

I guess Osama Bin Laden got what he wanted. If Kerry would have gotten elected he would have tried to build a relationship with the other nations to help with Iraq. Keeping Bush in office means we will be in Iraq for years, which means we will be hated by the world. This adds fuel to bin ladens fire. Now he will have more recruits wating to kill Americans at any price. These people are on our soil right now. Get ready for more body bags.

I concur with C Donald. We shouldn't be asking what Kerry did wrong, but why Kerry won the nomination in the first place. Other Democrats I know are very discouraged and this disasterous campaign just might have spoiled Democratic chances (as a national party) for a generation.

Democrats blew it when they voted to authorize the Iraq war. Their lack of balls then allowed Bush to use their votes for his war against them. This effectively silenced most of them from hard-hitting criticism of an obviously shitty idea and even shittier performance. Hard to believe you can get elected just by killing 100,000 Iraqis and a thousand US soldiers.

If they had nominated Pete Rose for VP they would have won Ohio.

The first thing I thought as the pundits were explaining this "moral issues gap" is that the Democratic party will tell queer folks to sit down and shut up so they can find a way to win back the presidency. And sadly, I'm seeing it all over the blogosphere too...

The moral values of Democrats are ones that need to be framed correctly for that audience of voters that feels the party has gone secular. The GOP has plenty of immorality to show for itself regarding the environment, a living wage, stem cell research, etc. And don't forget the unbelievable immorality of the situation this administration created in Iraq.

It's not the gay community at fault here. It's the Democrats' timid response to the Religious Right's infiltration of the White House and the GOP, which has resulted in open intolerance and bigotry, and the blurring of the line between church and state, courtesy of Rove and Co. Just because the majority of the voters are "not ready for" gay rights, it does not mean they are correct in attempting to restrict them outright with super-DOMAs.

Democrats and tolerant people of faith, should never cease to stand up for those in the minority and for our core beliefs of inclusion. People in the faith community obviously struggled on both sides of the black civil rights movement, each side invoking their religious beliefs as justification for their position on integration.

I think the fact that most of the Dem candidates came off as queasy and slippery when addressing the gay marriage issue only emboldened Rove and Co to press it harder. It was clear that most Dems up for election in the red states felt gay rights was a "loser issue" -- they wanted our votes and our money, but were willing to cast gays and lesbians overboard in order to get elected (this was the case late in the game in NC for Bowles and Easley). At least the GOP was consistent in its beliefs and actions.

Hard to talk about exporting jobs when it was the Clinton people who enacted NAFTA on their watch.
Kerry`s own wife has the majority of her holdings in foreign contries. Hard to lower oneself to the middle class when you yourself are filthy rich.
Hard to live down your voting for taxes every time they come up. Taxing S.S. when most elderly people only have it for a income when they do retire.
And we only needed a appoligy for Kerry`s actions when he got out of the service. The medals were mute, should not have even been mentioned. The time spent on the service records of the two canadates was wasted time and effort. Simply that was a whole lot of BS diverting our attension from the things that needed addressed.
Something constructive could have been done with that time and effort.

Well, since I'm far too mature to gloat, i'll add my two cents: When in the hell are you people in the Democratic Party gonna wise up and get rid of Terry McAuliffe once and for all?!?!?

You lost seats in 2002 and now lost again.

Now, if you ask me what could he, as head of the DNC, done different, i'll tell you i have no fucking idea, but two losses in a row like that usually means someone has to fall, and it's usually someone way up at the top.

For once I agree with Jeff--Terry MacAuliffe was not a good leader for the Democrats. Perhaps we could win with another Southern centrist, but what the country actually needs is someone who will break through the prevailing centrism in some more politically possible way than a Nader or Kucinich could. But at this point, I would be willing (as I was before the election) to ignore any leftist leanings in the hopes of ridding the country of theocrats and McKinleyesque oligarchs.

They sent their thugs to FL, PA and OH to kick Dems out of line and hand them a provisional ballot which now is glaringly apparent they had no intention of counting.

FOX called OH for Bush while people were still in line voting. Why? Because it was the heavily Dem precincts who were still voting and they had to do it before those precincts started reporting.

Like 2000, they just stopped the game in the third quarter because at that time they were up a few points. I hope Kerry does not concede. The votes are there.

Even with inauditable Diebold machines, a majority of the early votes, the absenteee votes and the provisional votes will be for Kerry. If what Michael Moore says is true, we don't have to worry about the military overseas ballots.

Turn out the lights...the Party's over.

Now that it's all over, let's take a look at the latest chapter in the Democratic handbook, "How to Lose to a President Nobody Likes - Even a Little". Pollsters say only 17% of the nation's youth (18 to 25) cast their votes yesterday. Maybe in the future, political parties should treat this sect like "real people" and not fantasizing children. The reason most college students din't vote (in my estimation) is that they would rather have the opportunity to discuss ISSUES, rather than see celebrities. For the record, I too (and I'm WAY OVER 25) would never consider an election important if it were presented as THE BOSS vs. THE TERMINATOR.

If the rest of the world was so pro-Kerry, as I have been hearing on the news, they should have promised troops to fix up the mess in Iraq contingent on Kery being elected as the next president.

nanner nanner nah nah ! dem's choice of candidate was the problem

Here are my thoughts on yesterday´s election. I am saddened by what happened, although it is not a huge surprise. The dumbing down of the USA is gaining momentum.

Voting observations:
Kerry wins the entire industrial northeast, center for the majority of banking and universities. The states with the highest number of college graduates, highest standards of living, etc. are all very strongly pro-Kerry. Of the top ten states with highest income, 9 of 10 voted for Kerry, plus the District of Columbia. Of the lowest ten states with poorest incomes, all of them voted for Bush (New Mexico looks like it will go Republican).
In terms of states with the highest number of college graduates, 8 of the top ten voted for Kerry, 15 of the top 20 voted for Kerry, and of the ten states with LOWEST percentage of college graduates, ALL TEN voted for Bush.

You can clearly see looking at the US map, that the entire South and most of the West voted for Bush. Almost all of the industrial centers and richer areas voted for Kerry (the Northeast, Michigan, California). In fact, taking a look at the closest states and even some states that voted for Bush, the same pattern repeats itself: within states the counties with the highest income levels and highest % of college graduates voted for Kerry. Here are some examples:


Florida
Wealthy, cosmopolitan areas like South Florida, Palm Beach, Broward County, university and college counties like Tallahassee (Leon and Jefferson Counties) and Gainesville (Alachua County).

Pennsylvania
The big cities (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Erie), wealthy areas (Delaware, Bucks and Montgomery counties), the industrial east (Lackawanna, Lehigh and Luzerne counties).

Ohio
The largest city and its´ suburbs (Cuyahoga county where Cleveland is and Loraine, Summit and Portage surrounging counties), the state university center (Franklin county), the fourth largest city (Lucas county where Toledo is) and a toss-up for the second largest city (Hamilton county where Cincinnati is).


Iowa
The largest urban areas (Des Moines and Dubuque were strongly Kerry), the university center (Johnson County where U of Iowa is).

Michigan
The largest urban areas (Wayne County where Detroit is located, Kalamazoo, Saginaw), the University of Michigan (Washtenaw county), Michigan State University (Ingham County), Northern Michigan University (Marquette County).

Colorado
The largest urban areas (Denver, Boulder, Summit counties), the University of Colorado (Boulder county), Colorado State University (Fort Collins was the area within Larimer county where Kerry did the best).

So you can easily reach he conclusion that the vast majority of educated, well-off Americans voted for Kerry. The vast majority of uneducated, poorer Americans voted for Bush. Our president was put in place by legions of uneducated, ignorant citizens who buy the public relations spin about the so-called "terrorist threats" and "strong leadership" of Bush, and who bristle at social issues such as abortion, same-sex marriages and stem cell research. It is ironic, since they will also be the ones LEAST affected by the tax breaks for small companies and the wealthiest Americans. They are also very highly disproportionate among the armed forces serving and dying in Iraq. It is the sons and daughters of the poorest and least educated who are bleeding in Iraq. The poorest families are being hurt the most by job losses (they don´t have as much savings as the wealthier families), the ones most affected by cuts to social security (they don´t have health care in a higher proportion than the educated wealthy).

It is funny, since our country´s fate is determined by legions of gun-toting hicks in pickup trucks, while millions of influential college-educated citizens have to sit back and watch as "Dubya" destroys what little regard the entire world has for our country. The percentage of Americans who actually travel to other countries are bearing the brunt of the world´s vehement disapproval of President Bush while those who vacation at Dollyland are content as hell. It is funny how the Dixie Chicks were some of the strongest voices opposing President Bush and his reckless politics in the Middle East, yet it is precisely their listeners and the Dixie Chick demographic which assured Bush of his re-election.

Let's face it... Kerry wasn't exactly the most exciting candidate. I really think he should have convinced us of his competency instead of beating the "Bush is bad" issue with a stick. I mean, I already knew that, but I sure as hell didn't know what the hell Kerry stood for.

*shrugs*

Republicans are SO much better at controlling the message. We have a long way to go before we catch up with them.

In the meantime, cheer up:
1972 - Nixon reelected with 520 electoral votes, taking every state but Massachusetts in a bitter "values-based" "Silent Majority" against "Hippie Peaceniks" the election.

1973 - Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns after pleading no contest to bribery charges.

1974 - Nixon resigns in disgrace after Watergate investigation points right back to him. Dems take control of the House in mid-term elections.

You never know. History has a way of repeating itself.

The past does not equal the future. I think the next four years will present challenges and opportunities that none of us has even considered.

Who in November 2000 ever thought an attack like 9/11 would ever occur? I certainly didn’t. Our enemies are not dead. They are planning our destruction and we are (I hope) planning theirs.

I suggest we keep our seat belts firmly fastened. There is likely to be a lot of turbulence ahead.

Its hard to believe that Bush was reelected after the disater that is Irag, loss of jobs etc.The surplus to deficit And losing all the debates which everyone said would be important.

Was Kerry that bad ?

It makes you wonder about the intelligence of the people inthis country.

Michael and his elitist ilk are a prime reason I didn't support Kerry. I'm not a partisan (voted for multiple Democrats yesterday). I'm not a poor, uneducated hick (ivy league educated yuppie). But I am basically a populist. And the elitism expressed by those running the national Democratic party is a big reason why a majority of Americans are apparently loathe to vote Democratic in a national election.

Republicans are the party of the american dream. They support people who are not yet wealthy, but hope to be so one day, including entrepeneurs and immigrants (particularly Hispanic, Asian, Indian, etc. immigrants). Democrats are the party of rich elitists who have already "made it" in America, working in coalition with union types and African Americans who never expect to "make it" in America, but rather hope to thrive off government largesse. The Democrats will need to somehow overhaul this bizare coalition if they hope to reach average Americans.

"Terry McAuliffe once and for all?!?!?" AMEN to that. Terry McAuliffe has led the Dems down the wrong path. He should Go. I blame him for this loss.

If the hurricanes hadn't happened, Kerry would have had Florida in the bag.

KERRY TRIED TO TALK ECONOMICS AND OTHER ISSUES BUT ROVE HAD BUSH WRAP HIMSELF AROUND THE FLAG -TALK NOTHING BUT TERROR AND USED GUILE AND ALL OTHER MEANS TO SCARE PEOPLE.

IN FLORIDA THEY HAD MANY ELDERLY CONVINCED A CHANGE WOULD BRING TERROR TO FLORIDA.

IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS I BELIEVE YOU WILL FIND MANY PEOPLE VOTED FOR THE TERROR CARD AND IT DIDN'T HELP THAT SENATOR KERRY WAS NOT
SOMEONE WHO WOWED PEOPLE.

ANYWAY- IT IS FITTING THAT THE MAN WHO GAVE US A BOGUS WAR- HUGE DEFICITS-AN NATION DIVIDED AND ONE FULL OF RANCOR-- NOW FACE THE PROSPECTS OF DEALING WITH HIS OWN MESS.

So let me get this straight, people who voted for Bush are a bunch of toothless, uneducated religious zealots.

Here's a newsflash for all of you self-important enlightened 'intellectual' liberals: It wasn't Diebold, voter intimidation, Karl Rove's dirty tricks, or any other conveinent boogeyman that caused Kerry to lose. By catering to the ultra-liberal left wing of the party the Democrats have written off the South and Heartland, THAT is why they lost. You are all so busy drinking Terry McAuliffe's Koolaid that you cannt see the obvious. I'm sure lots of you are saying today: "How could Bush have won, I don't know anyone who voted for him."

But I'm just a Red-state simpleton (in Georgia), why listen to me?

Bush was an extremely vulnerable incumbent, and with good reason. I say this as a moderate who voted for him in 2000 (and regrets it).

So it's disheartening that the D's couldn't find a better, more appealing candidate. Anyone halfway decent could have beaten Bush.

Kerry just didn't come across well, and it wasn't all his fault:

-not especially personable

-didn't connect well with electorate

-an offbeat wife, compared to lovely Laura

-MASS courts bad timing on the gay marriage thing

-didn't run a great campaign

Couldn't the D's see this coming? Couldn't they find a better candidate?

I'm very sad to see a bumbling puppet like W. back in power. I have two teenage sons and I am worried that they will end up in Iraq or Iran or Syria or whatever oil producing country our disraceful president decides to say "Bring it on" next...

A better Vice-President selection, Edwards could not even deliver his own state. North Carolina's 15 electoral votes (a 30 vote swing) would have us still waiting for Iowa and New Mexico

The suggestion that Dems find a Southern moderate to run sounds good. now tell me who? Clinton can't run again and Gore was a disaster. There is a dumbing down of America. People used to look to someone who projected intelligence, a knowledge of the world and how to deal with it. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, even Nixon at least projected that they could deal with anything and Americans looked to them for leadership. Now, all we have to look forward to in the future are "aw shucks" good-ol' boy candidates, guys who'd be fun to party with? I don't want to party with a president. I want someone who can govern, who can deal with the nations of the world. We used to have statesmen: Goldwater, Dirksen, Kennedy, Mansfield, etc. Now we have Delay, Santorum, Daschle (not anymore), Bush and Cheney. Name me a statesman among that group. The only current one might be Colin Powell, but Cheney and Rumsfeld cut him off at the knees and he's getting out. man, I feel sorry for this country. Maybe after a term or two new Illinois senator Obama will project, but there's no one now.

Kerry coulda done several things:

During one debate, he coulda defined the word "liberal" and explained how it described the excessive growth of non-homeland security government, under Dubya.

He coulda mentioned that Dubya wasn't looking to give up his gov't healthcare (Hillary beat him to it, but the media play was pretty limited).

He coulda come to the convention with well-defined, yet simplified plans, for the country.

He shoulda realized that serving in a war does not a leader make.

He (his people) shoulda realized that he and big media were wasting time with the whole swift boat mess.

He could blasted a large whole in anyone of Dubya's numerous campaign ads and demanded that Dubya explain where he got the wrong info/intel (again).

He coulda asked why Dubya was "preaching" and speaking on behalf of God all of the time.

He woulda won if he kept it short, sweet, and simple (but not stupid). In general, the American voting public is not a cerebral bunch.

I don't agree 100% with Bush on the war. I think the tax cuts for the rich are wrong. I am unwilling to buy the GOP line about trickle down economics. I believe tax cuts require spending cuts.

I still voted for W. because of the "moral issues". I don't believe abortion should be legal, and Kerry was fervently committed to keeping it legal. In a side note, I found it really hard to buy into Kerry's professed "faith" as a Catholic when the doctrine of his church and the texts upon which its creeds are based stand staunchly opposed to abortion.

Kerry had a plan for everything. He wouldn't give much info about his plans... just direct you to his website to read about them. Most fast-paced Americans had no time to check out his plans on the internet.

Repair kit:
-- Yes, get rid of McAuliff. Replace with Carville.
-- Give Bush a lot of rope to hang himself.
-- Dems should not back off of various lawsuits.
-- Insist that Bush clean up his own mess before leaving the presidency in '08 and make a big stink about it.
-- Hold the media accountable. Dems should fire off many lawsuits against the media, even if the media looks at them cross-eyed. Sue the hell out of them. Hit them where it hurts the worst... in the pocketbook.
-- Not big on a Southern figure for dem prez. Look at crazy-eyed Zell Miller as example... too many republicans in democrat clothing.
-- Be prepared for 12 more years of republicans and watch your wallets at the same time.
-- Try to remember, what goes around, comes around. Their day is coming too... it's a matter of time.
-- Encourage Ralph Nader to move into the dem party and run him in '08 as a dem candidate. Why? Because I don't see anyone down the line with the dems that the republicans can't and won't trash worse than they did Kerry. Repugs have already dared the dems to try to run Hillary.
-- Dems have to offer Americans something different from Repugs. Stop trying to be like repugs. If there's no difference, why vote dem?

As a libertarian who voted Rep as the lesser of two evils, I am dissappointed and feel let down by the Democratic party. In a race in which so many people claimed to passionately hate President Bush, the Dem's lack of policy, vision and connection with mainstream America not only failed in unseating the President, it also lost Daschle's seat in S.D. First time ever for a head of party in the Senate.

The 'passionate mis-information' spouted by Michael (above) and others in the Dem party is part of the problem. I took 2 minutes to go to CNN's exit polls. Michael's entire diatribe about the dumbing down of America is just factually incorrect. The statistics will show anyone "smart enough to look them up" that higher income people voted for Bush, college grads were split 49% - 49% and that the biggest difference was clearly race in which 58% of whites voted for Bush and 88% of African-Americans voted for Kerry.

The problem isn't America being 'dumb', it's the Democrating party not having a position or platform other than "we hate the other guy". Check out the statistics on how many Kerry voters didn't actually vote for Kerry or the Democratic party, but voted againsty Bush. You can't win an election that way.

Here's to someone at the DNC waking up and figuring it out.

Taking issue:

The comment further up that Laura Bush is lovely, compared to Kerry's wife Theresa, is laughable. Are Stepford Wives lovely? Considering that Stepford Wives have the IQ of a wooden bobble head, (lovely) is lost on Laura Bush. Theresa is attractive, highly intelligent, fluently speaks 5 different languages and has her OWN opinions. Her head never bobbles. You have to admire a candidate's wife who has her own opinions and dares to express and back them up. Anytime a reporter asks Laura a searching question, her head begins to bobble and her answer is pure Stepford.

The democratic party is a big fat mess. It has lost it's moderate wing. It doesn't have three unifying themes other than we hate traditional people and their values. The party can't agree on the war in Iraq, on a strategy for the war on terror. It doesn't know what to do with gay marriage, partial birth abortion, or Social Security. Kerry couldn't say anything with any passion because half the party doesn't agree with any one of the pet issues that the special intrests in the party hold most dear. It's not just that Kerry didn't have any core values, the party doesn't! What's more, the party is intellectually bankrupt when it comes to solving the problems that face our nation.

Finally, the United States of America is the greatest nation on the planet and our traditional values have been the greatest cause for our prosperity. Dems should start acting and speaking like they believe that what we have going is better than what "they" have across the pond. Europe is a bigger mess than the democratic party. Their politcal system is balkanized disaster. The French hate the British, and the Germans hate the Italians and the Italians can't stand the French, etc. The fact that they don't like us really just means we can now apply to be a part of the EU. Their governments can't get anything done. Racism is far more of a problem for them than it is for us. Their socialized healthcare system is bankrupting their economy. Heck the French created most of the mess in the Middle East and North Africa. Why would we look to them for leadership in fixing anything!

We should work for healthy relationships with governments around the world, but Americans do not want to be europeans. We do not share their values and for good reasons. And the sooner the Democratic party quits kissing Europe's butt, the better.

I really don't think that the US kisses Europe's butt. Before Bush, the US was only guilty of respecting Europe. France and Germany have been our allies far to long to deserve the attitude Bush gave them. Right now the only respect for other nations from the Bush administration is for the Saudis... you know... the nation with Royalty, oil, and big bucks.

White Knight, I hate to let you in on a secret, but you miss the ball on international politics. France is a pain to us now because they want to lead the EU and we don't give them the respect they need to appear legitimate in the eyes of the other members. n Why should we? They, as well as Germany, have done little but cost us money. They are not so much allies as they are dependents. Look into the standing armies of these countries and you will understand. They are all tiny, because we defend them. We supply their military might and protection. Read up a bit.

Michael's post and many recent press articles (e.g., the NYTimes quotes New Yorkers saying things like "New Yorkers are just more savvy than the heartland" or "we just think more globally" etc.) are clear examples of the elitist arrogance of many democrats. It's interesting to note, however, that for all their self proclaimed cultural and intellectual superiority, they fail to realize that without the inner-city vote, the welfare state vote, the union vote, the youth (read: idealistic, but inexperienced) vote, the pdiddy (felon), Al Sharpton (race-baiter), Ben Affleck (and his Hollywood ilk) vote -- hardly (with all due respect) the highly educated vote -- many of the so called "blue" states go "red."

Posts like Michael's display an elitism that really does blind them to certain facts. For example, Democrats still don't get just how offensive Clinton was to many decent Americans. Here was a President that cheated on his wife while getting his dick sucked in the oval office. To many Americans - and no matter how the NYTimes, Inquirer, etc. tried to spin this grotesque behavior -- Clinton was disgusting and he disrespected an office that most Americans respect very much.

Michael: tell yourself whatever makea you feel better about Kerry's loss. But if you continue to genuinely feel superior to the morons in the heartland, at least be smart enough to prepare yourself for democrats losing more elections in the future because your (and the so called elite media's) arrogance does not go unnoticed. Final question: if the heartland is filled with simple morons where is the democratic representation? And here I thought the democratic party was the "party of the people." Turns out, the "people" they represent have nothing but disdain for good, decent folks.

Democrat voters should have been informed of the ramifications of a Bush win. A big winner for Kerry in this battleground state only spells disaster for future funding if Bush wins the Presidency. Worse, Republicans had and now solidifided their House and Senate power, not only did the voters cut their throats for future money for Pa. but they will not see power for years. Why weren't they informed before they landslided Kerry of the dangers??? Then to make matters worse, they re-elect Specter, a Rep.

Democrat voters should have been informed of the ramifications of a Bush win. A big winner for Kerry in this battleground state only spells disaster for future funding if Bush wins the Presidency. Worse, Republicans had and now solidifided their House and Senate power, not only did the voters cut their throats for future money for Pa. but they will not see power for years. Why weren't they informed before they landslided Kerry of the dangers??? Then to make matters worse, they re-elect Specter, a Rep.

Nothing could have changed the results of this election. Well, okay, nothing normal. President Bush could have been caught with a teenage boy in a compromising position. Dick Cheney getting a little too chummy with Condy Rice on film at 11 might have done it. But those are the kinds of things that happen to LIBeral Democrats. You know, your Bill Clinton and Jim McGreevey types. The best man won, thank God. Four more years, minimum, of strong, determined leadership from the party that has it right. The majority of the American voting public got it right. The Democrats just cannot seem to get it right though. They are just leaning waaaaaay too far left. Can't wait for Hillary's run in '08. Now THAT would guarantee another Republican victory!

One more thing...I am completely embarrassed with Philadelphia. Folks around here following their LIBeral rag newspapers, union leaders, local tainted politicians, etc like sheep to the slaughter.

WAKE UP, PHILADELPHIA!

Once again, it's morning in America, and you have decided to sleep in.....

Kerry got his clock cleaned in the same way MacGovern, Mondale, and Dukakas had theirs done, because they're liberal tax and spenders, and the average american voter saw through their con. Liberals like Kerry, University Professors, Hollywood glitterati snobs, the homosexual crowd like DiCaprio, Springsteen, and the overwhelming number of the liberal Democratic Party controlled news media, all seem to think that the average american is stupit. The american people rejected the idea that the Kerry's of this world are Americas Aristocracy and should lead all of us unwashed millions, and that they are better than we are--that they're doo-doo doesn't stink. Liberals are always shocked and surprised when average americans don't genuflect and kow-tow to their highnesses, and accept their ideas as gospel, as the majority of voters did by re-electing Bush rather than "the liberals chosen leader". While the average american voter wisely chose George W. Bush, the lemings, the simple-minded, and the eazily-led liberal camp-followers voted instead for someone chosen for them by Americas Aristocrats to lead them into the promised land. The average americans have shown over and over again that they reject and don't trust liberal candidates and ideas in every election, and yet the liberal Democrats keep nominating them. Bill Clinton got elected only because he confinced the voters that he was a moderate. How dumb can you get!!!

Why did the GOP win this one? The question should be "why did the Dems lose?" The Democratic party has taken a holier than thou approach to public discourse that doesn't really pan out on close examination. Dems have to clean house if they want to be taken seriously.

For example, Rendell could have been the Guiliani for the party except that Rendell has an albatross around his neck named John Street. Rendell will have to propose addressing Philadelphia corruption in a strong, meaningful fashion for the rest of the nation to engage Rendell's ideas.

People look at Philly, or the other urban centers that pulled for Kerry, and think, "wow, if this is what the Democrats are good at, I'm voting the diametrical opposite no matter what."

Without honest campaign finance reform at the state and local level that doesn't just aim for the opposition funding sources (ie the Nutter bill), the Democrats will be justly labeled hypocrites.

Philly doles out goodies to party hacks and is proud of it's "tradition." This plays to the rest of the nation as dishonest. It is dishonest. When Kerry swung through here and stood on the podium with John Street, I knew it would cost him. CNN reported John Street as being investigated by the FBI, and that is what the rest of the country knows about Philly. Our mayor is corrupt. To the rest of the country, there is no "allegedly" about it. The local media sounds like they are just pandering to Street's words but not examining his actions.

When will the Dems wise up and clean up? Why support candidates who are corrupt just because they can deliver the black vote? When Bush talks about the soft bigotry of low expectations, he hit the mark among people who demand a better quality leader, who demand that the Dems support politicians who are minority and who are honest. Ordinary people demand both. Period.

Dems appear cynical and compromised, and ordinary people reject this who are not seeped in the ideology of the unquestioning true believer.

Dems have to have the courage to criticize a black politician who is dishonest, even though he is black. Until they can be confident enough to speak with the candor of Bill Cosby, the average taxpayer will not vote to shovel our share to that sort of government.

I know I can't pull the lever for a president who will funnel federal block grants to a mayor who sees to it that his contributors get the cash and donate heavily to the local Democratic party. What they do with the money is incidental. And it shows. Philly is dirty, blighted after the rest of the country is booming with new real estate from historically low interest rates, and taxes are killer.

How can I vote for a well-intentioned guy who seems so out of it? Kerry had no vision for honestly addressing real problems. Personal responsibility is the minimal expectation that Clinton worked from. Kerry used the tired old nanny government concept. If the Dems don't become more centrist, and don't address their local party flaws with total honesty, I won't be back to vote for them myself.

May I propose some talking points? Here are the values I voted for: Marriage. It works for kids. Let's honor it before starting families. Pride. Proud people keep their communities tidy and nice. They don't make excuses for drugs, crime, and deadbeats. Taxes. Collect what is owed before begging the federal government for more money. Philly has neighborhoods with nearly a 40% property tax delinquency rate. Responsibility. Almost half of people are behind on their gas bill here. Come on! Practical education. Get one. Otherwise, don't beg to be taken care of by your government.

No one owes you anything. You were born with your restitution for whatever slight you feel you have inherited. It's called your citizenship. Other people pay tens of thousands for the chance to have what you have. Stand tall and if you must criticize your country, do it respectfully and graciously. People will appreciate your tact. People are sick of the snotty snideness of the liberal whiner. It obscures your message. Get it now?

Dems appear to want to keep policies that favor their dependable blocks of votes. Here in Philly, Dems fight property tax collection no matter how high the bill, fight collecting long overdue gas bills, fight audits of their agencies that are not open and accountable, fight sunshine and open government provisions, and fight meaningful campaign finance reform and ethics. Although locals were willing to forgive this, the rest of the nation was not.

No one is clamoring to imitate the governance and outcomes of the local Dem strongholds, like Philly. Wise up, folks, and clean up. Or continue to lose. It's your call.

Feger:

A few descrepencies from you:

Bush cleaned Kerry's clock? You'd better do some research. According to the near-final counts, Bush got 59.1 million of the popular vote in the country. Kerry got 55.5 million. That translates to Bush 51% Kerry 48% = 3% more than Kerry. Those figures do not qualify as cleaning someone's clock and certainly does not qualify as Bush having a mandate. Yes, Bush received more votes than other presidential candidates. Guess who is second? John Kerry.

Taxes? Do you realize that GW Bush has run the US deficit to almost 8 trillion dollars? Who do you think is going to pay that debt down? Every baby entering this world for quite some time will automatically start life with his/her share of the national debt at $170,000 each. You and I will pay it down for many years too, so you, me and our grandchildren are in hock up to our necks. Oh that's right... maybe the magic money fairy will pay it.

Liberal media? A liberal media is a myth perpetrated by the right wing. Who owns the media? Corporations. And corporations donated to and backed Bush in both elections. Bush pledges allegance to corporations for that reason. So corporately owned media spins Bush.

Kerry's aristocracy? Yes, he is well off financially. It is important to point out that we don't know how much Bush is worth. He had all of his financial and other affairs sealed in his father's library and he stands to inherit millions more from his parents. We're talking fortunes made from oil and oil futures, Carlyle, etc. Bush is not the poor folk you may think he is. He was a millionaire right after he sold the Texas baseball team and there was plenty of dirty dealing there. Note: Theresa Heinz Kerry had John sign a pre-nuptual agreement before they were married. J. Kerry does not own what Theresa owns. Legally, he has no claim to the millions that she has. It does not belong to him. They own two homes together and that's it. The rest of the various homes are owned explicitly by her and her sons will inherit her money and property... not John.

Why things are just as bad and potentially to get worse after the recent presidential election? Why are the Republican lawmakers, whom the American voters recently put in power, running amok with their selfish, will?
The equation here is pure and simple: To some this seems almost impossible to believe, but in this country there were more filthy rich Republicans that voted than were poor, near destitute Democrats.

You can also visit some relevant pages dedicated to auto loan auto loan http://www.doobu.com/auto-loan.html cash loan cash loan http://www.doobu.com/cash-loan.html college loan college loan http://www.doobu.com/college-loan.html home finance home finance http://www.doobu.com/home-finance.html home mortgage home mortgage http://www.doobu.com/home-mortgage.html loans calculator loans calculator http://www.doobu.com/loans-calculator.html mortgage mortgage http://www.doobu.com/mortgage.html mortgage loan mortgage loan http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-loan.html mortgage rates mortgage rates http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-rates.html payday advance payday advance http://www.doobu.com/payday-advance.html payday advance loan payday advance loan http://www.doobu.com/payday-advance-loan.html payday cash loan payday cash loan http://www.doobu.com/payday-cash-loan.html payday loan payday loan http://www.doobu.com/payday-loan.html payday loans payday loans http://www.doobu.com/payday-loans.html refinancing refinancing http://www.doobu.com/refinancing.html reverse mortgage reverse mortgage http://www.doobu.com/reverse-mortgage.html second mortgage second mortgage http://www.doobu.com/second-mortgage.html second mortgages second mortgages http://www.doobu.com/second-mortgages.html student loan student loan http://www.doobu.com/student-loan.html bad credit auto loan bad credit auto loan http://www.doobu.com/bad-credit-auto-loan.html bad credit mortgage bad credit mortgage http://www.doobu.com/bad-credit-mortgage.html best mortgage rates best mortgage rates http://www.doobu.com/best-mortgage-rates.html fast cash loan fast cash loan http://www.doobu.com/fast-cash-loan.html fast payday loan fast payday loan http://www.doobu.com/fast-payday-loan.html faxless payday loans faxless payday loans http://www.doobu.com/faxless-payday-loans.html home equity loans home equity loans http://www.doobu.com/home-equity-loans.html home loans home loans http://www.doobu.com/home-loans.html jumbo loan jumbo loan http://www.doobu.com/jumbo-loan.html loan calculator loan calculator http://www.doobu.com/loan-calculator.html mortgage calculator mortgage calculator http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-calculator.html mortgage calculators mortgage calculators http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-calculators.html mortgage loans mortgage loans http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-loans.html mortgage quote mortgage quote http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-quote.html mortgages mortgages http://www.doobu.com/mortgages.html no faxing payday loan no faxing payday loan http://www.doobu.com/no-faxing-payday-loan.html ...

human growth hormone risks aging anti growth hormone human medicine http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/growth_hormone_human_saizen.html human growth hormone supplements body building growth hormone human http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/human_growth_hormone_supplementation.html and .... injectable human growth hormone side effects of human growth hormone http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/it_is_not_actual_human_growth_hormone_but_yields.html human growth hormone review human growth hormone side effects http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/buy_human_growth_hormone.html human growth hormone supplement human growth hormone studies http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/growth_hormone_human.html.Thanks.

growth hormone human humatrope human growth hormone for children http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/human_growth_hormone_for_weight_loss.html human growth hormone replacement hgh enhancer is human growth hormone at its finest http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/hgh_human_growth_hormone.html and .... human growth hormone oral spray growth hormone human testimonial http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/growth_hormone_human.html side effects human growth hormone aging anti growth hormone human medicine http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/homeopathic_human_growth_hormone.html human growth hormone oprah ultimate human growth hormone http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/human_growth_hormone_for_weight_loss.html.Thanks.

human growth hormone new england journal of medicine human growth hormone and weight loss http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/growth_hormone_human_price.html human growth hormone powder growth hormone human woman http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/human_growth_hormone_new_england_journal_of_medicine.html and .... human growth hormone australia growth hormone human loss weight http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/human_growth_hormone_amino_acids.html human growth hormone studies body building growth hormone human http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/information_on_human_growth_hormone.html human growth hormone for sale human growth hormone pill http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/grow_growth_hormone_human_taller.html.Thanks.

human growth hormone supplements growth hormone human shot http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/information_on_human_growth_hormone.html growth hormone human safe growth hormone human loss weight http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/human_growth_hormone_injections.html and .... human growth hormone for child growth hormone human sale http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/human_growth_hormone_supplier.html article growth hormone human canada growth hormone human http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/growth_hormone_human_renewal.html human growth hormone review human growth hormone safety http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/hgh_enhancer_is_human_growth_hormone_at_its_finest.html.Thanks.

human growth hormone for child growth hormone human purchase http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/it_is_not_actual_human_growth_hormone_but_yields.html boosters growth hormone human human growth hormone and weight loss http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/growth_hormone_human_humatrope.html and .... human growth hormone research fda growth hormone human http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/human_growth_hormone_steroid.html ultimate human growth hormone growth hormone human releasers http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/human_growth_hormone_dangers.html what is human growth hormone human growth hormone facts http://gorlumsosichlen.ipupdater.com/11/dosage_growth_hormone_human.html.Thanks.

Online Casinos

Online Casinos | Online Casino - Online Casino