As I watched in complete dismay on Wednesday afternoon as George Bush accepted the presidency, tears welled up in my eyes. It is no consolation to me that I will spend the first one-eighth of his four years in office under the watchful eye of Tony Blair. Instead, I worry about the legislation that will slip through with an even stronger coalition of power-hungry Republicans in the House and Senate led by the relentless Bush-Cheney administration. I worry about those three Supreme Court justices’ projected retirements and who their replacements will be. I worry about what will happen to poor Missouri if Osama bin Laden follows through on his promise to attack any individual state that voted for Bush as president.
I started working on a concession of my own, and despite the vicious chants of “Four More Years!” that haunt the backdrop of this entire travesty, I feel I must be optimistic.
Bush won fair and square. He won the popular vote and swept the electoral. There was an enormous voter turnout for this election, and evidently, our nation sees George W. Bush as the best person to lead our country. Even though I disagree, this concept gives me hope. As John Kerry stated in his concession phone call to the president, a major problem in this country as it stands is the division that permeates its citizens. If 58,884,560 people believe that Bush can pull through and win the war on terror, then I applaud his ability to unify.
While everyone jokes about moving to Canada, I think the correct attitude instead is to make the best of what we have. This time in our history is one in which we need to stick together, and even if you would have rather seen Kerry delivering that acceptance speech, it’s time to suck it up and support our country, which means supporting the man running it.
I’m not suggesting that the entire nation suddenly turn Republican (ooh, shudder). My point is that these events in the Middle East are bigger and more important than party lines. Since we’re stuck with Bush as our president, I personally think we should support his efforts in Iraq and stand behind the troops that are fighting so hard to support us.
I don’t agree with Bush’s stance on abortion, taxes, vocabulary or verb agreement. I don’t agree with the war in Iraq. And yet, there’s nothing I can do about what’s already been done. So the best option as we move forward is to show my support for the country that I love so much. I still have great appreciation for my ability to make a difference in politics in America even if the bracelet lied and my voted didn’t really count. I’m grateful that I live in a place where I can vote.
Even in the face of defeat, the courage and grace of Kerry inspires me to remain hopeful. We still live in one of the best countries in the world, so don’t be ashamed to be an American-keep your heads held high, make the best of the situation and start campaigning for Obama 2008.