Real Kato Blog: Election 2004 Wrap-Up

A lot of us are in mourning right now.

My live election report proved to be popular: I think I increased my readership by 600%. (That is to say, 6 additional people read it.) (Edit: apparently I accidentally deleted it at some point. Oh well.)

A message to all the people who didn't vote this year: P. Diddy will be dropping by later to kill you. Vote or Die, he said, remember?

I've been talking to lots of Democrats, and there is a lot of sadness, anger, disappointment, shock, and disillusionment. The general sentiment is, "what's the matter with this country?" I am hoping that today's sadness does not turn people away from the electoral process; we must remain the voice of the opposition (and the voice of reason) in this country. And while a lot of us are talking about moving to another country, if we did that, we would be stooping to the level of Republicans, by acting in our own self interests rather than trying to help the needy and downtrodden.

On NPR today, Robert Reich of Brandeis University echoed a sentiment that I've been repeating for some time now: the Republicans win because they have somehow managed to convince everyone that they are the party of morals. John Kerry tried to win on policy, but people didn't connect with him on morals. Democrats need to do a better job showing how health care for children, higher wages for the working class, and better international diplomacy are our moral obligations, not just good policy decisions. Presented in that light, I think even a lot of Republicans would find themselves agreeing with us.

Let us hope that the Democratic Party does not take too long to learn this lesson.

I will have a special message for people who voted for Bush, later tonight.

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