can't cry anymore

[aruan]

We finally disbanded at 2:40 a.m. and you know, despite having been at the office for most of the night, I have no idea what's going to be in the paper tomorrow. There was Taco Bell, there was pizza, there was errant Halloween candy, there were ten of us in Sarah's office, a room no bigger than 11x10 feet, all glued to a tiny television and flipping between election projections.

Conclusions? Tom Brokaw has access to a very special stash of speed for looking as awake and unrumpled as he does approximately six hours past his bedtime, everyone should watch elections with Jasmine for the sound effects and indignant outbursts, CNN is our election authority with by far the fairest projections and most useful Web site, provisional votes are merely a formality, and we're a nation of a stupid, narrow-minded majority. Besides the assorted bans on gay marriage, a Florida amendment requiring minors to notify their parents if they've decided to get an abortion passed. Someone in the office suggested this necessitating lowering the voting age to 11, which sounds about in keeping with curtailing that particular liberty. You know, the one that attempts to tell me what I can do with my own body and life.

So many things that happened tonight make no sense to me. An ailing economy, a lie of a war, a disappearing middle class, a continued curtailing of civil liberties, and people are voting for this man because they trust him? To do what, make a mistake and be too stubborn to fix it, even if it means running the country into the ground? I'm still as mystified as ever as to the mindset of the Bush contingent. Nothing about their decision makes sense to me. Nothing.

Some idiot double-parked and blocked my car in. There was a girl smoking a cigarette in the parking lot who first offered to direct me backing out, which wasn't gonna happen, then to give me a ride to work when UPD said they'd come out "sometime tonight" to tow said offender. That was the singular bright spot in my day. No thanks to anyone who voted Republican for playing, and if you'll excuse me, there's apparently a test in Online Comm tomorrow afternoon. Fuck. Me.

Comments

[saturn92103.livejournal.com]

Tom Brokaw has access to a very special stash of speed for looking as awake and unrumpled as he does approximately six hours past his bedtime

I don't know what I'll do when I can't get my news from Tom Brokaw.

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

I don't generally watch the early evening newscasts, so I don't know much about Brokaw vs. Rather vs. anyone else. As far as broadcast news, it's Anderson Cooper I adore, and the CNN anchors don't bother me too much. But Brokaw looked immaculate and spoke terrifically.

[krissi518.livejournal.com]

So, you pulled an all-nighter just like me, eh?

I too am completely dumbfounded as to why people voted for Bush. If he is re-elected, I am seriously considering moving to Canada or possibly a European country.

I'm really disappointed. With the amount of people the Democrats registered to vote, I thought for sure Kerry would win. Guess I'll start looking for my "Don't blame me, I didn't vote for him" t-shirt. :/

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

Yeah, finally called it around 6:30 when they called Wisconsin for Kerry but were leaning Republican for Ohio.

And see, that's what's not the answer. Moving to Canada or Australia or wherever will do nothing to deter the course of this nation, which as I said, were it a small upstart Russian republic would be one thing, but it's not, and it's equally unafraid of oppressing foreign citizens as its own.

Yeah, large voter turnout is usually indicative of Democratic victory. But the Republicans ran a better campaign, they mobilized more people, and for god only knows what reason, despite that 250% voter registration hike, an unprecendent number of young people among them, it didn't make a lick of difference. It brought interesting issues to light, like what this country really looks like, how it really thinks. We're apparently more Puritan than we like to forget.

[science-vixen.livejournal.com]

I think Jakkal put it quite nicely in his Journal.
"We are fucked."

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

And see, it's a good thing I waited to reply. Because while I was upset election night and angry for the past couple of days - feelings which, no, have not entirely abated - I've got a much healthier perspective. Whether that's just my own necessity to cling to hope that the world won't imminently collapse around me or something rational, only time will tell, but at the end of the day, while I don't necessarily believe in him, I choose to believe it the minority who concurs with me, who choose to make themselves heard more than once every four years. I choose to have faith in the rest of the possibilities of my country.

[science-vixen.livejournal.com]

I choose to believe it the minority who concurs with me, who choose to make themselves heard more than once every four years

True enough. Almost half of those who voted tried to change things for the better. And even though some people have expressed their dismay that outside the US 'all americans are thought of as dumb or evil', I know better.
You're very right to think that Political interest and expression is not something to reserve for for the months leading up to a Presidential election. Your elected officials should be working for you, and should be held accountable as soon as they shirk responsibilities, or just plain bork stuff up. Not 4 years later.

If you choose to be more involved, yeah, go you! I wish you luck.

In either case I wish you well, and I hope the future is not as dark as I fear.