"A Problem Page For All!"

Huntington is...quiet. Even though we're dominantly Republicans, these Republicans are true conservatives. The front-page story in our newspaper yesterday was about how the national deficit can't hold up to Bush's policies and that Bush won't be able to fund the war and complete his agenda if he doesn't make some big changes. You know how Democrats were saying that after we elected Kerry we'd hold him to what we wanted? It sounds like the Republicans have the same attitude towards Bush. The incumbant should've been a shoo-in; they had to work their asses off to get him back in office, and they're not so pleased with his progress report. They think he was their best option, but that doesn't mean they're die-hard fans.

There's a revolution coming to America. You can feel it, taste it, smell it. Revolutions are scary, bloody, people die. I've always been glad I didn't live in the '60s. But I guess these things catch up with you wherever you are, whenever you were born. It's...exciting.

It's not like we're in for another four years of hell, you know. In two years the other half of the House and Congress are up for reelection, so "they" only have sure control for two years. Plus, now that the Republicans are dominating Washington even more strongly, they're going to have no one but themselves to blame when things aren't as peachy as they wanted. Voters on both sides of the spectrum are getting restless, and soon the Republicans are going to realize that their party is going in directions that even the most rabid warmongers don't like -- and certainly the honest conservatives out there aren't happy about the trillion-dollar deficit (we never heard the word "trillion" before Bush got in!) and the pitiful economy. Things will change.

If you look at history, you can see the pattern. Republicans routinely sweep the country, but then We The People get sick of it and they elect some moderate liberals for a while, and then they go back to the conservatives, and then the liberals see red and bide their time and get back in, and...You gotta look at the big picture. Some terrific news is that young voters overwhelmingly favored Kerry. The next generation knows what it's all about, and we're not going to sit quietly for the next four years, or even the next two.

Huntington is mourning the loss of our beloved governor, Joe Kernan, who was defeated in a brutal campagn by "My Man" Mitch Daniels. Mitch used to work for W. and is planted firmly in Bush's pocket, so Indiana is up for a double dose of this for the next four years. A lot of us in Huntington mourned the death of our Democratic governer in 2002, and Joe Wilson, the lietenant (vice) governor who took over after that is a good, good man. Mitch raked him over the coals during this campagn and left him bleeding, and I feel so bad for him. Still, he has so much dignity and grace, and I take pride and courage from his attitude in the face of a humiliating loss.

I saw that Barbara Boxer was reelected in California -- that's good news! Indiana reelected Evan Bayh (Democrat) to the Senate and Dan Burton (Republican) to the House, so we'll have the same three legislators we had last term.

This election hit me incredibly hard. I think that's because it was the first I had worked on, making calls to sign up voters and the like, so I had a lot more personal investment. Plus, it made me realize what a cruel world politics really is. I'm even more determined to enter into that world, but it's a bit scary, too. I don't think I had realized, or have probably even now realized, how hard my hypothetical career could be. Evan Bayh swept the state, but he's one of those fluke Democrats who's everyone's darling. He was a beloved governor before he ran for Senate, and his father was a beloved state legislator, so he's kind of just...our state's "favorite," you know, like a teacher's pet? He's a fluke. To be a liberal in this state is very difficult. Maybe I should move somewhere else where it'd be easier to be elected as a liberal!