Irvine511
Blue Crack Supplier
U2Traveller said:
I don't know of ANY newspaper that does that. They'd get in big trouble for that. Do you know what an editorial is? It's the writer's opinion. Some writers, that's their job, to write their opinions, to get a discussion going. It's not the newspapers' opinion.
most major newspapers in the US endorse a candidate. the NY Times and the Washington Post endorsed Kerry, the Chicago Tribune endorsed Bush.
a few things to keep in mind:
1. the election was, again, extremely close
2. the Republicans are simply better organized and got out their "base" -- white, evangelical Christians who are, in my opinion, homophobic bigots
3. the Democrats have no real message, Bush's victory is probably 50% due to Democratic ineptitude
4. domestic issues are far, far too complicated for anyone who doesn't live in the US to understand, so to all those from other countries, i say this: i feel your pain, and sympathize, but please try to understand the complexities of the domestic situation before you make sweeping judgements about 300m people.
5. the true danger in the Bush re-election isn't foreign policy -- both candidates had similar positions on Iraq, and the military is to strung out to go invading any other countries anytime soon -- but the culture war that is bound to follow, and that's really only going to affect Americans like me who are members of vulnerable minority groups.
what we're seeing, I think, is a huge fundamentalist Christian
revival in this country, a religious movement that is now explicitly
political as well. unsurprising given the uncertainty of today's world, the devastating attacks of 9-11, and the emergence of so many more liberal cultures in urban America.
and it is completely legitimate for such views to be represented in public policy. but the intensity of the passion, and the inherently totalist nature of religiously motivated politics means deep social conflict if we are not careful. we have to live and let live.
as blue states become more secular, and red states become less so, the only alternative to a national religious war is to allow different states to pursue different options. that goes for things like decriminalization of marijuana, abortion rights, stem cell research and marriage rights. forcing California and Mississippi into one model is a recipe for disaster. federalism is now more important than ever.