Trying to use the anger to fight off the depression. I knew Kerry might not win, but I didn't think things would get even worse! And now they're gonna think they have a mandate.
As for cjl's list, at least on no. 1, I heard one more of the congressional seats went to the Dem after all (don't ask me which--I was so tired last night), so the Reps "only" picked up 2 seats net. But the bad news on 2 & 3 may be even worse than it looks: Some commentators think the results on state-level anti-gay-marriage resolutions will galvanize efforts to pass the Constitutional amdt. that failed earlier this year, & (why does nobody ever mention this?) the president doesn't just name new Supreme Court justices--he nominates candidates to fill every vacancy in the entire federal judiciary, & it'll be even harder for Dems to block any of them w/the Senate's balance shifted even further toward the other side.
There's an old saying among activists--I think it originated in the labor movement: Don't mourn, organize. There are a lot of groups doing a lot of good work out there, & they're gonna need a lot more help now. I was very impressed w/ACORN, a group I worked with in Philadelphia to do voter's rights canvassing for the 2 days before the election. I'm gonna borrow an idea from Lost, & give the depression a count of five to hold full sway. (OK, in this case it may be 5 hours, or even days.) Then I'll get back to doing what I can to hold back the tide. (Oh, wait--maybe I'm already doing that by writing this post!)
We've got our work cut out for us. Get out there & find your local Anne--whether she's running a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, a legal aid office, an activist group on an issue that matters to you--& give her a hand.
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branchandroot
likewise pissed off, when i'm not depressed
Date: 2004-11-03 12:48 pm (UTC)As for cjl's list, at least on no. 1, I heard one more of the congressional seats went to the Dem after all (don't ask me which--I was so tired last night), so the Reps "only" picked up 2 seats net. But the bad news on 2 & 3 may be even worse than it looks: Some commentators think the results on state-level anti-gay-marriage resolutions will galvanize efforts to pass the Constitutional amdt. that failed earlier this year, & (why does nobody ever mention this?) the president doesn't just name new Supreme Court justices--he nominates candidates to fill every vacancy in the entire federal judiciary, & it'll be even harder for Dems to block any of them w/the Senate's balance shifted even further toward the other side.
There's an old saying among activists--I think it originated in the labor movement: Don't mourn, organize. There are a lot of groups doing a lot of good work out there, & they're gonna need a lot more help now. I was very impressed w/ACORN, a group I worked with in Philadelphia to do voter's rights canvassing for the 2 days before the election. I'm gonna borrow an idea from Lost, & give the depression a count of five to hold full sway. (OK, in this case it may be 5 hours, or even days.) Then I'll get back to doing what I can to hold back the tide. (Oh, wait--maybe I'm already doing that by writing this post!)
We've got our work cut out for us. Get out there & find your local Anne--whether she's running a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, a legal aid office, an activist group on an issue that matters to you--& give her a hand.