The tide of history is on our side, the tide of the changing of our national demographics is on our side, and most important of all, as corny as it may sound: truth, justice and the American way are on our side.
Take some heart. This goddamned glass is half full!
As the dust clears, as our fingers hopefully grow tired of finger-pointing, I want to offer some perspective from an old guy who's had over 40 years of activism within the Democratic Party. Most of all, I want to tell you that the world did not come to an end last night, and that even though the corporate media wants to dance on the grave of the Democratic Party and President Obama, it will be our side that will be doing the dancing. Why? Because the tide of history is on our side, the tide of the changing of our national demographics is on our side, as most important of all, as corny as it may sound: truth, justice and the American way are on our side.
What good news can we draw from last night? I'll tell you: In a friggin' mid-term election when Democrats don't normally show up at the polls, in the middle of the crushing national unemployment status caused by George W. Bush, in spite of the hundreds of millions of corporate cash including undisclosed funding, and in spite of the media's deafening cheer-leading for the GOP, with very few exceptions, the seats that we lost were not lost in landslides. Listen to me: they won most of their races by the skin of their teeth.
For me personally, losing Russ Feingold as a U.S. Senator last night was the most disheartening news. For those of us squarely on the Left of President Obama, it would be very difficult to explain his loss in Wisconsin as the result of his being not liberal enough. I sincerely do not know what more Russ could have done. To the voters of Wisconsin, shame on you. And to my sisters and brothers there in Wisconsin, let me tell you, this Californian will always be grateful for Russ Feingold. In this you can be very proud.
Don't fall into believing that there was a sweeping mandate for the Republican Party last night. There wasn't! They won a lot of seats, but considering the circumstances I mentioned above, their victories should have been overwhelming. They were not. And the Republican Establishment knows it.
The President has owned up to making mistakes. But good grief: please, step back and just look at what he had handed to him to repair less than 20 months ago. He ain't perfect, but he's still my President and I will support him. I would take a bullet for him. Proudly.
If you want someone to blame, then blame this Supreme Court for their shooting down campaign finance regulations. In many ways, this election was stolen from the people by the Supreme Court just as the election in 2000 was. President Obama did not do that. He even scolded them in front of the nation for their "decision".
In spite of all of that, take heart: In 2012, there will be a much larger voter turnout than there was yesterday. There always is in with Presidential Elections and that bodes very well for us...especially in light of the razor slim victories the GOP took last night.
We still have the Executive Office and we still have the Senate.
We've come a very, very long way since the dark days of George W. Bush's Administration. Ponder that.
And everyone here at the Daily Kos, whether you are mad at each other right now or not, you all deserve credit for having made that change.
Ok, we have lost a battle. We have not lost the war. I've seen our Party in far worse times than this during my lifetime.
This goddamned glass is half full!
History is on your side. Take heart.
I'm not quitting. I will never stop fighting those bastards until the day I die.
Again: Truth, Justice and the American Way are on our side.
Let's get back into the ring and slug the living shit out of our opponents!
I love you all, and goddamnit, I am proud of you all