Slate posted a piece on Friday talking about how liberal schadenfreude over President Obama's decisive victory has gotten 'out of control.' I can't post much more of the article than what I posted below, so wander over to Slate to read the rest:
[...] If I had logged into 2012-style Facebook and Twitter at the depths of my own political despair in 2004, I can only imagine how painful it would have been to be see strangers and friends alike basking in my pain. Frankly, I think it would have made it even harder for me to let go of my political wounds and move on. It would have just made me that much angrier.
There’s plenty I disagree with Republicans about, but they are (slightly less than) half the country. Liberals need to pipe down. Ruthlessly delighting in Republican sadness will not help bring anyone together to make the most of Obama’s second term. There’s plenty to celebrate, like this, this and this, without putting anyone down.
Short answer: No.
Long answer: Hell no. Starting on November 5, 2008, the Republicans set out to make President Obama fail at every turn during his 4 years in office. They failed at that pretty badly. They were handed Citizens United which was essentially a blank check against the Democrats for the 2012 election. They had dozens of states toying with voting rights in the most despicable ways. They had a sub-par economy to work with. The pundits love to say that at any other time in American history, the incumbent would have lost.
But he didn't.
President Obama won 332 electoral votes and he's nearing 3% of the popular vote. This man won a mandate. They lost big, baby.
This isn't like the 2004 election. John Kerry (bless his heart) was a weaker candidate than Obama, and the Republicans defined him before he could define himself. Rove swiftboated the hell out of him. The conservatives used gay marriage referendums across the country as a way to smoke the social conservatives out of their holes and get them to the voting booth.
Not only did 5 years worth of smears against President Obama not work, but equality was on the ballot in 4 states and it, too, won in all 4 states.
This was not simply a win that we should be thankful for and move on. This was a decisive victory for the American people. This was a stick in the eye and a swift kick in the ass to all the conservatives who worked for years and years to smear an accomplished President and send an unconvincing slimeball to the office he saw as rightfully his.
Save your "come on people now smile on your brother everybody get together and love one another right now" speech for some other day. We deserve this.
PS: If you're going to quote a DailyKos diary in your Slate article, quote one that has more than 7 recs and 7 comments. Saying that a diary nobody paid attention to is representative of this site is dishonest.