The Village Voice

Nation: It's Mourning in America by Rick Perlstein

Let the whining begin!

I voted for Kerry. I can't stand Bush. But the only person as close to the mentality of a jihad terrorist in American politics is the Whiner. By default, this year it's the Liberal Whiner, and though they could have made a case for themselves in 2000--an extremely annoying, repetitive, four-year-long case that blamed everyone but Al Gore for losing-- this year it has to stop. Assuming Kerry could have found 75% Kerry votes in those Ohio provisional ballots, he still would have one the election with twice as few popular votes as Bush trailed the last election. The Liberal Whiner would have been the Hypocritical Celebrant instead. And I know that this article was written as the results were still (kind of) coming in, but let's look at two important things about it: one, if it's written without any idea of how the ballot counting will play out, it shouldn't be posted; and two, it fills space with a rambling red herring about how people have preached the homosexual wedge issue in Christian churches by doing nothing but WHINE.

Democrats, if you're listening: I see you in the cities putting cheesy bumper stickers on your cars (or illegally on road signs), plagarizing Michael Moore in college newspapers, laughing sycophantically at Jon Stewart's backhanded asides and talking about how anyone who doesn't agree that Bush is an idiot are themselves unfit for citizenship. Did you ever try to implement solutions for your problems? Did you ever try to find out who those Bush supporters are? How intellectually superior are you when a C student convinces more people than the captain of the debate squad? You can't just hold a voter drive in the Student Union; go to the factories and farms of America and make your case. The article mentions gay marriage. Instead of reasoning with churchgoers, which is entirely possible for many of them, you hypocritically damned them. Why should they even tolerate your ideological views you when you call them intolerant ideologues right at the start? If "their" leader is consistently chastized for "stealing" an election, aren't you automatically judging them guilty by association?

Democratic leaders are doing the right thing right now. They're acting like losers because they are, not blaming the Naders or the Roves of the world. Finally, they will pick themselves up and look at who really lives in America, trying to represent the needs of those people. Not Hollywood America or Northeastern America or Urban Coastal America, but the America that knows a $4 cup of coffee supports repression and terrorism just as much the gas in their SUV. You can't even govern New York or California without Republican help. Maybe they know something you haven't learned.

One more thing. A second President Bush was a bad idea; just as bad as a second President Clinton. Find some new recruits!