At least they have a bit of a sense of humor. At the end they thank everyone for the "scads of uproarious hate mail". I'm still trying to figure out how exactly an ass does plow though. Or does this refer to pulling a plow behind an ass, something my dear mother actually did as a youngster in TN.

Ant, hmm, hadn't thought of the beast of burden interpretation - the term is veritably pregnant with meaning.

Don't forget the inevitable response site: http://www.werenotsorry.net/

Er, I meant: We're Not Sorry

Eric, your dismissal of all these sincere messages seems a bit facile - if it were just a few whiners, I'd agree with you, but let's see, there are 176 galleries there, it looks like each one has about 8 photos - so that's over 1400 of these. Each person had to go to the trouble of writing a card, taking a picture and posting it to the site. They're probably only a very small fraction of the people who agree with the sentiment but didn't take the trouble or have the wherewithal to do it, and which in turn is only a small fraction of the people who might agree with the sentiment but aren't aware of the website. Dismissing the deeply felt convictions of so many millions of people is just as unfair as liberals' stereotyping of conervatives as being gun-toting morons.

Jon, who exactly are these people apologizing to, and for what? THAT is what rankles about this. I have no problem with people being disappointed with the result of the election (nearly half the people always are), but apologizing to "the world" seems facile, not to mention presumptuous, smug and condescending.

What both sites should be sorry about is how long it takes their pages to load. There is no excuse for poor design.

right on, woman

If you believe the various news reports that circulated during the course of the election, it appeared that big majorities of people in many foreign countries were opposed to Bush - bigger majorities, in some cases, than in the bluest of our blue states! So it's pretty obvious to me that the impulse behind these "apologies" is to send a message to those people in other countries to the effect that many in the U.S. don't support Bush's foreign policy agenda.

Now, I am not defending this tactic - I don't actually think it reflects well on the liberal opposition. But I think the impulse behind it is clear. The collective depression and wringing of hands caused by the election results among certain parts of the U.S. population is quite unprecedented in my lifetime, and I think it's worth all sides' listening to and understanding.

I won't argue with that, although I am not sure the reaction is unprecedented (at least this time the losers aren't challenging the results, but that's an entirely different matter), but I am specifically reacting to "this tactic, which doesn't refelct well on the liberal opposition" - exactly.

Well, I do see this reaction as unprecedented. The upset over the 2000 election was more over the way in which it was decided than over the outcome itself. At the time liberals still had some hopes that Bush would try to be a "uniter" as per his reputation as Governor. Also, 9/11 and the Iraq invasion hadn't happened yet. Reagan's election in 1980 was pretty upsetting to my liberal kind as well, but I don't recall this level of intensity. The only thing somewhat analogous could be the Right's irrational hatred of the very centrist Bill Clinton.

The whole question of how mass "gut" reaction can or will effect real political developments is a very interesting one. The dispassionate observer in me awaits the outcome with nerves aquiver.

I agree, this is an unprecedented assemblage of sorry dopes, puds, and losers.

So, Eric Olsen has no regrets he voted for George W. Bush, who will:

1) Try to privatize Social Security, creating havoc for currrent and future senior citizens.

2) Try to redefine hunger so that the more than eleven percent of American families who don't have enough food each year can more easily be ignored.

3) Try to impose a regressive national sales tax and eliminate the federal income tax.

4) Refuse to enforce or undermine the Voting Rights Act.

4) Stack the Supreme Court with far Right conservatives who will reverse Roe v. Wade.

5) Continue lack of support for public education and funnel funds to private schools.

6) Continue giving discriminatory 'faith-based' organizations federal funds for 'charity' that will only reach the citizenry they approve of.

7) Escalate terrorism against the U.S. by continuing the occupation of Iraq.

And, the list could go on and on.

I believe Bush supporters will live to have significant regrets about the harm to people, here and abroad, they will have helped cause.

no rose-colored glasses there

Mac Diva,

are you a fortune teller or just a fear monger?

Gee Dubs, are you RJ Elliott or just another troll?

Neither

I am curious how you are able to foretell the future though. Perhaps it's a case of you going overboard (again). Even the president can only do so much. There are other checks and balances in the system. Ultimately it is a majority of legislatures that will determine policy...not GW Bush. You rail against the man. When you should be doing something that is pro-active.

If you don't like what's going on in this country perhaps you should write a letter to your congressmen (or congresswoman) instead of name calling and berating others. I don't think all of your bellowing in cyber space accomplishes very much.

GW

aren't we all "bellowing in cyberspace"? (very nice phrase, btw)

The Diva is a soft-spoken person. Is asked to speak more loudly quite often.

"The Diva is a soft-spoken person."

[retch]

you crack me up RJ!

An election is a referendum on ideas, and nationally, the ideas of Democrats generally lost.

It's fascinating to me to observe this reaction by the left, because so often as a Libertarian I am told by liberals that my party's numbers reflect losing the referendum on ideas, and that I should suck it up and quit whining.

As such, I have very little sympathy.

I completely understand and sympathize with disappointment, and I have no problem with people expressing it. What I don't get is the sense of entitlement being expressed by those who are mortified and stunned that their clearly superior vision, inteligence, and moral stance didn't carry the day. And least of all do I understand those who would presume to apologize for the decision of tens of millions of their fellow Americans who do not feel deluded, misled or stupid.

First reaction. This stuff is annoying but harmless. I have been part of political campaigns and carried the bumper stickers "Don't blame me, I voted for X".

Second reaction. Eric is right. This stuff is ugly. Who are these people to berate the majority of American voters who voted for George W. Bush? Disagreement for the majority's choice is part of democracy. Dissecting their morality, intelligence and personal integrity is ugly. The majority are not stupid, or captivated by the views of the leaders of Christian fundamentalist cults.

Third reaction. The critics have something. President Bush does not sound sincere when he talks about healing. He is just making noise. He seems to think that he won and that there are no limits on his power. In fact and in law he has been elected to a constitutionally limited office in a democracy.

Fourth reaction. The President should tell the fluffy left to get lost. The idea of peace at all costs may play well with the navel-piercing crowd, but we live in a rough world and our freedom comes at a cost. There is nothing wrong with morality. Human being are social animals and society is a moral venture.

Fifth reaction. The President should bit his tongue and smile, and remember that he is the president of the whole country with a responsibility to past and future generations. Morality is a social venture. The Michael Moore crowd is full of annoying, noisy morons, but they also have a strong moral perspective. The President should be listening to his critics. America has done fairly well at tolerating dissenting voices but less well at living with dissent. There is a chance here to forgive the rudeness of his critics, listen to their opinions, learn, and to use the power of his office with the wisdom of the whole nation.

Sixth reaction - I have read a couple of interesting books lately and I should post reviews to help people find and explore some new ideas about religion, morality and politics.

Good, insightful comment BK! :)

yes, I agree with pretty much all of that - now IS the time to be magnanimous and show that he can grow