Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Not My President


I was traveling around the blogosphere yesterday, looking for reactions to the ongoing election, when I came across a post by someone named Maximos on RedState.org. The early exit polls looked good for Kerry and bad for Bush. Confronted with the possibility of a Bush loss, this blogger wrote "But while I certainly won't regard Kerry as my president (no commonality of beliefs whatsoever, hence, no basis for respect), we'd all do well to accustom ourselves to the dissonant clash of the phrase, "President Kerry". He then added "My harp is turned to mourning, and my organ shall speak with the voice of them that weep. Spare me, O Lord, for my days are truly as nothing."

Interestingly enough, the exit polls turned out to be premature. Kerry lost, Bush won, in an election that once again demonstrated the deep divisions in America. While not nearly as close as the election of 2000, Bush was still opposed by nearly half of the voting electorate -- 48%. Furthermore, this is a President who has shown little interest in opposing viewpoints. When confronted with someone who politely presented his disagreement with the President, Mr. Bush replied "Well, who cares what you think."

The irony is that folks like Maximos will expect -- no, demand -- that the country unite behind Bush. And that unity will take place not on common terms, but strictly on the terms Mr. Bush dictates. Anyone who opposes Mr. Bush will be branded a traitor by the likes of Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. In Mr. Bush's democracy, dissent is not tolerated; opposing viewpoints may not be presented. During the runup to the election, you were required to present proof of your allegiance to Mr. Bush if you wanted to attend a campaign rally. During his second term, you may be required to present more.

Mr. Bush had no mandate during his first term, no plurality of the popular vote, yet he governed as if he did. Might we expect any less from his second term? And what would happen if some poor soul were to echo the words of Maxmos and declare, of Bush, that he's "not my President." What then?

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