Do you remember how optimistic you felt after Kerry-Bush debate 1?

Maybe it was just me, but when I saw Bush make an absolute fool of himself at the behest of Kerry that night, I thought I was witnessing the beginning of the great unraveling of the Bush empire. I had never felt that optimistic about the possible end to this presidential nightmare before that event.

I guess I'm thinking about this just because I'm nostalgic for that sense of hope I once had. Because it is gone now. At least temporarily. I don't see a way out of this mess for a long while, and not without a good deal of suffering and rough times.

Anyone else have a sense of apathy set in after the "election"?

Jeez, and sweat did in Nixon...

I have heard stories of a mass switching-of-the-channel by Bush supporters.

And no it wasn't because Hee-Haw was on. It was because the true leader was evident.

I haven't posted since Nov. 3rd. The last entry title? "Democracy is dead."

I know how you feel...trust me.

I was so proud, and still am mind you, to support a guy who was/is brilliant and made Bush look like the spoiled brat he is. A few people on the local news were interviewed about the debate. Some people had changed their minds (they were planning on voting Bush but changed to Kerry) and other people of course were staying. That Sunday at my college class at my church the regular teacher was gone so a fellow student did the lesson that morning and talked about how you use words etc. and he was talking about how people changed their minds about who to vote for because one man was better at speaking etc. Of course everybody in the class but me and my brother are pro-Bush so I was just smiling away. ;) I had my Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker on my car and a pin on my purse. Hehe.

and the second, and the third.

but i wouldn't say I'm apathetic since the "election", i attribute the apathy to anybody who voted for *. I'm a Floridian, and right now Florida democrats are not apathetic, they are exhausted - and surrounded by idiots.

...instead of "apathetic". I would like to think that my current lack of political activity and interest is due more to sheer battle fatigue rather than apathy.

You don't have to read or obsess about whatever the latest topic is. It's ok to not get into the feeding frenzy but figure out 1 or 2 things to focus on and work for positive change rather than spending too much time reading and studying about something you have no control over like Michael Jackson or Schiavos or the Pope or who will run for President in 3 1/2 yrs or whatever the current thing is. Figure out how to act rather than react. And it's ok to take a break.

n/t

I don't feel sorry for anybody who voted for the fool. They knew what they were getting into even from just the debates. They could've taken a little time to do research or look to democrats about Kerry instead of republicans and smear campaigns that was nonsense and based on something that happened many years ago (and wasn't even true mind you). Those people were put together by Rove (Stewart has a segment where he connected the dots and you can see it at http://www.onegoodmove.org in their daily show video section).

and back then I just KNEW Bush was GONE for good!

I remember walking home on Nov 2nd, beautiful day, and I was practically skipping down the street because I was so ecstatic after seeing the exit polls.

Despite the talking heads and their spin, I thought Mr. Kerry did an unbelieveable job. He was/is cool, collected, intelligent. ...sigh...

All the polls on the msm sites had Kerry winning. I can't remember fox but I remember voting in CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS and in those polls Kerry was winning. Even with the teenagers on MTV Kerry won BIG TIME (you can find the file in the archive). I was definietly beaming with pride.

'the good old days'?:cry:

"I am NOT going to tell a young woman who has been RAPED by her FATHER that she needs her FATHER'S PERMISSION TO HAVE AN ABORTION. You see, these things are never as simple as the President would have you believe."

I watched that debate in a small bar in nyc and met prodigal green, a DUer there as well as a slew of other awesome folks. It was elbow to elbow and the coolest, rowdy good time with yungling ale flowing and half the crowd screaming and the other half shhhshing. We watched debate 2 there and 3 there two. Sigh.... Anyway, I am over it.

OFF TOPIC...I hope that this Hillary 2008 voodoo is a Dem. fakeout. If it is, I scream brilliant. If not, I am worried about a win. I do not see a woman becoming pres. before one becomes vice pres. Sort of like "there wasn't a black coach in the NBA before there was a black assist. coach".

too much of Hillary preparing for 2008 personally. I don't know if I'm just not looking for the right signs or what. If anybody is running in 2008 it's the same people as last time minus Dean of course since he said he wasn't going to when he was running for chair (I think we need him there more then anything). I think Kerry probably will run again even though he's saying to think about 2006. That's the right thing to do because the republicans are so focused on Hillary. She's still a new Senator and I think she needs more time. If she does run the only reason why people, I think, will vote for her in the primaries and in the election is because of her name and her husband. They are similiar in policies but she isn't Bill. I do respect Mrs. Clinton and like her but I just don't think she's ready to run for president yet. Now what would be cool is if out of nowhere Barbara Boxer runs. She was on Rhandi's show earlier this week talking and saying the lowest amount of republicans who voted for her was 15% and this is just in California. So I think she could get some republicans. Of course they'll do the same thing as they did with Kerry and name her the most liberal. :eyes: They already did that of course after the Rice hearings (and here they said at first it was John Kerry, you can't have both of them be the most libral stupid's).

Why did you have to bring that up? What a downer! :(

Yeah, I remember! And I remember how I cried during Edward's concession speech. I remember how, later, I looked back on that first debate and wondered how, HOW could it even have been a close election.

NOW, I'm waiting. Watching and waiting for the great pendulum to reach it's extreme point and start swinging back the other direction. I keep trying to predict that point and watch for any sign of it's return. Was it Schiavo? Will it be this "Democrats are anti-Christian" event in Kentucky? Will it be the "Nuclear Option"? Or something else? SOMETHING has to be that extreme point, and I've become obsessed watching for the pendulum to change direction.

I look for anything that can bring them down. But nothing has yet. Either that or we don't know it because they have all this power and are hiding it and have neocons helping them and Poppy Bush. I remember reading a prediction that a blonde woman will bring him down. :shrug: Could be anybody really.

My thoughts today somehow wandered to the subject of election 2004 and I ended up thinking how different I was just a few short months ago. I was much more enthusiastic about everything and the future.

What happened in November was just almost too much to handle. I feel like I've repressed it to an extent. I can't even remember what I did that night and the days after!

So I guess these apathetic thoughts are just part of the grieving process I neglected to go through months ago.

Again, sorry :)

That's OK. After the election I thought "If I don't pay that close attention it won't bother me so much." I didn't get any news except for the 10:00 local news (which is about 10% of what I normally take in). I tried to stick my head in the sand. It lasted a week. I just couldn't do the "ignorance is bliss" thing even though I tried. Creepy, huh?

work; It's about Soros helping us and has given me real hope.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1407360

...explaining his vote on the $87 bil (or mention the fact that Bush had tried to veto it).

And how he also failed to address the swifty charges related to his conduct in Vietnam, as well as his protest activities. Both were eating away at his campaign, and no amount of competent debating would have sufficed without addressing those two issues head on. (yes, I know they were really non-issues, but that doesn't matter in the world of 24-hour McNews.)

...however I think I completely overlooked that aspect of his performance because frankly Bush looked like a dazed and confused puppet in comparison to him. I thought the notion most American's had about Bush being a "Fearless Leader" would be broken and alter the course of the campaign 'till election day.

have taught be to be an eternal pessimist.

Plus, I was aware of the new fact of life in today's right-wing media: a democrat can't just be better than the republican, he has to be PERFECT. Also, Bush can do ANYTHING he wants, including acting like an absolute moron in the debates, and it won't matter to the sheeple because "he's a good Christian Man".


Of course, I tried to squelch my opinions at the time. Nobody wants to bring down people's morale.

Now we're bedeviled by the people that say "the election was stolen". I wouldn't be the least bit surprised that it was. That's why it's our job to come up with a candidate and a campaign so fantastic that it will win so convincingly that there will be no room to steal it.

THEN we can get down to throwing out the rigged machines. It will never happen as long as we have a rethug majority in the congress.

Always remember that. Yes, too many people voted for Mr.bush for the wrong reason (fear). And I too feel apathetic at times and need a break. Pain and suffering are in the present and future and it will probably get worse. But remember how optimistic you felt, and how crushed you felt, and replace that apathy with anger rather than suppressing it for too long. Take a break. Then start again.

voted for him also because of the whole "changing president's in war time" nonsense. Some people voted because they're republican and believe he's one of them (more nonsense) and of course don't forget "moral values." :eyes:

And I didn't say those f*ing people should sign their f*ing kids up to fight in Mr.bush's f*ing war rather than continuing to spew lies and bullshit everytime they f*ing open their mouths those f*ing asshole lying pieces of shit. Or that those f*ing idiots deserve everything they get and we're the ones who are going to suffer too? Because that would not be nice either. Did I mention I'm seriously angry at Mr.bush and his evil minions and trying to use this for good purposes?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1737417

MZr7

and it is just another one of many things that don't add up.

everyone knows we have a CRIMINAL administration that already STOLE one election it just surprises me that a few on DU still don't get how bad things really are right now and they are bound to get MUCH WORSE unless we wake up the rest around us.

thank GORE he 'invented' the INTERNETs :bounce:

psst... pass the word ;->

peace

The huge voter turnout coupled with a 51-48 Bush margin...

The wide reports of voter fraud and intimidation...

The dismal current approval ratings (47%)...

Something just doesn't make sense...

It was amazing, not because Kerry was particularly great (he was good), but because Bush was so awful (even for him) in front of millions.

me so much. I actually watched some TV yesterday. That has been it.

As far as the debates. I could not believe Bush was the head of the country.

But apathy? It's so strange though. I think it hit a lot of people.

went back to covering the Swift Liars and then the Bin Laden tape where they all declared that Bush couldn't be beat on the terror issue.

Kerry was shining. I thought we had a real chance of winning. I was at debate parties for all of the debates, including the VP debate. ahhhh...Those were the days of feeling hopeful.

Have you ever seen a major political debate go so decisively against one candidate?
Kerry mopped the floor with that dipshit Bush. It was obviously more than the chimp could take too, because he went totally incoherent with anger several times and just kept repeating (stammeringly) the line that Kerry had just demolished.

(I haven't been around forever, but I have never seen the likes of it. Total domination of the debate for Kerry, total flopsweat for Bush. And then look what happened.)

The disparity in ability between the two candidates was astonishing. It really does testify to the power of media malipulation in this country, that after such a terrible performance the illusion the media perpetuates of Bush didn't crack...

Because there it was, right on TV, being watched by a ridiculous number of people: One of those two men was very qualified to be POTUS, the other was utterly, simply not even close. One understands complex issues, the other can't even grasp complex sentences. One has his facts straight and has thought his positions through, the other can't even get his rote memorized talking points right. One has dignity, grace under pressure, can think on his feet - the other gets flustered and starts to lose it at the slightest contradiction. It was so, SO obvious. It doesn't get any clearer than that!

God, we felt so good that night. We were so proud. I will never, ever regret working my ass off for John Kerry, ever, and I would do it again, twice as hard, in a heartbeat.

It's not what happens in one of these debates. It's what Pravda says about it.

Pravda declared it 'close' or a 'tie' and said he 'must be tired from working so hard to run the country'

So, who do you beieve? The media? or your lying eyes?

(i'll admit it was fun to watch Smirky MELTDOWN, but I remember who the voters are)