I'm depressed and ashamed about what yesterday says about America. I'm actually not trying to be a downer here - to the contrary, I'm trying to cheer myself up and start giving myself some direction. The bottom line is that even assuming all the rumored illegal activities on the part of the GOP are true, an insanely large portion of the country obviously believes that the BC admin is actually better than KE.
So is liberalism doomed? I don't mean "is liberalism wrong," but is it inherently weaker? It is just plain easier to manipulate and mobilize conservatives than liberals?
Actually, why not ask the tough question. I'll characterize "liberal" as guided by the belief that people are inherently good and "conservative" as guided by the belief that people are inherently evil (or at least self-serving). Maybe this view itself is flawed, but that's what I think. Numbers like this suggest to me that maybe people really are guided more by fear and self-interest than by any sense of what's right.
What avenues are left to get the truth out of the coasts? The GOP owns nearly all access to middle america. The GOP has been working for years to demonize every unbiased source of information: science, academia, media. These people don't trust anyone or anything that isn't Rush.
A corollary is that people believe everything they hear from the mouths of those they already trust. Exposure of hypocrisy means nothing (Rush as philandering felonious drug abuser, W as a draft dodging chickenhawk), because people continue to listen to the lies.
How do we get prison terms for those responsible for the rampant voting/registration fraud if partisans are in charge? How about illegal use of tax-exempt orgs for campagning?
Bottom line - If the last 4 years don't do it what could possibly happen to shake people's confidence in W? Are we really a country of lemmings or do people actually care about Truth and Justice?
Must we stoop to their level to win? Would the result be just as bad if we did?