A DEMOCRACY IN QUESTION

The Voice reluctantly, yet respectfully, concedes that George W. Bush has been elected the president-elect of the United States for a first legitimate term. While my scathing opinions will not change of his previous unlawful administration, nor will my regret for what he has done to our democracy, I will, from here forward, refer to him as President Bush, as I still respect the office which he will legally hold finally beginning January 20, 2005. While I recognize it is impossible that a divine intervention from God will occur and he will become, at least, slightly coherent and intelligible, I hope that he can manage to at least shake up his administration and appoint more able minded persons to the cabinet and senior staff.

Additionally, I am working on a self-commissioned report which will outline what the Democratic party MUST do in order to have any hopes in two years of reclaiming the House. God help our Supreme Court as well.

Finally, I must admit that it was exciting being in downtown Columbus yesterday where the international media outlets had set up outposts and satellites to report live from our statehouse concerning the Ohio election results, which are still not fully counted since our state law allows for provisional ballots to be cast but not even opened until November 11, 2004 and counted some time after. While there is very little chance that those 250,000 ballots would make a change, I suppose stranger things have happened!

Congratulations to the Republican party as they have embraced shrewd campaign tactics and managed to change what they've called the "liberal media" and turned a party once enshrined in the goodness that was smaller government and power to the people into a corporate owned vehicle of special agendas and interests. Nonetheless, in the tradition of dirty politics and respect for out-fucking-over the opposition party, my hat is off to them!

Lastly, congratulations are in order for a fine legislator and surely successful-to-be Senator-elect Barack Obama from Illinois. As strange as some may see it, I think he is the hope and future of the survival of the Democratic party and wouldn't be surprised if he someday is elected the first black president of the United States. Please, feel free to mark my words on that.

As far as my opinion as to what this does for the chances of Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton to run for president in 2008. I don't wish to cast doubt as I think she would be as fine a president as her husband, but I think they would drag more things out of her closet, ah-hem, than she could fight off. But, an older generation will be smaller and many of those are of the mindset that a woman isn't capable of being president and that would be in her advantage. And the Republicans don't have a great deal of shining stars on the horizon either. Perhaps one of the most attractive candidates as far as political success goes is Senator Santorum from Pennsylvania and his tirades and attacks on gays have been so harsh that he will be viewed as more of the same and more divisive than most of his party.

My hopes are that the (un)Patriot Act is not expanded and that democracy isn't scarred so much that it can never have the same face it once did and that America will someday, and I may never see that day now in my lifetime, be the respected and powerful refuge of freedom we once were.

Speaking for Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John C. Calhoun, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry (Give 'em hell Harry) Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and William Jefferson Clinton, The Voice says: ". . .one nation, under God, with liberty and justice FOR ALL!"