A couple of uninformed Canadian thoughts (via Cambodia) on Bush's re-election:
1) The fact that Bush received millions of more votes than Kerry, and that everyone in the media was really, really surprised by this, proves that the media is a lot more liberal than I realized. For the past year there's been so much hatred spewn out at Bush on the news and on the Net that you could get the impression that Bush was clearly unloved in his own land, at the bottom of the list ahead of Jeffrey Dahmner and just below Ben Affleck.
Uh-uh. Not the case.
The media doesn't focus on the millions and millions of evangelical Christians in the U.S., especially the ones who didn't vote.
Bush's campaign team did. And has been doing so for the last four years.
Praise Jesus. 'Cause they sure as heck are. And maybe they're onto something...
2) Someone made a good point: Clinton and Carter were two liberals who grew up in the conservative south. They spent their lives learning how to talk about their own political views (which were those of the minority in Arkansas and Georgia) in a way that was clear, friendly, respectful and persuasive. Kerry grew up in the north, surrounded by the wealthy liberal elite, and so he never had the opportunity, or needed the opportunity, to hone and refine the sweet-talkin' sensibility needed to woo somebody of a different political persuasion over to your side.
When necessary, Clinton and Carter can both sound like two country-bumpkins. A lot of words come to mind when talking about Kerry -- but 'bumpkin' ain't one of them.
3) Another good point someone much smarter than me made a few years back: How different is your life when a new leader takes office? I'm not talking about the changes in foreign policy, of domestic issues, or the economy -- I'm talkin' about your daily, everyday, go-to-work-and-come-on-home life. How different is it? Granted, some people are affected by presidential or prime ministerial switcheroos -- especially those in the military. But for most people, well, their lives stay pretty much the same. They go to work, and their taxes may increase a little bit, and they may get irritated or angry over the direction of the overall country -- but is their family much different? Is their social life or working life radically altered?
I dunno.
4) Another point somebody much smarter than me made: Bush is probably the best politician of the last forty years. Not the smartest leader. Not the most competent, or even likeable, head of state. But the best politican. Even better than Clinton. Why? Well, everyone agrees that Bush ain't too swift, is alienating the world, and has had everything given to him on a silver platter.
But he's been elected president.
Twice.
With more of the popular vote than anyone in twenty years, I think.
A young government official once asked former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien what the definition of a good politician is:
"The guy who wins," Chretien said.
