I mean, really. Does this information superhighway known as the Internet really need another left-of-center ranter? Could we use someone else who hears the jackboots of fascism clomping just around the corner? Well, after seeing the results of the 2004 Presidential election, maybe the answer to those questions is, "Yes, unfortunately." At any rate, looks like you're getting it, whether you need it or not.
First -- since this is an "about" page, and people may want more basic information -- this site is created by me, with all content derived from what passes as my brain. That includes all bloggery, as well as site design, etc. Any content that is not original will be noted and/or linked to the original author.
Now, a little about me. Normally, I wouldn't bore people with this stuff, but the beauty of the Internet is that you have a choice -- if you don't want to hear about me, you can go watch hamsters dance or view pornography. It's America, and it's your choice, just like it's my choice to post ramblings that only I may care about.
Oddly enough, my occupation finds me doing such a frivolous thing as covering sports for a small daily newspaper. It may be that I am the sole member of that long-rumored "liberal" media. If you'd like to take me away from this frivolity, make me a job offer here.
First off, let's get it out of the way upfront: I'm in a "red" state. There, I admitted it. That's important background information, knowing that my vote has not counted during the past two Presidential elections. That doesn't make me happy, and that's why people like me are driven to the edge of insanity, otherwise known as blogging.
Despite being a WASP male in the Midsouth (yes, I've gone hunting and have owned a four-wheel drive truck), I've managed to be a Democrat for as long as I can remember. Now, I think the label "Democrat" is too simple, as there's a lot more to being a progressive, liberal, etc., than just having a capital "D" beside your name (Zell Miller is a "Democrat"). But before I understood these finer points, I was a Democrat, not because my parents were, not because anyone that I can remember was. My parents have always been mostly apolitical, and I clearly remember my father voting for Bush in 1988 (I was furious, since I wasn't able to vote yet).
Yes, in 1984, at the age of nine, I was for Mondale (most kids would've been for the likeable incumbent President, I imagine), because on some level I understood he was for those less fortunate, like me. Now, admittedly, that was way back in the days before the Republicans obtained their lease on morality, when people here in the South actually still voted for the Democrats for fiscal reasons, while not worrying overly much about (or choosing to overlook) social reasons.
As a senior in high school in 1992, I was a vocal Clinton supporter, even while the morality issues were creeping in and making that a dicey proposition in the Bible Belt. In 1994, I was president of my Campus Democrats -- most of you (painfully) remember how that mid-term election turned out, scalding me in my first foray into a more active role in politics.
After 1994, life happened, and for most of the rest of the 1990s, I had other things to worry about. And with a Democrat in the White House and a healthy economy, who's to worry?
Then came 2000. After it became clear that Bush was going to live in the White House the next four years, I, like many people, thought, "Oh, really, how bad can it be?" Unfortunately, we all found out. No, the world didn't end, but our country has changed, maybe irreparably, over the past four years.
Midterm elections of 2002: this is going to be easy. Just like in 1994, the incumbent party will take it on the chin, and they'll never see it coming. Only they never saw "it," because "it" didn't come. Somehow, it was smoke and mirrors. Just wait for 2004.
Despite living a "red" state that went 57-43 percent for Bush (59-40 in my county), I felt that I could count on other areas which would see through the smoke and mirrors. And I, like many others, felt the momentum was on our side in the final days; the polls (grrr) looked favorable, with all the historical signs pointing up. Historical turned hysterical on election night, however.
Now, I can be a bit of a conspiracy theorist, and I'm not sure Bush won fair and square. But I am sure he was chosen by around half this country's population to continue the madness he had perpetrated in his first four years.
While some middle-of-the-road John Kerry supporters were disappointed but not fearful of the next four years, several people I talked to -- especially in my generation -- were honestly scared. Someone -- a yellow-dog Democrat herself who had been through his more than I had -- said to me, "Oh, the world's not going to end," but I and another "Generation X'er" said, "Maybe. But it may mark the end of it as we know it."
No, I'm not convinced Bush is going to manage to accidently set his Stetson hat down on the BIG RED BUTTON, but I find myself preparing to curl up in a fetal position, just in case.
It was with some amusement that I read on the Wednesday after the election a story about Democrats and the prospects of a mass exodus to Canada. I thought about that, and figured it would be nice to not feel the way I do -- living in a blood-red state, you develop a bunker mentality, knowing that most of your neighbors disagree with you, and fearing that some of them may show up at your door one December night planning an old-fashioned burning-at-the-stake.
Sure, England sounds great, but although I find myself a little nervous about patriotic fervor, I kind of like this here country -- we cook a mean steak. That's when the title of this website came to me (finally, THE POINT).
So I started this website in the days after the election to add to the cacophony of shreiking progressives out there. As I said in the beginning, there obviously are quite a few people already doing this kind of thing, so my voice isn't particularly going to stand out; after all, I changed my major from political science shortly before starting college (although I do have a secondary minor in it). Even more importantly, those who contributed to the landslide in mine and other red states aren't likely to read this pantywaist liberal blather, anyway.
My most basic goal for this site is get a little cathartic release. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll add something to the discourse in preparation for 2006, 2008 and beyond. Hey, I think I've had some pretty good ideas in the past; it's just that no politician running for state or national office feels the need to ask some sports writer for tips on winning a tough fight against a well-heeled Republican.
It should be noted here that for the same reasons it's been said that only Democrats from the South can win the Presidency, Democrats from the South in many ways are more prepared to stand on the front lines of the fight. If you live safely in an urban center in a blue state, you might find it hard to believe some of the things being thought by those in the red states. I see that harsh reality each day when I get behind a car displaying a Confederate flag.
So peruse my site, realizing I'm no expert -- I've never even stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. Maybe I'll say something to make you think, to laugh (with me, I hope) or cry (as I relate my adventures in Red-State Land).
I don't want to vacate the premises just because some spoiled rich-kid son-of-a-diplomat used his daddy's connections to swindle his way into the most powerful position in the world for eight years (barring the unlikely event we get him impeached). George W. Bush may rule this country, but dang it, it's my country too.
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