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| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
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Angelika On the night of the election on November 2nd, we watched the US map intently, hoping that the state of Ohio would turn blue and go to presidential candidate Kerry, after Florida was already flashing at us in ominous red.
Because the color red represents the Republican Party and Bush, while blue represents the Democrat Kerry. How fitting, since the strongholds of the Democratic Party are by the water: the coasts of the West and upper East Coast, the areas around the Great Lakes, and let's not forget Hawaii. But the dream is over: we have to endure Bush for four more years with gritted teeth. Sigh!!! Although Bush did not win by a landslide as Michael had gloomily predicted, he not only secured the necessary electoral votes this time but also garnered 3.5 million more popular votes than Kerry.
Even the fact that nearly 85% of people in deep-blue San Francisco voted for Kerry is of little comfort. Scholars are debating why Bush won. The debate over moral values is highly popular. The born-again Christian Bush gathers his flock in the heartland by rallying against abortion and same-sex marriage. In this context, it no longer matters that these followers are digging their own economic graves by voting for a president who favors the wealthy and large corporations and would prefer to crown himself emperor. To be fair, it should be mentioned that the mechanical coloring of the American map leads to gross oversimplifications. For example, Nevada went to Bush and is therefore colored red, but the election outcome was extremely close: 51 percent voted for Bush, 49 percent for Kerry. Similar situations can be found in other states. Purple would be a better color in many cases.
How tragic it is that Bush now has the upper hand, as the Republican Party has also expanded its majority in both houses of parliament. I think with horror about the upcoming nominations to the Supreme Court under Bush, as the judges are appointed for life and shape the legal landscape for decades.
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