I’m disappointed, but not surprised. What did surprise me was the tin ear most liberal bloggers had for the tune America’s been singing all along. Anyone who could hear that song knew that Bush would win.
As I blogged here and here, and as many post-election commentators are now saying, people voted for Bush not because they think he’s a good president, but because they perceive in him a person who shares their values and morals. Or maybe more to the point, because they perceived in John Kerry a person who did not share their values or morals, and who perhaps had no values or morals at all. And then, there was That Woman.
Amy Sullivan at Washington Monthly has some sensible things to say about this issue, and I recommend you read her entire column. But I know you’re busy, so I’ll paraphrase:
Too many Americans believe that if you’re religious, you’re Republican and conservative. Too many Americans believe that if you’re a Democrat, or a liberal, you’re neither religious nor moral.
Rush Limbaugh did a lot to inculcate and spread this belief throughout the heartland. But he certainly didn’t do it all by himself. Once again, I ask my Democrat and liberal friends: what did we do to help spread this mistaken belief?
One possible answer (besides That Woman): sharing our tent with gay rights activists. That alone pushed many people away from the Democrats and liberals. Does saying that make me a homophobe? Fuck it, then, I guess I’m a homophobe.
Look, gay people, pagans, Wiccans, and the rest of y’all: if you think the way to win hearts and minds is to shock and offend the sensibilities of middle America, go start your own damn party!
Dick Herman 11/04/04 7:59 PM
A view from the middle. Thanks for introducing me to Amy Sullivan, she does make sense. By the way, some years ago, 1991 to be exact, I was invited to appear on a local TV channel discussing gays in the military. I declined saying I didn’t have anything really constructive to say. The woman director then asked if fighter pilots were all homophobic. I explained that I was not a fighter pilot but flew in the backseat of fighters, that I did know a lot of fighter pilots, and didn’t really know what the term homophobic meant. She said fear of other men. I replied that all the fighter pilots I knew did not fear other men. However, they did have a healthy respect for a well-designed fighter flew by a competent pilot. She then said that I was homophobic too. I told her that I didn’t have anything against C–k S—–s per se. For some reason, that TV station never called me again.