Never could have imagined today back then....

[malmapus]

I'm not sure what sparked it. But I've been sitting here thinking about when Florida was first called for Bush that night in Nov of 2000.

I was coming home from work, when Florida was first called to Gore. My god I was ecstatic. Life had been good for years, I had a stable relationship and was making more money than I thought I'd ever make. Life was good.

Then I got home from that short 4 block walk from the MUNI stop, and next thing Florida was called out of Gore's pocket. Then it was in Bush's.

I went to sleep that night with a very sick feeling in my stomach and worried what the years to come would bring. I knew it wouldn't be good, but my God. I had no idea how bad it would all turn.

Now here I am, 5 years later. I just got a new promotion, will be making half of what I was in 2000 when it comes through. I was un-employed for 2 out of the 4 years he was in office. My relationship at the time fell apart at the end of 2001.

I find myself sitting back, and thinking about those days pre-Bush. What a different world we lived in. Its truly amazing that in such a short time-span how it all changed. Yet I remember that night in Nov 2000, I never imagined it would be this bad.

[tk2kewl]

1. I am making 65% of what I made in 2001

[malmapus]

9. Woot! Maybe someday we'll be back up to par with what we

were making back then.

[tk2kewl]

15. Would be nice.

At least I socked a way a bunch of the dough I made before bush. It helped me buy my house.

[jobycom]

2. I told a friend back then

that if Bush was elected, we would have wars, terrorist attacks on American soil, a crashing economy, a disappearing middle class, and a higher crime rate. He told me the opposite would happen.

He still won't admit I was right.

I told another friend, a rich business owner, that his business would fail within a year of Bush being elected, and he would be taken over by a larger corporation. Eight months later he sold his company to a larger corporation. He won't admit I was right, either.

So seeing what's going to happen doesn't make it easier to take.

I was wrong on one thing: I predicted that the stress would be so great on Bush, an untreated alcoholic who lacked the experience and emotional capacity to handle the job, that he would wind up drinking himself to death during his first term. I can't prove that the "pretzel" incident was actually a drunken bout, and he didn't die, so I was wrong on that. My friend seems to remember that half-joking prediction more than the others.

[malmapus]

11. I didn't see any of it coming

What I'd give to remember my "worst case" scenario. But yeah, total blind sided here.

[jobycom]

20. I had an advantage. I'velived in Texas for twenty years, and been

a Rangers fan. I lived in Dallas when W lived up there (he came into my store drunk once!), and I lived in Austin the whole time he was governor. A friend of mine went to high school with the twins, another friend of mine was the judge in one of the twin's drinking trials, and I know people who worked around him in the governor's office. My boss's son-in-law was a minor big shot in his 2000 campaign.

I've been saturated with the bozo for far too long. I remember what he sounded like before he became a drawlin', droolin' cowboy, back when he sounded more like an effete New Englander than Kerry or Kennedy.

[Jara sang]

3. I called Iraq the day he was "appointed"

I'm not claiming any precognition or anything, it really was a no-brainer.

[malmapus]

8. I have to admit I didn't see it coming...

I was of the thought that we had Iraq "contained".

I was hoping to see the sactions getting lifted as I knew that wasn't working to punish Saddam but the Iraqi people instead.

[samplegirl]

4. Cant even imagine

what the next 3 1/2 years will bring. Dont want to think about it
either.

[malmapus]

7. Me either, takes me enough just to get through the day to day

Finding out I have many escapes to get out of thinking about the future.

[MrScorpio]

5. I remember the day that I first heard that the long impasse was over

And Bush was declared the "Winner"

My boss and I exchanged a glance, because both of us knew what that meant: That the country was now officially fucked.

Little did we know back then just how fucked we would truly be.

[malmapus]

6. I know, scary that we are living in this day and age

This whole state of affairs is fucked up. I wish I could remember exactly what my "worst case scenario" back then was, I think a war was kinda figured in...but nothing on the scale that we are in now.

[MrScorpio]

14. The weird thing about it all was because of my AF job

I had a great see to see the fucking over of Iraq happen step by step.

I knew for a fact that Bush was full of shit, but like everyone else in uniform, we were helpless to stop it.

[JimmyJazz]

10. I crossed my fingers and hoped like hell that maybe, just maybe

Bush was telling the truth when he said he wanted to be a uniter, not a divider. It didn't work. :(

[malmapus]

12. Was hoping here myself

Espicially with how torn we were in 2000, but yeah I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, didn't work either :(

[JimmyJazz]

16. Wasn't there some mention of not being a nation builder?

What a big fat lie that turned out to be. :(

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. My salary is a bit higher than in 2000

but increases in health insurance premiums have resulted in my take home pay being far less than it was then. I know Gore and Kerry would have made health care a priority.

[Deja Q]

17. Isn't money wonderful?

It brings us all you said and more.

[malmapus]

18. Yeah it is...

I tell you if I didn't have a family, I'd just rather go live in the wilderness or something.

Saw this show with this guy like out in the middle of nowhere Minnisota I think. Basically just works a few months out of the year when the lake he gives tours on isn't frozen.

Makes his life without running water (cuts ice), electricty he gets from solar panes on his house. Totally lives off the land. But yeah I was like "dam he has it made".

[Greyhound]

19. A real terror alert!!

Think of the real changes they've made in the last four years and imagine what the next 5 - 10 will hold.
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