Did anybody else have a "we deserve whatever we get" attitude after 2004?

[KyuzoGator]

The election, I mean.

I became really, really cynical from then on. My attitude has been that anyone who voted for this cackling psychopath is going to get bitten in the ass tenfold from it, so why worry? I moved my investments to foreign emerging markets so my retirement won't get raped, and otherwise I'm just sitting here with popcorn enjoying the implosion.

Whenever a Republican bitches to me about gas prices or war or losing their job, I calmly look them in the eye and say, "You voted for it." And there's no counter to it.

Am I alone here?

[seabeyond]

1. i had it way back to the iraq war. i started talking, we lost our

integrity. we no longer have the ability to stand on higher ground. we no longer deserve to be a super power. over the years it has just been confirmed more so for me that what ought to happen is hit bottom. until we hit bottom, we wont be able to recover. we arent at bottom yet. but we are getting there.

[Drum]

2. Amen.

I knew WE would be angry about it for (potentially) another 4-year term...but relish the inevitible "wailing and gnashing of teeth" as the Bush/GOP voters start feeling a verson of Buyer's Remorse, where they who thought they bought were instead sold. Though I'm nowhere near the kind of $olvency that you describe, and still pretty vulnerable, still I practically double up with laughter when I hear the the Bush voters' whining nowadays.

[silverweb]

3. Yup.

And after the absolutely shameful Democratic turnout in California's 50th district special election to replace Duke Cunningham -- only 14% of registered Democrats bothered to vote! -- my feeling is even stronger now.

If people don't care enough to educate themselves on issues and vote in their own behalf, they do deserve whatever they get.

I hate it, but that's the way it is. We can't do it alone and we can't fix things for people who just don't give a damn.

Edward R. Murrow said, "A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves," and I say that when they are finally devoured they shouldn't be surprised.

[RoyGBiv]

4. Not exactly ...

I had (and have) a *they* deserve whatever they get attitude, which I think is sorta what you're saying anyway. I'm a bit upset about what "we" are getting, though.

[KyuzoGator]

5. But regardless of rigged voting machines, millions DID vote for Bush.

And I think that reflects the total failure of American society as a whole.

[TheFarseer]

6. That's what I say!

When my dad bitches about Iraq, I tell him you voted for it and then you rewarded him for f*cking up in 2004!

[niallmac]

7. When I cave and get fatalistic..

it's usually for mental health reasons. I know when the anger and the stress are approaching
the postal point so I throttle down with a 'give a sh*t' attitude for a while until I can't stand
it any longer and have to start ranting again.

[clyrc]

8. Yes, but then I remember those who didn't vote for this

and I know that they deserve better. I go back and forth, to this day.

[radwriter0555]

9. Yes. I'm not sure Americans really deserve say, my blood in exchange

for their liberation.

Their plight is brought on by being too gullible, susceptible; too much teevee and too much shopping, acquisition mentality and consumerism.

When you buy the cheap, plastic, artificial crap by the tons, because pretty commercials on a plastic box or board told you so, then you may also be not-quite-smart enough to know when people are lying to you, cheating, and stealing from you -- and you're letting them.

[Mr_Spock]

10. More of a "sometimes you have to hit bottom..."

kind of attitude here. I think we did bottom out and have some good momentum on the bounce...

[stillcool]

11. we deserve what we get....

because of the last 50 years or so.

[Kailassa]

15. Humans are a lazy, fallible follow-the-leader type species.

It's usually pretty easy to say that anyone deserves what they get, but it's also irrelevant.

It's the future that matters. If people can use the past as something to learn from, to become better people, then the whole world improves. Learning can be shared, a change in attitudes can catch on, and then you never know what the future may hold.

[stillcool]

20. I don't buy Pollyanna anymore....

sell it to somebody else. Don't mean to offend,...but, maybe you didn't either.

[Kailassa]

12. Watching those elections from Australia,

we were getting reports, during the election, of rigging and manipulations and unavailability to many of an opportunity to vote at all, and others having to wait hours and hours ... things that would never be tolerated here.

It was horrendous and heartbreaking, and so hard to comprehend that a supposedly democratic nation was having rigged elections and depriving so many of the right to vote.

I'm afraid you guys got boiled slowly, without anyone noticing much, so that the population would accept such shenanigans as just the way things are. Now that the water is bubbling, even those who always supported buschco are feeling the pain, though many still can't see why and continue to support him.

This is why the government has to stir up hatreds, so people will think that already discriminated against groups or other countries ar responsible for their misfortunes. Fill people with communal hatreds against groups that can be safely attacked, and those hate filled people will do whatever the government asks.

One American declared online yesterday that the whole trouble with America was that everyone overseas was so jealous of America being such a great country, that they were all working at bringing it down. He was still certain "his" country was superior to all others, and that he deserved respect for being an American.

Watching both the 2000 and the 2004 elections in America, my children and I felt an incredible sadness and sympathy for you guys, seeing that a small group of traitors had stolen power in America, and were working to divide its wealth between them and turn the population into a slave class.

That's why I post here, I can't do anything to help, but I can at least try to offer some support.

[nonconformist]

13. Yeah, but I don't like going down with the ship

But, yes, I was and still am extremely angry - pretty much to the point of admittedly irrationally angry - at Bush voters.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Nope, you are not

[Skittles]

16. that's what I tell the conservative idiots I work with

specifically, YOU VOTED FOR IT SO STFU

[MazeRat7]

17. Nope you are not alone. I did pretty much the same.

Shifted investment strategy, took a couple months off from the daily frustration of politics, and have a much better attitude today for it.

I don't talk much about politics in public anymore... except the occasional shrug and ask:

What did you expect ?


I (and the rest of us Texans) had to endure 6 years of the chimp before he ever became the pResident and knew he was not up to the job. By the time this fool is out of office he will have been an embarrassment and general fuck up in my life for about 14 years... but like I said, I didn't expect anything less and I am not sure why anyone else would think it could have been different.

MZr7

[KyuzoGator]

18. Kick nt

[KyuzoGator]

26. Kick again.

[depakid]

19. I've thought that way since around 1994

when the far right took over Congress and the DLC rook over the Democratic party...

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. Yup, I realized long ago that the average voter needed an ass kicking

No amount of logic, intelligence or rationality was going to help them out.

The only thing that would wake them up is having their kids killed in some stupid foreign war, paying $7 per gallon for fuel, living with double digit inflation, being presented with a bill for their $150,000 share of the national debt, looking on with dismay while their jobs are outsourced to foreign countries only to find that the fallback jobs are all held by illegal immigrants who are brought into this country with a wink and a nudge by the ruling corporate elite.

Welcome to Bushworld, dumbass. Turn off your fucking tv and wake up.

Sorry. I'm better now. Where did that come from?

[porphyrian]

22. Maybe THEY deserve it, but WE don't.

I'm back and forth, depending on how I wake up that day. But, unlike nearly half of Americans who didn't vote, I did, and not for these criminal bastards. I don't deserve this shit, and neither do most of you.

On the other hand, anyone and everyone responsible for putting these fuckers in office need to own up to their responsibility. I hope they're suffering. I want them held accountable. This administration is guilty of treason, and anyone who put them in office is an accessory. Good for you for rubbing their stupid noses in it. I hope it gets in their mouth.

[Tesha]

29. Maybe we do (deserve it).

I mean, a million or so of us *COULD* have ripped
down the fences at the Whitehouse in 2001, or occupied
the Supreme Court on December 13th 2000, or the Capitol
building when they were certifying the "election".

We might have joined in support of the Congressional
Black Caucus as they vainly tried to get *ONE STINKING
DemocRAT SENATOR* to support them in their attempt to
fight off the vast, tens-of-thousands of voter disen-
franchisement in Florida (which Bush "won" by 537
votes), but...

Generally speaking, we did nothing. (And no, holding
up a banner saying "DemocraticUnderground.com" at the
inauguration parade really doesn't amount to "doing
something".)

Maybe we're only 99 and 44/100% as guilty as the
schmucks who actually voted for Bush, but rest
assured, we share the blame too.

Tesha

[marions ghost]

32. nah we don't "deserve" it

making people feel guilty for what they "should've, could've" done doesn't get us anywhere. It just feeds the victim mentality and sense of hopelessness. Ranting and railing about apathy just increases apathy. Blaming the victim doesn't work.

We don't need to "share the blame with the shmucks who voted for Bush." No way. No way.

Re. Protests: Ripping down the fences of the White House might have gotten a few people killed. Hard to get anyone to sign up for that. A large demonstration at the Supreme Court in 2000 would have been to the point, but there was a lot of confusion and misunderstanding of what had happened at the time. It was unprecedented. As for supporting the CBC caucus, you have to look at the way that was submerged in the media. If it hadn't been for Michael Moore, most people wouldn't even know about it today.

Actually I have to disagree with you about the protest at the Inauguration in Jan 05. I thought that was effective to a large extent. It helped to mobilize a lot of rusty liberals and galvanize new liberals. Those who watched it on C-Span will never forget the thousands of protestors booing the entire length of the parade, the many signs, hundreds of people with "thumbs down" gesture, large groups turning their backs--and the surprise of the media, floundering in their attempts to spin it. The protestors had to deal with extremely tight security and the restrictions of 'containment areas' in the bitter cold. No, despite the media whitewash in this country, this protest was seen on foreign news outlets. The protestors that day were representing half the country at least. Many of us were very inspired by the effort they made.

So I don't agree with your guilt-producing assessment. It's a lot to ask--for the average person to realize that we are in a struggle to 'save Democracy,' as they also struggle to go to work and raise their families. We SHOULD be able to trust our government. We SHOULD be able to depend on the media. We should NOT have to fight for our basic rights every decade. We should NOT be blamed for being "slow" to act to effect changes. HALF the voters did not vote for Boosh and an amazing number of people came out and worked for Kerry. Thanks to our flawed and antiquated election system, the outcome is suspicious--but we did not hand it to them on a silver platter. People believed they were doing the best they could do--they believed in the election system (then). They Got Out the Vote (but their faith that that vote would count was misplaced).

A lot has changed this past year, though. It's hard for anyone to remain in denial. People now are more willing to accept that things are Very Bad. So there is great opportunity. But it is time to come up with new ideas, not just lament that The People have failed us. You have to inspire, give hope, point in new directions, come up with new strategies.

[Tesha]

34. One question: Do you think the Right will go quietely?

One question: After we pull off a miracle and win the
elections in 2006 and 2008, do you think the Right will
go quietely?

It might *STILL* be time for more than a few folks to
put thier lives on the line to defend our democracy. And
based on everything I've seen up to now, we won't do it.

Tesha

[OnionPatch]

23. Well, yes and no

It's been unexpectedly gratifying to see the implosion happen even faster than I had predicted, and I am having a little fun watching it all in a sort of I-told-you-so way, but at the same time, my future is probably going to get screwed in some ways by all this. Bush's economy has little room or opportunities for the kind of work I prefer to do (related to natural resource/environmental conservation) so my career is going nowhere fast. Also, who knows when the economy is going to go kaput and all my savings, my investment in my home, etc down the drain as well......I don't have foreign investments so if this ship goes down, I guess I'm going with it. :(

[TheBaldyMan]

24. Bush didn't win in 2000 or in 2004, it was stolen both times

so my answer is : you don't deserve it.

Your elections were stolen twice by the same halfwit that is still in the WH (God knows why he's still there)

[KyuzoGator]

25. Be that as it may, millions of people still voted for him.

The fact that anyone thinks George W. Bush is the best person to run the country tells me that our educational system and society in general has completely failed.

[TheBaldyMan]

27. more people voted for the other guy, don't beat yourself up over this

yes, a lot of people fell for his snake oil salesman pitch but chewing out your own innards isn't going to help matters.

Most Americans didn't vote for the Bush administration, his entire two term tenure is completely fraudulent.

Your OP asked if you derserve it, my answer is atill: no you don't, you deserve a hell of a lot better than the dim son.

Become more active and push for electoral reform. That would not only feel a lot better than endless recriminations, it will be a real and positive step in the right direction to protect your democracy.

Take back what has been stolen. That will prove that enough Americans still know what is important. It will prove that America is able to weather a season of dreadful storms. It will prove that as long as there are enough people like your average DUer America's society has an innate ability to resist and eventually overthrow a tyrant who seeks to usurp the people.

[EFerrari]

28. I agree with Baldy Man. There will always be the 30%ers.

But, there is no evidence that the American people ever elected this felon even once. It's just that they own the noise machine and if you stay in a noisy environment for a while, you get desensitized to it.

He's an ass, we know he's an ass and a frontman and we've never elected him.

[peanutbrittle]

30. Very angrily.......

I told a bar full of RWers that "you made your bed, now you can sleep in it...good luck!" and walked out. I don't think they had a clue what I was talking about. Maybe now some of them see what I meant.

[Ganja Ninja]

31. I wish all the people that voted for this moron would be ...

stuck with him for another twenty years. If only he was President of GOPland instead of America. They do deserve him and they deserve a full dose and a half of his incompetence. It's only too bad we all have to suffer for the idiocy of people that choose a leader by brand name without considering the individuals qualifications for office.

[genie_weenie]

33. Isn't this blaming the Victim?

We invited this upon ourselves by being lied to over and over and over and over again! This is just we should have no better and we deserve what we get...

[KharmaTrain]

35. I Go One Further...I Call Booosh Voters Immoral

If that person voted for to extend that regime knowing it lied about launching a war...they have as much blood on their hands as Rummy or Chenney...and I won't hesitate now to say it to their face if they push the issue.

[lastliberalintexas]

36. Hell, I've felt that way since 1994

If only the rest of us didn't suffer for their stupidity, I'd be fine with them getting what they voted for.