by David Safier
We elected Barack Obama President in 2008, and the other side hates us for it. We also picked up Senate and House seats, adding to our gains in 2006. They hate us even more because we beat them twice.
"We want our country back!" they shout. And they mean it. They want their vision of America back — white, jingoistic, belligerent, very conservative. And they're willing to fight for it. They're serious. They mean business. They'll work hard, spend lots of money, lie and cheat and steal to get it back. For them it's an imperative, an end for which any means are justified.
And us? We're whining like a bunch of spoiled babies. It's been a whole year, and we haven't gotten everything we wanted. Obama hasn't somehow miraculously steam-rolled the Congress into passing everything he promised in the campaign– including some things he didn't promise but people thought they heard him say. So we grumble and grouse and give up. Or we fight lethargically. Meanwhile, the other side is hungry, and it can smell victory wafting in the breeze, which makes them fight even harder.
It's time for people to wake up and realize the struggle didn't end in November, 2008. It's time for people to realize no one can reverse 8 years of disastrous policy which left us in 2 wars and at the bottom of a deep economic chasm in one year, let alone realize our progressive/liberal goals. We have every right to be disappointed with the year behind us, but if that results in our saying, "The hell with it," we're in deep, deep trouble.
John McCain is not President. Sarah Palin is not Vice President. Think about the shape we would be in if they were. They're not in the White House, and we have a majority of Democrats in the House and Senate, because we thought the last 2 elections were worth fighting for.
We need to stand for something and fight for what we stand for. Otherwise, those on the other side who want it more will "Take our country back!" Then it will be their country we'll be living in, their version of this country. We can wake up now, or we can wake up later. It's our choice.