KO
We must get up; there are 11 more rounds left
and many more Bush blunders to capitalize upon
Ramin Bajoghli November 5, 2004
iranian.com
Now that the dust has settled and our lame duck President has
been re-elected, it is not only vital but essential to reflect
over this past election and move forward. A couple of
lessons can be learned from this past year that will definitely
galvanize the youth and the disenfranchised citizens of the
U.S.
The most important fact to remember is that John Kerry is
not a savior to the problems caused by the Bush administration.
At most he brings a sense of relief and hope -- that in the midst
of the current debacle (both domestically and internationally)
caused by Bush and his group of bandits -- there stands a
candidate that has the possibility of triggering the start of a
new era in
the U.S. state of political affairs. By no means is Kerry the answer
to all our problems.
The most important lesson to be learned from this election is the
success of mobilization by both sides of the political spectrum.
Republican or Democrat, Nader or No Nader, and Left of
Right, everyone is talking politics. Conversations in and around
Boston revolved around the incredible Red Sox comeback against
the Yankees (sorry New York!), their ensuing victory over St. Louis,
and the presidential election. It is now cool to talk politics.
If you are not a registered voter you are branded as "that
kid".
Scores of students across campuses gathered together
to watch the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates. Boston
University hosted all four debates despite being notoriously known
for being apolitical. The Vice-Presidential debate fell on a Friday
(a typical party night), yet many students doffed their fiesta
tendencies and instead engaged in political debates. For the first
time in recent memory, politics is on the forefront of everyone's
mind.
With a Kerry loss, I hope the energy and discussion of politics
does not die away. It is now even more important than ever to talk
politics. Bush did not have a mandate from the people during his
first term and he led one of the most deadly and least successful
presidential administrations in history.
Bush was the first president
since Truman to actually lose jobs. He is directly responsible
for the deaths of 15,000 Afghanis, over 100,000 Iraqis, and
over 1,000 of our soldiers. And now as he begins to embark on his
second term, he has the mandate of 52% of the voters. Allow me
to repeat myself; it is now even more important than ever to talk
politics.
Movements should not and will not
wither away because of one candidate's loss. Instead we need to
build on the momentum created in this
last election and move forward. I suspect many on the Kerry base
feel disheartened and hopeless because their candidate lost. I
beg to differ!
A year ago, the Democratic candidates were seen
as having an outside shot of challenging the President. Over the
course of the past year the President's popularity and credibility
has dwindled. He is not the evincible and untouchable man he once
was. This is a result of the relentless work put in by ordinary
citizens during the campaign.
Creating change in a society takes time...lots of time. Slowly
but surely the U.S. will see change if the citizens who took part
in this election remain politically active. Nothing happens over
night. The Bush administration seized on the 9/11 attacks and instilled
a cultural dominated by terror alerts. They were successful in
preemptively invading and occupying Iraq because of their tactics
and their use of scaring American families. At the start of the
war, an overwhelming majority supported the President's
lies. Now, as evident by the close election, that number
has dropped. That is change!
It is best to compare the events of the past year and the ensuing
events of the next four years and beyond to a heavy weight bout.
Every round consists of hard nosed hitting and dodging of punches.
Some cheap shots are taken here and there, and rarely an ear may
get bitten. Kerry's loss is only a first round knockdown.
But instead of it being a TKO, we must get up, finish the round,
and then regroup. There are 11 more rounds left and many more Bush
blunders to capitalize upon.
Bush will be sworn in again on January 20, 2005.
We must remind him EVERY DAY that he does not represent 48% of
us. We took a back
seat and remained passive to his policies until it was too late.
In essence, as a result of the 9/11 attacks, we gave him a blank
check to do whatever he wants. I urge everyone not to sit back
but instead MOVE FOWARD and remain active. Kerry's loss
is only that on the surface. Below, the echoes of people marching
onward can be heard. Until victory, always!
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