Trying to Convert Despair to Mere Depression

'The people have spoken, goddamn them.'
--the late, oft-losing candidate Mo Udall

The intelligent, caring (near) half of the country is trying its best to shake off the despair over this defeat, but it keeps coming in waves. In future days, I'll do my best to describe why we shouldn't feel so bad, to look for the silver linings (the progressive infrastructure that's been put in place, etc). But today, and possibly this entire week I'll instead choose to marinate a little in deep concern for the country. There's a good reason for the ancient wisdom that says when you go after a king you must kill him. Otherwise, a merely wounded monarch will come back at his enemies with renewed fury and ferocity. And that's what we have coming from this no-nothing crowd of Bushies in their second term. Don't be fooled for a moment by all their nice talk about healing the country. As the editors of The New Republic rightly put it: "hard times, brutish times, lie ahead." Sad to say, but this group that so lustily goes after the fundamentalists and their jihads overseas, is becoming more like them than they might care to admit.