corilannam | There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. -William J.

Like many people today, I'm bouncing back and forth between numb shock and bitter, angry disappointment over the election. I've been pretty sure for a long time that Bush was going to win, but for a little while yesterday, I allowed myself to have hope, and the come-down was harsh.

I can't even process the anti-gay marriage laws that passed yesterday in 11 states. My brain can't even wrap around that right now, and every time I think about it, I start crying again.

Sometimes democracy is a hideous bitch.

You know, when Howard Dean had his abrupt dethroning back in primary season, the one thing everyone kept saying was that he wasn't electable. Too passionate. Too opinionated. Too scary to middle America. We had to nominate John Kerry, because Kerry was the only one who could beat Bush.

Well, clearly that plan didn't work. And I can't help thinking that, since we lost anyway, we might as well have gone with Dean. We'd still have lost, but oh, the national debate we might have had!

Anyway, life goes on. For those of us still bitter and grieving, I think katie_m had the best suggestion for coping with our feelings. Do something good for the country and the world today. Make it something that would piss off Bush if he knew about it.

Today I worked on a report that, when we send it to Congress, will make the administration unhappy. And then I finally went and joined the ACLU, because we're going to need all the help we can get over the next four years.