More from the Overstuffed Mailbag

Steve writes:

With a wide grin, I read your editorial entitled “Confessions of a Cultural Elitist”. While I’m not in total agreement with all you said, it made some curious points. Unfortunately, in this society, there will always be a cultural gap between those who have and those who have no clue, those who can think and see reality and those who follow the herd. Though we shouldn’t gloat and make them feel less than they are, it’s difficult to imagine how their sub-society can exist in to the future. Sorry to see your type writhe in such obvious agony. Maybe the next 4 years will teach the “cultural elite” a few lessons.

Yes, it’s true. Those of us voted against Bush–i.e., for Kerry–are in agony. I’m curious about the gloating, though. When Bill Clinton drove the right to distraction, I didn’t reflexively laugh them off. I thought about it. What was it about Clinton, I wondered, that drove Republicans so batshit crazy pissed off? Most of it, I concluded, was style: his smug arrogance, though nothing on the order of Bush’s, must have been grating to those who voted against him. But, especially after Clinton got caught lying under oath, a long-term pattern of sleazy misconduct rose to the level, in their minds, of impeachment. Again, what he did pales in comparison with Bush’s crimes. Still, Clinton did deserve impeachment.

Back then, I broke ranks with fellow lefties by calling, repeatedly, for Clinton’s impeachment. And part of what caused me to do so was the fact that Republicans hated him so much. Nowadays, as Democrats seethe over Bush’s policies and style, it might behoove Republicans to consider why we despise him so much. You might not agree with all of our reasons. But if you really opened your minds, you might see that we have a point. After all, Democrats didn’t hate George H.W. Bush this way. Not since Richard Nixon has a Republican president been hated this much; not since FDR has a Democrat–and FDR deserved the disdain for, among other things, running for a third term and trying to stack the Supreme Court.

Sean wrote:

I’ve decided to provide you some feedback on your OP/ED (Confessions of a Cultural Elitist) since I am one of the “Spectacularly Stupid” who supported president Bush. I’m not expecting a reply from you, only to provide you with another opinion.I live and work around the very blue city of Portland Oregon, so there is no shortage of people around here who would agree with your lefter equals smarter attitude. My support of George Bush was based 75% on common values and 25% on my impression of John Kerry’s arrogance, weakness on defense, as well as his position on issues.

Come on. John Kerry MORE arrogant than Bush? Weak on defense? Surely you didn’t believe those silly “John Kerry voted against defense systems 14,510 times” ads?

In light of our invasion of Iraq, I realize the idea Saddam had stockpiles of WMD’s or an active nuclear program was a mistaken one, but you’ll have to admit that George Bush was in good company on that assumption. Regarding Al Qaeda, I don’t think I ever needed to have a case made to me for collusion on 9/11 to support Bush’s decision on Iraq. The fact that Saddam allowed notorious terrorists in his country and provided support to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers was enough to know where he stood on terrorism.

Actually, the CIA told Bush before the war that there was zero evidence that Saddam still had WMDs, much less nukes. And terrorism is a tactic–one commonly used by outgunned combatants against a superior force, like the American revolutionaries against Britain in 1776–not an ideology. Saddam supported the Palestinians, that’s true. But there was no evidence that he ever intended to, or could have, brought harm to the United States. And Bush knew that.

Bobby wrote:

As I read your article this morning, I was stunned by your apparent hatred of those of us that voted for President Bush. I can understand you supporting your candidate. I can understand discussion, debates, and even arguments about who is better suited to run our country. But, what I cannot understand is how you can insult, belittle, and demean such a large segment of the population for exercising their right to vote.

Let me make it simple. 59 million Americans with access to 100 channels and all of the world’s news outlets online at their local public library, voted for a neofascist over the standard-issue American politician the Democrats put up. They voted for Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, the torture and murder of children by US troops in Afghanistan and the systematic genocide of more than 100,000 Iraqis for the sole purpose of securing access to cheap Middle Eastern oil. Not since Classic vs. New Coke has there been a more obvious choice, a simpler decision, a bigger no-brainer. But they chose, with eyes open, the absolutely dead wrong choice. It only seems natural for those of us who aren’t that fucking stupid, mean and ignorant to say so.

Just because we do not agree with your assessment of Mr. Bush does not mean that we are uneducated. Personally, I chose who I thought to be the lesser of two evils.I believe that Mr. Bush is a detriment to our economy and to health care and the environment. But I firmly believe that he will do a better job of keeping this country safe from those that mean to do her harm. I believe that Mr. Kerry wanted to revamp health care, schools, and protect the environment. But at what costs? I firmly believe that we would have had higher taxes under Mr. Kerry. I also believe, that within the first year of his administration, we would have been targeted for another terrorist attack.

Dude: Dole vs. Clinton was a lesser of two evils choice. This was Dr. Evil vs. Wanker Man. Not the same thing.

Anyway, you obviously are ignorant–uneducated–on the issues and current political system. Faced with the certainty of a Republican Congress, Kerry would never have gotten healthcare reform or environmental protection enacted, nor increased aid to education. Taxes? Look at your tax bill now–it’s already gone up when you add up local, state, and federal. That $10 trillion projected deficit over 10 years has to get paid off somehow…plus compound interest. As for terrorism–are you saying that Bush’s close friendship with the bin Ladens would have protected us from another 9/11? Let’s wait another five years and then we’ll be able to judge whether Al Qaeda or its allies have been somewhat neutralized.

Mike writes:

I do admire your willingness to admit and defend the whole “we ARE smarter and superior and better and …….” Dem mindset. Most of the Dems I know are not willing to admit this to people outside of their inner circle. LIBERALS Smarter? NO. Perhaps better educated? Maybe, but there are many variables to the education equation since education extends well beyond the classroom instruction. Are Liberals educated beyond their intelligence? Likely.

Accept it and move on, or better yet, move out of this country. This country is and has been rejecting the Democratic “progressive” movement for a while now. Population movement and their electoral votes are “progressing” to the RED STATES. Objective WISDOM wins again. Long may it reign.

Sometimes the majority is right. Other times it is wrong. There is no relationship between winning and moral rectitude.

Jennifer writes:

I just read your article “Confessions of a Cultural Elitist” and I want to thank you for putting into words all the thoughts I’ve been having for the past several days. Why is the middle of the country supposed to be more American than those of us on the sides? Why did all the major cities, the ones that will probably be bombed first by Osama bin Laden, go for Kerry while all the flat middle of nowhere culturally bereft areas of the US–you know, the parts where no one would notice if it were annihilated–vote for Bush? And how presumptuous to think that people who use God in the name of political advancement are more morally accurate than the rest of us who choose to keep our relationships with God a private matter. Did the Puritans really leave England to escape oppression only so generations later we could live in country where we oppress ourselves? What morons we look like to the rest of the world, we fat-assed spoiled Americans shopping at Wal-Mart, drinking our 64 ounce Big Gulps, staying up all night playing Play

Station, making sure we know more about Paris Hilton than about Paris, France. It’s an embarrassment to be an American these days, no matter who you voted for. The only difference is that the blue parts of the country are embarrassed to be attached to the red bits, and the red bits are too stupid to know any different. Anyway, thanks for revealing your disgust–it’s good to not feel so alone in our loss.