Well done, John Kerry

[minniepumpernickel]

Good post Jrydberg. You and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum on most issues, but atleast you have class. Your posts are never mean spirited.

 

[transparant]

Very well said! I agree - its the honorable thing to do.

 

[Laura]

Originally posted by dmadman43
Unlike with Gore in 2000, the votes were not on Kerry's side to fight this thing. He didn't have the popular vote, so if he were to undertake a protracted vote count, he would NOT have had the support of the country

I also agree with Dawn on the divided country issue. Bush got more votes than any President in history and he got >50% of the popular vote. Hard to make the divided case. Sorry, but is seem that much of the nation DOES support Bush. As painful as it is for Kerry supporters to admit, sounds like a mandate to me.

Well, I think you're overstating the margin of victory in the popular vote, as it's 51% to 48%, so not a landslide but also not as razor-thin as 2000. Kerry got more votes than Gore did in 2000. Slightly more than half of this country supports Bush, slightly less than half does not. 3% does not a mandate make, but it decisively says that Bush won. And we Kerry supporters do have to admit that.

It was a good election with great turnout, and I'm glad that the results won't be drawn out over a long period of time, and we do not have an "appointed" president, but a rightly elected one. No arguments from me on that.

 

[sha_lyn]

I wonder what they do with the absentee ballots. Good Morning America discussed this yesterday and said they had to be postmarked by yesterday's date. How would you feel is they were announcing the winner and you knew that your vote wasn't heard.

I wish the ballots were handled differently but I think Kerry recognizes that a majaority of absentee ballots are military and a majority of them support our President.

No matter which man was going to be announced as victor this morning, one thing is perfectly clear..............half the country doesn't want them in office.

over 1/2 the country's popular vote went to the president. The largest percentage in history. I think that speaks very well of the president.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by Laura
Well, I think you're overstating the margin of victory in the popular vote, as it's 51% to 48%, so not a landslide but also not as razor-thin as 2000. Kerry got more votes than Gore did in 2000. Slightly more than half of this country supports Bush, slightly less than half does not. 3% does not a mandate make, but it decisively says that Bush won. And we Kerry supporters do have to admit that.

It was a good election with great turnout, and I'm glad that the results won't be drawn out over a long period of time, and we do not have an "appointed" president, but a rightly elected one. No arguments from me on that.

Then why wasn't the nation divided when Clinton only got 43% of the vote? Even Reagan in his best days never got the number of votes Bush did.

 

[Laura]

I must say it would have been really funny to me if Kerry had won the electoral vote and Bush the popular vote.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by always quiet
I would of liked for him to stick it out.....each and every vote should be counted.

I wonder what they do with the absentee ballots. Good Morning America discussed this yesterday and said they had to be postmarked by yesterday's date. How would you feel is they were announcing the winner and you knew that your vote wasn't heard.

No matter which man was going to be announced as victor this morning, one thing is perfectly clear..............half the country doesn't want them in office.

More than half the country never wanted Clinton in office in either of his terms. More than half the country didn't want Gore in office. What's your point?

As for the absentee ballots, even when they do count them, it will be statistically impossible for Kerry to overcome the margin in Ohio.

 

[Jennifer S]

Very nice post. Kerry did do the right thing. Brought him up in my book. Campaings are tough. Both fought hard. Glad it's over.

Kerry supporters - lets mend fences - on to other topics
I do feel for you. I'd feel the same way if Bush lost. Have a bowl of ice cream, chocolate, etc on me.

 

[Laura]

Originally posted by dmadman43
Then why wasn't the nation divided when Clinton only got 43% of the vote? Even Reagan in his best days never got the number of votes Bush did.

It seems to me that in the '92 election, those who didn't vote for Clinton were divided between George H. W. Bush and Ross Perot. Clinton got the rest. Seems like the this election partly shows the effects of a huge turnout and the decline of the third party candidates. Otherwise, I can't explain it.

 

[phisigprincess]

Good for him. Glad he conceeded. I can't imagine going through another few weeks of being unsure as a country.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

I agree. Just heard something to the effect that Senator Kerry's call to President Bush included comments about now working to bring this country together. Very gracious. I also think President Bush was gracious to the Senator in not rushing to claim victory. Both men showed a lot of class and I'm proud of them.

 

[ead79]

I totally agree that this was a classy decision on the part of Senator Kerry. I sure wish some people at my office were handling it in a classy way. It's a shame when you make a kind comment about the opposing candidate and someone just says that your candidate stole the election again and is the devil. We just don't need that right now. Now she is insulting me personally. Good grief!

I have been so proud of how the vast, vast majority of DISers have been so kind on both sides of the aisle. I have seen no posts being rude winners or losers that I remember (I might have missed some, but I have only seen pretty classy stuff). Kudos to the DISers.

 

[Laura]

Originally posted by LadyTrampScamp&Angel
I agree. Just heard something to the effect that Senator Kerry's call to President Bush included comments about now working to bring this country together. Very gracious. I also think President Bush was gracious to the Senator in not rushing to claim victory. Both men showed a lot of class and I'm proud of them.

I agree that it was classy of Bush to give Kerry time to mull things over.

 

[Aimeedyan]

As always, this nice, supportive mending thread even took a debate twist by certain posters. Does it ever end?

It was a good race to the end. There are alot of bridges to be mended. I have had a good cry, will probably have a few more, and do a lot of praying. Glad Kerry didn't let things stretch on forever and took the defeat when it was obvious. That takes a lot of strength. Next 4 years should be interesting.

 

[ead79]

Aimeedyan,

I hope you weren't referring to me. I honestly didn't mean my post to be rude, but rather complimentary. I have one hateful coworker, but almost everybody, especially Senator Kerry, seems to be acting with so much integrity. Didn't mean to offend, honestly.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Originally posted by ead79
Aimeedyan,

I hope you weren't referring to me. I honestly didn't mean my post to be rude, but rather complimentary. I have one hateful coworker, but almost everybody, especially Senator Kerry, seems to be acting with so much integrity. Didn't mean to offend, honestly.

Oh no, Love, wasn't you =) You said nothing wrong at all =)

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by LadyTrampScamp&Angel
I agree. Just heard something to the effect that Senator Kerry's call to President Bush included comments about now working to bring this country together. Very gracious. I also think President Bush was gracious to the Senator in not rushing to claim victory. Both men showed a lot of class and I'm proud of them.

Well, call me a crumudgeon, but it was just a much a statistical impossibility to win Ohio last night at midnight as it was today at noon. So, why didn't he concede last night? Why did he send his boy Edwards out to basically say "we're mulling over the possibility of suing". I don't buy the classy issue. Kerry was drug kicking and screaming to concede if you ask me. The popular vote numbers didn't support him pulling a Gore. His aides convinced him of that. If he were really classy he would have conceded on Election Day not let the nation wait until the next. The numbers are no different today than they were last night.

 

[tar heel]

The largest percentage in history. I think that speaks very well of the president.

Not quite. Several presidents have gotten much larger percentages of the votes -- that guy named Ronald Reagan, for example. Because of the increase in our population and the large voter turnout, John Kerry also got more votes than most of our previous presidents.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by Laura
It seems to me that in the '92 election, those who didn't vote for Clinton were divided between George H. W. Bush and Ross Perot. Clinton got the rest. Seems like the this election partly shows the effects of a huge turnout and the decline of the third party candidates. Otherwise, I can't explain it.

Which indicates more people votes AGAINST Clinton than FOR him. So, again, why no "division" back then?

 

[Deb in IA]

Originally posted by Laura
Seems like the this election partly shows the effects of a huge turnout and the decline of the third party candidates. Otherwise, I can't explain it.

Actually, the analysts are saying that the major demographic differences this time were that George Bush got a significantly greater percentage of the vote from 3 groups: Hispanics, married women, and Jews. And THAT may have made the difference.

Anyway, very nice post, jrydberg. Kudos to both candidates, and now let's move on, instead of dragging it on and on and on, as in 2000 . . .