2008 Woodie Awards
Re-election of Bush brings concern for the future
Jen Ryan
Issue date: 11/13/04 Section: Viewpoint
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Three words echoed through corners of the country and the world on November 3, 2004: "John Kerry concedes."
A friend of mine in Virginia threw her hands up in the air and rejoiced.
"Once again, God got his message across through a BUSH!!!!" she said.
A friend of mine who lives overseas wrote me a vehement email expressing a contrasting opinion.
"What has your country just done?" he said. "I have a feeling that your generation will forever be known as the generation that elected the worst president in US history, twice. I have no doubt that this will be reinforced over the next four years, with political developments that can only be conceived of in nightmares. Your nation has made a choice. And as a nation, you will pay for that choice. Unfortunately, so will I, and so will the rest of the world."
I stood in front of the television in the AC commuter lounge, staring in disbelief.
"John Kerry concedes."
Three words held the weight of the future-both my future and my country's future.
Whether or not I believed it, or even liked it, George W. Bush had been re-elected.
The questions that I, as well as all my fellow Americans need to consider now all relate to what comes next; what will the next four years bring?
Without a doubt, the situation in Iraq will continue to capture the attention of worried citizens, media groups, and governmental staff alike. In the post-election day Boston Globe, Robert Kuttner's editorial "Next: Exiting Iraq" points out that, "Prominent critics, ranging from Democrats like Harvard's Stanley Hoffmann and former US ambassadors Peter Galbraith and Morton Abramowitz to Republicans such as Senators Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Richard Lugar of Indiana, counsel early withdrawal." The question of how this withdrawal can be achieved will become a central issue during Bush's next four years in office. Will the Iraq War become a worse version of the Vietnam War? Time will tell.
Bush not only will determine the fate of America's actions in Iraq, but also the political make-up of the most powerful court in the United States judicial system. Currently, the United States Supreme Court has three justices over 70 years old-Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, 80; Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, 84; Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 74. In the next four years, President Bush will have the opportunity to appoint one or three new justices, potentially including a new Chief Justice. With the opportunity to hold such power over the make-up of the Supreme Court, laws can be more readily made in line with President Bush's beliefs on gay marriage, abortion, and power given to states. While the Supreme Court does not traditionally change laws that have been on the books for a long time, a chance does exist that the 1972 Roe versus Wade court decision that legalized abortion could be rescinded.
A friend of mine in Virginia threw her hands up in the air and rejoiced.
"Once again, God got his message across through a BUSH!!!!" she said.
A friend of mine who lives overseas wrote me a vehement email expressing a contrasting opinion.
"What has your country just done?" he said. "I have a feeling that your generation will forever be known as the generation that elected the worst president in US history, twice. I have no doubt that this will be reinforced over the next four years, with political developments that can only be conceived of in nightmares. Your nation has made a choice. And as a nation, you will pay for that choice. Unfortunately, so will I, and so will the rest of the world."
I stood in front of the television in the AC commuter lounge, staring in disbelief.
"John Kerry concedes."
Three words held the weight of the future-both my future and my country's future.
Whether or not I believed it, or even liked it, George W. Bush had been re-elected.
The questions that I, as well as all my fellow Americans need to consider now all relate to what comes next; what will the next four years bring?
Without a doubt, the situation in Iraq will continue to capture the attention of worried citizens, media groups, and governmental staff alike. In the post-election day Boston Globe, Robert Kuttner's editorial "Next: Exiting Iraq" points out that, "Prominent critics, ranging from Democrats like Harvard's Stanley Hoffmann and former US ambassadors Peter Galbraith and Morton Abramowitz to Republicans such as Senators Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Richard Lugar of Indiana, counsel early withdrawal." The question of how this withdrawal can be achieved will become a central issue during Bush's next four years in office. Will the Iraq War become a worse version of the Vietnam War? Time will tell.
Bush not only will determine the fate of America's actions in Iraq, but also the political make-up of the most powerful court in the United States judicial system. Currently, the United States Supreme Court has three justices over 70 years old-Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, 80; Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, 84; Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 74. In the next four years, President Bush will have the opportunity to appoint one or three new justices, potentially including a new Chief Justice. With the opportunity to hold such power over the make-up of the Supreme Court, laws can be more readily made in line with President Bush's beliefs on gay marriage, abortion, and power given to states. While the Supreme Court does not traditionally change laws that have been on the books for a long time, a chance does exist that the 1972 Roe versus Wade court decision that legalized abortion could be rescinded.