Aftermath

So Bush is President again. Wow. I really didn't think he would win, and I definitely didn't think he'd win by such a large margin. Jessica and I stayed up all night watching coverage on CNN - we got the live feed from the US on satellite. It was incredible how careful they were this time about their projections. I only wish it hadn't been in the middle of the night, I would have loved to have used it in class for discussion.

The truly interesting thing to watch was world reaction. The pre-coverage on BBC World and CNN International was basically nothing but a Bush-bashing session, with reporters trying to goad world leaders and their spokespeople into saying negative things about Bush. The most notable was Chirac's statement that "there could be no reconciliation with the U.S. under the Bush administration." Immediately after it became apparent that Bush would be re-elected, his song changed completely and he said that it was necessary to rebuild allegiances with America. Wha??? And they accused Kerry of being wishy washy. Pssha.

I can't say that I'm ok with Bush being re-elected. I think the economy is in the toilet, and will continue to decline. The dollar is at an all-time low against the Euro, which once again is screwing me up financially. (Not anything to worry about, but in the two months I've been here my rent has increased 10%.) The majority of the world still hates Americans, which puts me in a precarious position travelling outside of Kosovo, where we are adored. I'm scared about women's rights, gay and lesbian rights, personal freedoms and who he might appoint to the Supreme Court. There's so much at stake this time around. I only hope that after the next four years, we are still living in an America that we recognize and that protects our freedoms and rights. I guess only time will tell.