Bush wins
President Bush's massive win, both in terms of the popular vote and the Republican gains in Congress, is nothing short of a watershed for the Democratic Party at large and progressives in particular. Despite having a vast array of issues that should have transcended any personal flaws in John Kerry's candidacy, we could not topple Bush. This time the election was not stolen as it was in 2000; rather, the Democrats were beaten badly despite the tireless efforts of millions of campaign workers, donors, volunteers and voters.
It may be that progressives holed up in urban areas in the northeast, midwest and west coast in the US have lost touch with mainstream America, which increasingly means the conservative Christian right. The rise of the Christian right and its neo conservative agenda has been in the making for decades, but ironically has only been accelerated recently by the onslaught of Islamic fundamentalism .
People in Bangladesh and all over the Muslim world may hate Bush and his ill-advised war in Iraq, but their continued silent acceptance of Islamic fundamentalism only serves to push America further to the right.
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