Bush Victory Leaves a Split Electorate

I was among those fiercely anti-Bush and pro-Kerry, but the country has spoken and now we must heal and reach out again to friends and relatives of opposing views. Many friendships have been severed, or nearly so, during this fractured election year. Just as important, we must favor President Bush with our thoughts and prayers, supporting him when we agree with his edicts, respectfully offering alternatives when we do not.

One step toward healing any ruptures with other countries is to demonstrate that we are a people who can be mature and unified.

Anything less would not be characteristic of a true democracy.

Sunny Kreis

Santa Monica

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Although I opposed him, I must congratulate John Kerry for having had the dignity to concede the race quickly, not putting the country through the trauma of postelection litigation visited upon us by his predecessor.

Michael Lawler

Los Angeles

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A new dawn has risen, thank God that the heartland is still firmly in control of the country. Also, we must thank our lucky stars that this country is not ruled by California, New York and the likes of Robert Scheer.

Steven Klotzsche

Los Angeles

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The American voters have been taken in by the Bush campaign’s simplistic and perverted moralistic view of the world. If you repeat the same moronic one-line lies over and over again, you win; if you try to take a more complex and intelligent view, you lose. That’s how politics work in America.

Now it will be four more years of the nightmare in Iraq, a mismanaged war on terrorism, the loss of international cooperation, an economy that benefits the wealthy, the eroding of civil liberties, the continued dismantling of environmental laws and the creeping influence of Christian fundamentalism.

I guess we got what we deserved. The only thing left for Democrats to look forward to is four years of “I told you so!”

Mark Johnson

Vista

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Why Kerry lost: rhetoric, anger, incredibility, denial, terrorism, exaggerations, personality, Vietnam, Michael Moore, Dan Rather, CBS, Hollywood, John and Elizabeth Edwards, Teresa Heinz Kerry and, of course, himself.

Bill Gourlay

Westlake Village

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Re your Nov. 1 editorial, “A Failed Presidency”: More than 58 million people disagreed with you on Bush’s presidency. Who goofed?

William deLorimier

San Gabriel

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Since the Democrats began their primaries, I had told my friends that unless they could field a candidate who could keep it simple and folksy, they wouldn’t beat Bush. Jokingly, I proposed that as a litmus test, they should have had each potential candidate say “That dog won’t hunt,” and have chosen the one who said it best. They didn’t, and look what we’ve got for the next two years at least -- no checks or balances and absolute power in the hands of one political party. Heaven help us.

Joel Parkes

Los Angeles

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The Bush administration, through its abject failures on every front -- the economy, the environment, public services and foreign affairs -- has proved itself to be appallingly ignorant, arrogant and incompetent as it goes about doing whatever it perceives to best serve its special interests, to the extreme detriment of the American people, our neighbors and all of our children on this rapidly shrinking and beleaguered Earth.

The rest of the world, apparently a lot more aware of what is happening here than many of us are, has watched the unfolding policies, actions and inactions of this administration with increasing dismay and disgust, but hasn’t blamed the American people individually. Now that over half of the American voters have convincingly demonstrated their own ignorance, arrogance and incompetence, America -- and individual Americans too -- will complete the transition from being the most admired nation and people on Earth to being the most despised.

And we will truly deserve it, for we have buried our heads in the sand.

Edward Fisher

Los Angeles

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It is my absolute conviction that the “reelection” of George W. Bush will ultimately come to be considered the greatest man-made disaster of our generation.

Rob Newman

Bel-Air

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I agree with your Nov. 3 editorial that Bush should reach out to the Democratic minority. I also believe that your newspaper should reach out to the conservative minority of its readers with some attempt at impartiality, even though you have a virtual monopoly on the market and obviously consider it commercially advantageous to pander to the political majority.

Unfortunately, in both instances, reaching out requires reciprocity if it is to work, and I don’t see it working in either case. The Democrats and your newspaper continue to demonize the president with the apparent result that the Democrats lose elections and you lose readers.

Raymond C. Fox

Rancho Palos Verdes

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Congratulations, America! You’ve succeeded in electing someone the entire civilized world thinks is a menace and a moron. I am profoundly ashamed.

Pamela Lamont

Los Angeles

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With Bush’s victory, I can only imagine the angst, depression and despair at The Times after all your hard work to get Kerry elected.

Glynn Morris

Playa del Rey

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I have seriously mixed emotions about the result of this presidential election; great sadness for our country and tremendous relief that I don’t have a draft-age child.

Shel Willens

Los Angeles

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It seems clear from this year’s electoral map, and history since the election of John F. Kennedy, that a candidate from the North (Northeast and Midwest) cannot win the presidency.

Steffen Turoff

Los Angeles