As of right now, Republicans have lost their seats in the house, and democrats are leading the race for the senate by a small margin in Montanna and Virginia. I went out and voted yesterday (and hope you all did as well) for a change in office.

I first started getting in to politics in the first bush/gore election, and majorly in to it on the bush/kerry election. I did not like John Kerry, but thought he was the lesser of two evils. I thought Howard Dean was the smartest and best for the job, but some people made a big deal out of him yelling (for joy) about being the top dog at the caucuses. Then John Kerry quickly became the new favorite.

I watched cnn, c-span, and many other news channels daily at that time, and really studied each candidate. My impression of both kerry and the nc senator was that they really liked to copy Howard Dean's ideas and use them as their own. Howard Dean was in touch with middle class America and seems compassionate about the problems we face in America, healthcare, etc, especially since he was an MD at one time.

Joseph Lieberman, I just didn't like. He's the type of person to ban video games and free speech from all of America. He's the one that pushed the video game rating system , starting from the banning of the original night trap sega cd game, putting warning labels on others, etc. I am sad to say that he just got re-elected, as an independent, because his own party didnt' want him any more.

Now, we go back to this mid-term election, and I hope that we see some positive change. I don't consider myself a full-blooded democrat, probably along the lines of middle of the road. I kind of supported bush in the first election, because of scare tactics about how al gore was going to take gun rights away from all americans, etc.. Now days, I realize that isn't possible. Like they say, if they take guns away from all legit owners, then only criminals will have guns.

I know that a lot of people don't understand why people have guns, but I was born and raised in Florida and Tennessee. Guns are not a big part of my life, like they were with my father, but they are stll a part of my life. I don't kill animals for sport or to eat any more. However, some people do. I just think I have a right to protect my family if need be.

There has been a big debate about why america actually has a high murder rate, when canadians have about the same percent of guns in their households and don't have a high murder rate.

Any way, I've been watching c-span, cnn, fox news, and several other stations since yesterday, stayed up quite late last night, listening to the calls and etc and keep hearing that many of what might have considered themselves die-hard republicans are voting mixed or all democrat, due to being sick and tired of bush's war.

I've got two family members that have been in the iraq war and am very sick of bush's reign of terror.

Its about time... Ive lost friends to the war in Iraq as they were soldiers... This is the best news Ive heard in a while. I just dont know why people defend Bush. He did so much damage to the US...

Unfortunately this is where our common interests trail divides.

Let me say first that I am not Democrat for a reason.

Republicans defeated themselves in the elections, particularly by wasting time trying to appease the left and not sticking up for their core beliefs and then also for their mistakes made throughout the war. Yes the war is hugely unpopular and the right have made mistakes in the process, but do you all really believe 'cut and run' is the answer?

I don't see how in the world leaving Iraq is going to do the world a big favor. The terrorists are ready for that and will follow the "departing troops" into America. First the war is fought here. Then we are forced by these inhuman beings (terrorists) into living their "loving culture," being killed or violated. (You cannot convince me that they are good people who seek to 'right the American wrong,' they want to wipe out civilization itself: everyone, everything, and even us GDG people.)

Just as trying to run from a so-called stirred hornet's nest is bad (as the hornets will follow you and sting you to death before stinging everyone else), so is the 'cut and run' method. I agree that war is not a good thing and, in a perfect world, no one wants to see people die, but all bad events in life will have casualties. Freedom isn't free. It is ridiculous and totally disrespectful to discount and cut down the deaths of our soldiers, whose lives let us keep our big mouths.

I constantly hear talk about Democrats doing a better job, when I hear about Dean and co. say we should pull out. What is their plan? What is their strategy? When have they done anything right (correct)? I don't see how Kerry, Dean, both Clintons, or any other democrat can possibly steer the ship better (not to say Bush is perfect, but you know what I mean.).

I'm sure being president ain't no walk in the park, but this hate hate hate him to no end crap is getting old. Every show I have watched and radio show I've heard has yet to say what Hillary or Dean have done besides 'I like them.'

Nothing but smoke and mirrors if you ask me.

I love America, but probably not enough. It's easy to enjoy the freedoms when you don't have bombers strapped and ready to see their 72 virgins after taking lives in the process. (Don't call ME blind, every death is a victory to them and that is scary.)

By the way I was raised in Tennessee and Alabama as you may have noticed but they ain't as right-wing as they used to be. But I guess I'm just another confederate flag wavin inbred- what do I know?

I know I don't need to condemn America to be heard.

Like I said, I'm not a die-hard democrat, because I have several conservative values, and usually vote on the issues. Scare tactics is what I perceived Bush's 2nd presidential campaign ran on. Dick Cheney basically said "they could hit us again if we elect a democrat" meaning the terrorists would bomb us again.

What they can't seem to realize is that there is no winning the war on terror. It doesn't matter if osama or saddam get imprisonment for life or even die in a war, because there are hundreds of thousands of osamas and saddams. If we were that anti-communist, why didn't we invade venezuela or cuba? There is little interests there.

General Wesley Clark stated a few months ago that the war on terror is not winnable. If you think of what terrorism is, there's no one classification of a terrorist. Now, if they said war on muslim extremism, maybe things would be different, but I doubt it. The more you persecute a race or religion, more people will join the cause, including Americans.

Terrorism could mean any thing: Bombing abortion clinics, catholic vs protestant wars in Europe, anti-capatilists, anti-pollutionists, anti-taxists, etc. If you think about it, terrorism is about picking a cause and being able to kill people and/or destroy symbols/property for it.

About the war in Iraq. I really do not know how democrats plan on handling it. It's bush's mess, and it shouldn't be America's job to clean it up. I've got 2 family members that have served in Iraq. One of them emailed me and said she didn't even know why they were in iraq, because all they were told to do for over her second deployment is to just sit around the whole time. So, that's pretty much all she did.

You'd think that just sitting around in Iraq would be easy, but the extreme conditions over there make it hard on people who aren't conditioned to it. At one time, she talked about it being around 120 degrees and almost impossible to sleep in. Many nights, she slept in the office, which had AC.

She told me that Iraq was the worst place she'd ever been and that she's decided to retire from the army because of it. Luckily, she's going to be getting out soon and hopefully they will allow her to leave.

Taxes:
No one likes to pay taxes, including me, but I do understand that it goes to our parks, roads, hopefully local improvements, and most important, our elderly, disabled, and special needs people, whether it be food programs, medical programs, or financial assistance programs.

Unfortunately, taxes also go to some less-effective campaigns, like anti-tobacco and drug programs, no child left behind, and in florida's case, too much money going towards law enforcement. Places like North Carolina, which have major crime and mexican gangs could probably use more law enforcement.

Lobbiests/Special interest:
I don't believe in buying out or paying for campaigns or taking vacations or gifts in trade for new rules or laws that would benefit special interest groups. I'm sure both parties are guilty of this, but the new democratic senate has stated that they want to get rid of lobbiests.

Corruption:
Several polls on c-span and other news agencies have said that several republicans voted either mixed or democratic down the line because of corruption in the republican party.

Conservative Democrats:
Being a conservative democrat has been considered a stratigical nightmare, but a few democrats ran as conservative democrats this year and won. There's at least one republican senator that is considering changing parties to democrat.

Religion:

Another poll was done on several news agencies that stated that several republicans were sick and tired of the republican party to all be considered of the Christian faith, which may have pushed the votes for democrats.

My take on abortion:

I don't believe in abortion, only in extreme cases like rape or when it could cause death to the person due to age or medical reasons.

I am of the Christian faith and have even been a counselor for an all-republican Christian group and have learned a lot about both sides of the fence. Unfortunately, since the end of the 2nd presidential election, I've not really been keeping up with every thing between than and now.

Conclusion:

I highly doubt you're going to see much change between the old senate and the new. Bush has his hand on the veto stamp, and both sides will have to negotiate/trade one bill for another. So, you're probably going to see a conservative senate.

I believe what I want to believe. I also did not once state I was for either side. I guess that's considered independent or whatever.

I can just as easily admit Republican mistakes besides the stale topics of prison abuse, mishandled taxes, border security (tough one there), phone-tapping, etc.

However, you kind of have to put yourself in Bush's shoes so to speak. I know he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but how do you think YOU would respond to an aerial attack on your country? What other measures were available in 2001? The death toll and impact of it all could not be ignored.

The media, left, pop culture, and other nations of the world have their share of serious problems as well. It's a big but sick world we live in. While I respect the right to free speech, I can't stand to hear those people constantly piss and moan about how much (they believe) this country sucks. Go move then- there is a poor nuclear-driven nation with very limited use of any kind of electricity to last even a day, where Kim Jung Il will be happy to welcome you.

Or go to the desert-ridden nation where the midget ruler only has uranium, war (again) and complete domination on his mind.

Or go where there are well over a billion people restrained from having more than two children and are busy combatting the different flus that nearly saw the States.

I'm not racist, but need I tread further?

Everyone has problems. Everyone makes fun of everyone else. Love and hate fill all spaces. People tend to easily confuse American with universal in terms of what is wrong wtih our society.

As this pertains to Bush, few presidents could probably do a hair better dealing with all these issues on a daily basis.

"Terrorism won't be won" because that word is way too broad, just like LBJ's war on poverty. (Neither here nor there.)

In a world where every nation has problems, I choose America. I deserve to be allowed to speak my mind, to manage my own finances, to get a quality education, to keep my house (getting one some day), and much more.

Whining about our country's woes accomplishes nothing.

We got ourselves into this mess, now we have to climb out of it. Like it or not.

The problem is that iraq has nothing to do with 9/11. That was osama, in afghanistan, and almost all of the terrorists were from saudi arabia. Bush was told this, and he said in an interview that saddam tried to kill his father and he wanted to get him. Why do you think we only have 10k troops in afghanistan?

We don't want Osama. Osama is royalty in Saudi Arabia, and the Bush family's Carlisle group, which is owned by Saudi, is making their tanks - it was quote several years ago that the carlisle group was profitting $250,000,000 per day on the war in Iraq, and the Bush family gets a small chunk of that, not to mention the no-bid contracts.

This is about a personal vendetta against saddam, and now that we have him, we're fighting syrians, saudis, pakistanis, and americans, probably some lebanese, turkish, and egyptians as well.

This isn't a war between america and iraq. It's not only a war against the middle east, but also people that are looking for a cause to fight for, muslim or not, people that feel sorry for persecuted muslims, etc. I'm not making an excuse for them, because I have dealt with many muslims and really can not stand any of them that I've met so far. It's ok to be racist in their culture and it's ok to be sexually immoral if you're male. Does that mean I want to kill them? no.

I don't consider myself a patriot but a revolutionary in my ideas.

I know the war is global. No one mentioned a 'war against Iraq.'

You obviously would not kill muslims because they are no threat to you. Any nation threatened by anyone must be dealt with. Period. Nothing these extremists do was/is ok anymore no matter how they try to justify it. It sickens me to know of the easy access to footage of beheaded civilians on live TV- It rewards the murderers for their disgusting deeds and is inexcusable. Why should America take this "Death to America" crap so lightly? Worse yet, why do 'angry' Americans condone it?

I admit I have some other questions and don't get why there are any Bush/Bin Laden ties of any kind. Why bargain with the same royalty while telling the world you are determined to hunt him down and 'destroy' him?

Maybe honest politicians can never exist anymore.

I did consider a history major, but it is a little early right now to decide my own future.