Mandate for Political Division

November 5, 2004

November 4, 2004

Let's be clear about what happened on Tuesday. There was no

" nationwide " mandate for President Bush and his conservative policies

as Vice President Cheney smugly concluded yesterday. President Bush

ran on fear and divisive cultural issues and turned out more voters

than his opponent. Despite the president's sunny calls for coming

together, this election was a mandate for political division not

unity. Progressives must remain strong and prepare for what is coming

our way. The planks of this mandate include:

* A full frontal assault in the culture war. " Now comes the

revolution, " stated right wing culture war dean Richard Viguerie

yesterday. The president's fundamentalist base will demand payback and

the Bush administration and its cohorts will respond in kind. They

will push for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and civil

unions; seek to criminalize a woman's right to choose; funnel more

public funds to religious groups; and try to further erode the

constitutional separation of church and state.

* Strategies that create more enemies than they eliminate. In the

short-term, having postponed difficult operations in Fallujah and

so-called " no-go zones, " we face an enormously difficult task of

preparing Iraq for elections in January that are unlikely to meet

international standards as free and fair. Having admitted no mistakes

in Iraq, it is doubtful that the president will be able to attract

greater international support for Iraq. In this regrettable

environment, Iraq will remain a terrorist safe haven and recruiting tool.

* Dismantling of the social safety net and more tax policies for

the wealthy. On the economic front, the president's people have

already promised to begin efforts to privatize Social Security and

begin attacking the foundations of public education. They will

certainly seek to fully eliminate the tax on massive inherited wealth

and will seek to permanently shift tax burdens off of capital and

investment and onto labor.

Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund.

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