Bartlett's Bizarre Bazaar

John Kerry, please concede. I say this as a socialist.

John Kerry has lost the popular vote by roughly 3.5 million votes. The Republicans have increased their control over both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The values of the Republican religious right have been affirmed in the 11 states that resoundingly rejected same-sex marriage*, writing bans into the state constitutions, often with 70-80% support. If John Kerry wins the electoral college vote, which look unlikely, he will be a lame duck President without the moral mandate provided by popular support. He will have to deal with the problem of Iraq in a hostile political and public climate, and he will fail. His Presidency would be open to all the criticisms that were levelled against Bush – a stolen White House and a disastrous foreign policy – with the addition of a permanent block on his domestic and social initiatives. If, on the other hand, he challenges the Ohio vote until the last vote is counted, as John Edwards suggested would be the case, and then loses, the Democratic Party will be legitimately tagged with the label of ‘sore losers’, strengthening the Republican hand in 2008.

Concede. There is nothing to gain, even in the unlikely case of victory.

CNN’s election coverage is pretty comprehensive.

*please understand the electorate of these states did not reject the personal proposition of a same-sex marriage in the sense of an approach on bended knee, but rejected the idea that anyone should be able to marry someone of the same sex in supporting a proposal of a legal ban.