Let's try to remain serious on this one. Why do you think Bush won? Was it a particular issue? Is it attributable to Bush? Kerry? The American people? Some outside influence (Osama, Europe, etc.)?

Also, any comment on why the run-up to the election was so close - yet the victory so definite? For the first time in 16 years we have a candidate that not only won the majority of the popular vote, but over 50% of the popular vote. Not even Clinton did that. Yet the polls before the election came out neck and neck.

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In this country, we don't need reasons to make things legal; we need reasons to make things illegal. - Startup

I think the democrat's pro-choice stance hurts them in most of the country. The fact is that most of the country does not approve of legal abortion and no matter what a pro-life candidate does, a large amount of the population will vote for him or her. It also didn't help that comes from the state that legalized gay marriage.

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Actually, I don't think that's true as a factual matter. I think we're (as a nation) pretty centrist on this issue. Here's a poll from 2001 http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_poll3.htm ,
and this one on Catholics only in 2004 http://www.religiousconsultation.org...l_abortion.htm , and two from 2004 for all people: http://www.pollingreport.com/abortion.htm and http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x11389.xml .

Now, given that I just lambasted the inaccuracies of polling, I'm certainly not one to stand on the polls I just listed. I also found polls that show a majority oppose abortion, but the sources seemed pretty biased. However, I just don't think it would be fair to say that most of the country disapproves of legal abortion. IMHO

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In this country, we don't need reasons to make things legal; we need reasons to make things illegal. - Startup

Has anybody thought about what the outcome of the election could have been if no Osama Bin Laden tape had appeared? If there wasnt an issue at all over Gay rights, stem cells and abortion?

Sadly to say that the last presicdent I voted for was Clinton and I admit that I didnt vote during the Bush Gore election. How can my vote count if my voters registration card was printed on the wrong stock? How can my vote count if one county used electronic voting machines and another county stilled used chads?

How can my vote count in an unfair society? How can my vote count if you conceded to early but yet didnt have every vote to be counted? How can my vote be counted if this is a national election but there is no standardized way to vote? How can my vote be counted if when I got off from work it was to late to go vote? How can my vote be counted if my supervisor didnt let me off to early vote or vote?

Hell, how can my vote be counted if what was once a democratic district got changed to a republican district (and that had to be done before the elections). These are the questions I ask of all. I've come to the conclusion that voting is useless and a waste of time, every President should get an 8 year term, cause its obvious now that every 4 years no matter how hard you try, YOUR VOTE WILL NEVER BE COUNTED

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In this country, we don't need reasons to make things legal; we need reasons to make things illegal. - Startup

How could the president have not got reelected?
He was constitutionnally allowed to run for a second term. He is a democratically honourable man.
The only point that could have curbed the hands of destiny was the well known democratic feature of ungratefulness.
But democratic people are also reasonable and the reasonable attitude was to prefer a man who has made his proofs achieving a determined mission over a man who has proven nothing. Democracy said "here what you need to secure the democratic rights" and the crowd broke and a man appeared, pledging on his life to fulfill his democratic duties. So far, the president has never broken his oath. He has revealed an able man in achieving democracy's demands.

The president has done so good a democratic job. A quality of job that allows him to seriously stand as one of the best democratic presidents in all times. After all, he saved the democratic world.And this time, alone. No backup.
Not only he got reelected but in these times of democratic apathy, he managed to break the curse and brought back to the voting boxes voters. He gave them a reason to use their right to vote which as a right is as well expressed when one goes voting as when one doesnt go voting.
The president through his democratical perfect management has gained the support of democratic people. Nothing wrong here.
No surprise. Only a fool could have believed that the democratic people would not have recognized in that man of quality a democratic president in action.

I think Bush won because he didn't neglect the extremely conservative evangelical christians, who stayed home 4 years ago.
Add the lies about Kerry's vietnam era (swiftboat veterans or how was it named?) and the third world style elections in a lot of places, which scare away people who don't feel very passionate about any of the candidates.
I might be wrong, but I think there were more voters who would never vote for someone who is pro-choice or in favor for equal rights for gay people then there were people who truly hated Bush.

Bush got elected because Kerry never really got past an "Anything but Bush" status.

I think that's a strong argument. And it would give support to Startup's argument as well.
Can you point me to the lies the Swiftboat Veterans told? As well as the places where we had "third world style elections"?

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In this country, we don't need reasons to make things legal; we need reasons to make things illegal. - Startup

Isnt the president the president elected with the most voices in the democratic us history?
People moved to go to vote and they moved en masse.