Licking your wounds: Recovering from a political loss.

So far, in my very short political life (started in 2002), I haven't lost one election (state and national) except for Jim Davis in Florida (it doesn't count, though, because I really didn't know jack about him and always liked Charlie Crist, and I still do).

Now, this is the first time I have believed in a politician in my life. I'm talking about something that has changed my life, in terms of seeing my current candidate as a role model, someone to look up to, someone I will talk about to my grandkids in the distant future. Someone that has really made me part of the American process, and someone who has helped confirm my years as a Republican were wasted years.

So, to those that have been way longer than I in the political world: have you ever experienced a loss under those circumstances? If so, how was it? How did you handle it? How did you recover? What did you learn?

Let's do something constructive and let's share our experiences.

It was heartbreaking :cry:

Seriously, I cried for five straight days.

However, I've been fond of Liberal ideals for 25 years or so, and I've seen them get systematically crushed by the Democrats and Republicans alike. We have gone so, so far to the right. It's awful.

I don't know what to say other than we get exactly the government we deserve - good and hard*. If your candidate loses, than we don't deserve him or her.

Lincoln was bounced out of Congress after one term because he was considered to be a big troublemaker. Likewise, the Democratic Party marginalized FDR in the 1920s because he was considered to be too much of a nutty lefty. But when the time was right, and a good leader was needed, Lincoln and FDR were there.

*quote by Will Rogers, I believe

Unless you really buy into the "resistance is futile" crowd. One thing that I've learned in 30 or so years of serious observation of politics is that it's absolutely impossible to predict the winner of the primary process.

Impossible - just ask Hart, Tsongas, and Dean.

I was in second grade when my President was shot in the head. Later, still a kid but old enough to understand the war and the civil rights struggle, my heart and brain were all wrapped around RFK. In a very real sense, heart and brain are still all wrapped around RFK. And, of course, he was shot in the head.

A highly decorated bomber pilot ran against the cold gray man that was Nixon, and ran on a peace platform. Amazing how often combat veterans become the most passionate advocates for peace. They defamed his character, and the country held on to the cold gray man. That hurt in a different way.

I could go on ... but you get the point.

There are leaders who have the ability to call forth from us some of our finest qualities. It is difficult not to swoon for them, especially when it turns out they are really sincere in the statement of their intentions. But it is perhaps more important, when your "man" or "woman" loses a race (or is shot in the head, heaven forbid) to remember what ideals they called forth from you. Those ideals are what deserve your unflagging, unmitigated, unyielding love and are ultimately what provoked you to bond with your candidate in the first place.

Obama will probably lose. That doesn't make lessen the worthiness of either the man or his purposes. I say this to you as one of the undecided, who leans now towards Edwards. He will probably lose, too. But ... still, it is important these people be heard. You must believe it is not in vain.

O8)

his loss affected me very profoundly - for about a month I was essentially in mourning. It was horrible, and certainly not something that I got over easily. So I don't really have any advice about it, except not to get attached to a candidate (and I've already ignored my own advice on that :9 ).

I voted in my first election in 1980...

Carter - lost
Mondale - Lost
Dukakis - Lost
Clinton - Won (yeah)
Gore - Stolen
Kerry - Lost


Happens more often than not...