Some people are suggesting Sen. Kerry should do more to attract the religious believer vote ... or certain sorts of religious believers, that is, since his four wins included many people in that category. I sneer at one such article here.
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A reply to one of my posts on the complexity of the votes of the current Supreme Court noted that this is as it should be. The Supreme Court did it's job [but see here and here], overturned some troubling acts of governmental power, and the fact it didn't just split along predictable political lines is how the system is meant to work. The system does work sometimes, flawed as it might be. Other times, such as the pre-emption of a state patient rights law and the enemy detainee decisions, it requires additional help from the other branches. Sometimes, such as COPA, requires help from the people themselves.
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I received a letter yesterday from someone I met online a few years back. I first experienced the joys of the web before there really was a web like we have now in the early '90s via local bulletin boards and a political bulletin board. From the start, it was notable how the medium opens up various methods of communication and attachment, some that might be called "pretty personal." This is why I try to be polite and considerate when I talk to people, though there are some outlets for those who want to let loose a bit.
I have a personal hope that in some small way all of this helps the sense of community overall, allowing us to talk and understand other people a bit better. Democracy is not just voting and donating time to campaigns. It is about a public conversation, equal respect, concern about the issues in our everyday life, and so forth. These are things everyone can take part in, things everyone in some way should take part in. Perhaps, the online community can help this aspect of democracy. You know, besides providing porn, sports scores, and email spam.