This letter is in response to Andrew Fitzgerald’s letter in Friday’s DI. I have been disappointed with the Republican response to the election. They seem to find it necessary to constantly remind everyone that Bush won the popular vote (for a change) and that the majority has spoken. Yes, the majority might have spoken, but when the majority is a mere 51 percent of the United States, then there are obviously many, many people who disagree with the president and his administration. I found it alarming to see Mr. Fitzgerald refer to the majority that voted for President Bush as “the heart” of the nation. By doing so, he conveniently left out the 55 million U.S. citizens who voted for Sen. John Kerry. Attitudes such as this simply alienate and ostracize half of the nation even further.

What purpose does this serve? It might help feed many Republican’s egos, but this country gains nothing from it. We should be finding a way to reach a middle ground instead of further dividing the nation. In addition to this, Mr. Fitzgerald also makes the sweeping generalization that people who voted for Bush most likely agree with his ideas on same-sex marriage and abortion. This is simply untrue. A vote for Bush does not automatically signify that a person 100 percent backs him on everything he proposes. While Mr. Fitzgerald might be asking the DI to admit that Kerry was defeated, I would like to ask him to recognize that this country isn’t as black and white as he makes it seem. It would be nice to see a more gracious attitude from Bush supporters. A presidential election should not be a contest where more than 55 million people can “lose.”

Jon Parise

Sophomore in LAS