For 56,158,908 people, the presidential election acted as a huge disappointment. Nov. 2 crushed the hopes of liberals of defeating Bush in the popular vote and Electoral College. Adding salt to the wound, the Republicans picked up the U.S. House and Senate majority. Just how could the majority of U.S. citizens turn 31 states into a fortress painted conservative red?

Defeating President Bush should not have been a problem for Sen. John Kerry. In the beginning, all signs pointed toward a left-wing victory for the White House. Bush had a bad economy working against him with reports of a net loss of more than half-a-million jobs. The 9-11 Commission report painted the Bush administration with flaws. Multiple times the public heard from the media about how no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq. The left has a lesson to learn here. People aren’t voting from their pocketbooks anymore, and we still don’t care if our leaders lie to us.

The liberals tried to motivate a movement of the youth vote in hopes of appealing to a generation more willing to be anti-war and ultimately anti-Bush. Even the fear-mongering liberals who spread lies of a draft couldn’t convince the youth to head to the ballot boxes. A little more than half of eligible voters between ages 18 to 24 voted in this election. When given the choice to either “vote or die,” it seems some of my fellow peers would rather die than let pop stars tell them to get involved. The Democrats learned the hard way not to put their faith in the future leaders of tomorrow who would rather watch reality television or play X-Box.

But the real reason why the Democrats couldn’t secure a Kerry victory in Ohio was simply because they didn’t have God on their side. When it came to moral values, by which conservatives mean the Christian stance on homosexuality, the majority voted against same-sex rights and in favor of God. Like it or not, our president wasn’t decided by his ability to lead, the economy or even fears of terrorism. Bush is in office because a majority of voters hate the idea of homosexuality. Loud and proud? Sure, but still the minority.

And now with the election over, liberals wander aimlessly, looking for purpose and direction. Some debate the possibility of moving to Canada, while others hold their face in their hands crying. Let me offer the left a bit of advice. If you want to leave and move to Canada, fine. Be a quitter and leave, because our country doesn’t need losers like you.

Get your heads up and get out there and fight. Our country still needs a lot of work, and some of you are thinking of quitting? We had the highest-voter turnout ever, 125 million, and you’re willing to throw all of that energy and political involvement away? Do you want your homeland to become more conservative, or would you rather see it move in a more progressive direction?

The right wing says they have four more years. I say we’ve got a lifetime to work together to make the United States the best country in the world to live in for all people of all backgrounds. Let’s get people motivated and increase voter turnout in the next off-year election in 2006.

Keep voting in the future, and keep being politically involved. Never forget the rights, freedom and liberty we all enjoy. But most importantly, remember that each of us adds strength to democracy’s backbone throughout the world.

And if you’re wondering what I’m doing with the five dollars I won from Eric Naing last week, I plan to use it to send care packages to soldiers overseas who don’t receive any. You can learn more at www.anysoldier.com. Never forget those who risk their lives for our freedom.

Kiyoshi Martinez is a junior in journalism. His column runs Tuesdays. He can be reached at [email protected].