The Left Coast Response -

Maybe, in fact, we're regressing, back to the days of guns and sexism and pre-emptive violence, of environmental abuse and no rights for women and a sincere hatred of gays and foreigners and minorities. Sound familiar? It should: it's the modern GOP platform.

That’s the take from one columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle about the result of the 2004 election. It’s a reminder that the second Bush term isn’t an innocuous four more years of the same. There’s the very real possiblity that the President will name several new Justices to the Supreme Court. Perhaps the notion of regressing isn’t so far fetched.

But, there are a few bright spots from the West Coast. As John noted (and I’ve blogged on before the election) the passage of the stem cell bond was a nice F.U. to the Bush camp, even if it’s going to dig California deeper into debt. A small price to pay to show the Rove and the Bible Belt about the importance of scienctific inquiry. The other heartening piece of news came from a press release from Equality California announcing that “all 6 of the LGBT candidates running for statewide office were elected by substantial margins…further strengthening the LGBT Legislative Caucus.” And the Caucus, along with Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nunez, will next month introduce the Marriage License Non-Discrimination Act which aims to grant same-sex couples access to civil marriage. While eleven states may have decisively come down on the side of intolerance, there are signs that in the world’s fifth largest economy progress toward tolerance continues.