I'm not sure that I agree, I think the unity that happened after 9/11

[Laura PourMeADrink]

was organic. I don't think we realized at that point it was important it just happened. Such a horrific thing hadn't happened to us in recent years. Perhaps since world war II? The unity was instinctual. Can't manufacture it. And the world was with us.. until Bush started a war.

But that was 20 years ago. Now Trump & GOP has ruined it all.

.

[NH Ethylene]

1. It was a 'we're all in this together' feeling.

I remember it being said, "We're all New Yorkers right now."

I don't think this would happen today. The polarization has created such a crevasse between us that I am doubtful it could be spanned by a tragedy or an attack.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

3. I know :(. It's really sad. Like the Capitol break in, if it

had happened in 2001, would have been one of those moments. Perhaps we are all jaded? What in the world could be absolutely worse than planes flying into buildings and then collapsing before our eyes.

[Turbineguy]

2. I remember how much I wanted to be in the company of

other Americans.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. Or Canadians. We got married 4 days after 9/11 and had to divert

our honeymoon plans. Flew to Buffalo because it was one of the only flights but then drove into Canada. People were super pissed. Because Bush said all the flights could land there and not here. They said thanks a lot. I have fond memories of being in pubs in Toronto. Bush was on the TV screen and everyone was hooting and dissing him

[Hoyt]

5. Yep, the unity was real and comforting. Then, as you said, george war bush

started bombing innocent people.

Then, the GOPers went after Kerry. Obama’s 8 years felt good again. Then, it got even worse with trump.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. Do you think it will come back?

[Buckeye_Democrat]

6. I felt unified even with Republicans, thinking...

... that surely even Dumbya wasn't dumb enough to screw up our response to it. He'd immediately order troops to Afghanistan, who would capture and kill Bin Laden (among other Al Qaeda members), and some measure of swift justice would be done.

Then it became obvious in the following days and weeks that it wasn't going to happen, and more attention was given to Iraq instead.

Poof! Any sense of unity for me was quickly gone, and Dumbya's temporary approval rating of 90+% likewise evaporated.

Meanwhile, Republicans kept trying to keep the torch of unity aflame with their typically SHALLOW "USA! USA! USA!" chants and their eventual objection to french fries (since the French also thought the focus on Iraq was crazy), renaming them "freedom fries" instead.

It was like thinking you're on a good team, only to be reminded again that most of them (the right-wingers) are infantile and moronic. They're more interested in mindless platitudes that make them "feel good" rather than real solutions.

[NCDem47]

8. And then the 2004 election became..

“We’ll, we can’t change Presidents in war time!”

Convenient.

Oh, and Republican National Convention moved to NYC. First time in history and blocks from Ground Zero.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

9. They are shallow, mindless "rah rah" fucks. nt

[Kingofalldems]

7. Fox News attacked and blamed Democrats on 9/12.

Blonde midday host on 9/12: "It's sad the Democrats cut the military budget, so sad."

[The Unmitigated Gall]

10. 2002. Mid-term elections.

Shrub turned around and told voters to elect pukes because “democrats are soft on terror”. His underlings declared “democrats would rather hold focus groups than kill the terrorists”.

The unity that held America together after 9/11. They threw it in the trash.

And when they accomplished that, they diverted into Iraq.

[malaise]

11. What I saw develop after 9/11 was the development of for profit hate groups

and for profit anti-Muslim grifters

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. As odd as this sounds, take me back... nt

[LeftInTX]

14. Yeah, it went south

Bush did do a good job in the immediate aftermath.

He said, "Islam is not the enemy".

Since I came from a family who was murdered by Moslems, I found this comforting because my rage was kinda sky-high right after 9/11.


Then, he messed everything up, which didn't surprise me one bit.

[Voltaire2]

15. If you were a muslim or looked like one

there wasn’t a lot of unity going on.

[róisín_dubh]

16. Seriously.

I remember being terrified for my Middle Eastern/South Asian friends.