Thanks, Red States!

TAPPED: DO REFERENDUMS BOOST TURNOUT? (Nick Confessore)

I think it's sadly ironic that voters in red and purple states -- people who, by and large, have never experienced a terrorist attack first-hand and probably don't encounter many gays (that they know of) in their daily lives -- turned out in droves out of their fear of terrorism and homosexuality.

More directly, from The Daily Show, Nov. 3:

Jon Stewart: If those are the two major issues concerning voters.. why would New York City -- which really has the most significant gay population in the country, and has already had the most significant terror attack in the country -- vote overwhelmingly for Kerry?

Stephen Colbert: Well, here's the thing, Jon.

We in New York are too close to the terrorism and the gay people.

Only the red states, with the advantage of a safe distance, can take in the whole picture .. and clearly see what we should do about those issues.

And so on behalf of everyone living in the blue states, I'd like to thank the red states .. for saving us from ourselves.