Rhiandra, I hate to bring up politics in none political groups, but perhaps, just maybe, it is YOU who needs to wake up, and view this as a slap in the face.
Perhaps, the hispanics aren't holding grudges from something that occured decades ago, long before many were born, and perhaps they realized they don't want to have everything given to them, and would rather have a party that will help them better themselves and become equals rather than one that continues to divide people based on ethnic backgrounds.
WHy do over 70% of active military support Bush? Perhaps those who serve view things considerably differently than you, and perhaps you should consider they have insight that you lack?
As to a dead fish in the water...are you suggesting that we shouldn't have term limits in this country? That's truely ignorant. Was Clinton a dead fish (some would certainly argue this), was Reagan? (I'm sure you would have a hard time finding someone to back that up, but then again most of the people on here aren't old enough to understand that far back).
Church and state, that I'll agree with you on

But there were two important issues here, perhaps 3. Security and economics, and morality (I wouldn't have picked this one but the polls out today say that many picked morality as a deciding factor for whom they voted, and that the vast majority of those respondents voted Bush).
The key for me is economics. Of course, I actually work for a living, and earn money. I would like to keep that. I don't want it taxed and redistributed to people too lazy to work for themselves. Unemployment rates are a joke. People are CHOOSING not to work. Do you mean to tell me that within a 20-30 mile radius there isn't a Walmart, mall, Target, grocery store, resturant hiring??? BS. People choose not to take those jobs. Perhaps they are "beneath" them. Well, taking a government handout is beneath me.
Did you notice the international support, even from Putin in Russia, for Bush? Why? Because of security issues. They realize that Kerry winning would be a HUGE sign to the terrorists that the Americans want to back down. They have said so themselves. It doesn't matter if they agreed with Bush on going into Iraq or not. The issue now is what is best at this point. Clearly Kerry was not viewed as the right direction.