Random Thoughts

On the election...

by Heidi Parent
11/16/04

Take that!

In spite of Michael Moore, "Fahrenheit 911," George Soros, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Mathews, Vote for Change, the Dixie Chicks, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Al Franken, MTV, P. Diddy, Eminem, Linda Ronstadt, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbra Streisand, Kitty Kelly, Dan Rather, “60 Minutes,” CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Joe Wilson, Richard Clarke, the UN, Kofi Annan, Mohamed El Baradei, France, Germany, most of the European press, Osama bin Laden’s infomercial, MoveOn.org, Americans Coming Together, and all the other left-leaning 527 groups, George W. Bush prevailed. Does anyone recall another candidate being subjected to so much vitriol and hatred? Moreover, does anyone else find it comforting that the American people saw through it and voted the way they did? I sense a power shift…

Ahhhhhhhh!

To my 60,480,956 fellow Bush voters out there, I hope you've all taken a moment to savor the moment. I sure did. As I watched into the wee hours, secure in the knowledge that Bush had won Ohio, I couldn't help but feel like a gigantic weight had been lifted, and every muscle in my back and neck finally relaxed after 9+ months of tension. And as I look back on everything we endured, a decisive Bush victory made it all worth it. How sweet it is!

O-HI-O

To the 2,796,147 Ohioans who voted for President Bush, this fellow Bush supporter thanks you for coming through. In the words of Chrissie Hynde, she the left-leaning lead singer of The Pretenders: “A, O, way to go Ohio”!

Middle America who?

Until they change their elitist attitude about fly over country, Democrats will never win another national election. Republicans get it and it showed. Just look at the county map at http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/countymap.htm. Never has so much red made so many people blue.

It ain’t over

That said, Republicans must continue to work hard to keep the voters they have. Their fatal mistake would be to rest on their laurels, to believe that because they've made great gains in the last three national elections, the war is over. Nothing could be further from the truth. What Republicans have won is just another battle in the war of ideas. But the war rages on.

You got no soul, man!

One thing is clear, the Democrat party needs to find its soul. Who are they? Are they the party of the NAACP? The party of La Raza? Of the environmental wackos? Of PETA? Of NARAL? Trial lawyers? Unions? The NEA? AARP? Hollywood elite? The downtrodden? The anti war movement? It is clear they've become a hodgepodge of a thousand special interest groups, which wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that these groups don't all have the same agenda. Which means in order to win, a Democrat candidate has to try to be all things to all people. And John Kerry is living proof of how well that worked out.

Summit anyone?

With the need for Democrat party to find itself, maybe John Kerry will get to convene one of his oft proposed summits after all.

DNC leadership change?

With a second devastating loss occurring on his watch, one has to wonder how long DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe will remain in charge. His term expires early next year, so the question is: Who will replace him? Two names being tossed around are Howard Dean and Donna Brazile. However, with Hillary gearing up for a run in 2008, don't discount another Clinton puppet such as Harold Ickes or Leon Panetta. Either way, the leftward march continues. (That sound you just heard is Ed Gillespie jumping for joy.)

Be careful what you wish for…

Many believe that the inclusion of gay marriage referendums on ballots in eleven states ended up helping President Bush, especially in Ohio. I don't agree that this act was solely responsible for his win – I believe the security issue had the most impact – but I think there might be some truth to the argument that the gay marriage debate helped fire up the Republican base and possibly even brought over some moderate Democrats. Were it true, isn't it ironic? The Democrats’ push to legalize gay marriage via activist judges forced many states to respond with ballot initiatives. And it was these initiatives, brought about in response to the Democrats’ own actions, that ultimately helped doom their presidential candidate. Don't you just love irony?

See ya, Tom Daschle

What can I say? Other than I'm troubled by the outcome of your election. I'm saddened that you couldn't pull this one out. And I'm concerned for your future. (Not really. I just wanted to see if I could use your three favorite verbs in 25 words or less.)

B-O-L-D

President Bush has made it clear that he does not plan to just mark time in his next four years. Instead he plans to pursue a bold domestic agenda that includes reforming social security and the tax code. Addressing energy dependence is also a possibility, bringing drilling in ANWR once again to the forefront. Rising health care costs is also on the radar, with tort reform an obvious target. In addition, don't look for the president to cave in to threats from Democrats and moderate Republicans by nominating “safe” judges. If his first term is any example, the President will nominate judges of his choosing. The boldness of his agenda makes it clear that the son is certainly not the father when in comes to taking risks and spending political capital. And we will be better for it.