Four More Years...
I've been putting off writing about the election results in the hope that I might avoid rambling on and on in a blind rage, and in the hope that it would all turn out to be just a big nightmare -- it wasn't. Trust me. I even pinched myself. But now that a few days have passed, I feel like I can actually think clearly about Tuesday's results.
The initial reaction to the results as a whole -- not just presidential, but senate and house as well -- on the left was, of course, how did that happen? On the right, it was pretty much a proclamation of victory for the conservative agenda. So, how did the conservatives emerge so victorious? It could be that the anti-gay marriage acts in eleven states drove conservatives to the polls in greater than usual numbers, as many have taken to saying. Or, it could be that the Republican get out the vote effort was simply more effective than that of the Democrat's. But, I think the primary reason for the Republican's widespread victory lies elsewhere.
Tavis Smiley, a radio host on NPR, said during ABC's coverage of the election that he believed people had voted their fears rather than their hopes at the polls. As soon as I heard him say that, I knew that if he was right, Bush would win. In the end, I think he hit the nail on the head with that response. Even when Bush's poll numbers were at their lowest during the past year, he was still the man Americans trusted more to protect them from terrorism. Personally, I think Bush actually makes us more vulnerable to a terrorist attack, but that's an issue for another time. Nonetheless, it is no surprise that people tend to side with Bush when it comes to terrorism, as it is widely viewed as a military issue, and those are the issues that have always been strong points for Republicans. Thus, it should come as no surprise that a vast majority of people who viewed terrorism as the most important issue in this election voted for George Bush.
However, a majority of voters said they cast their vote based on a candidates "moral values." Of course, this was based on exit polling, which if I recall correctly, had John Kerry winning Florida and Ohio. But, assuming it is at least somewhat accurate, this is the bigger problem for Democrats and liberals in general. Not that they are out of touch with mainstream "American values." In fact, I bet many of the Democrats who lost are in reality, closer to the mainstream values than their arch-conservative opponents who won. But somehow, those, and all Democrats, have been portrayed as so liberal by the Republicans, that they are simply out of the mainstream. The concept of a moderate liberal is simply non-existent to these Republicans. To them, we are all anti-war, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, anti-religion, nut cases, and they took every opportunity they could to try to make the public see the Democrats in that same light. In the end, it seems they achieved that goal.
Many Democrats are probably asking how they did so with such ease. In my opinion, it was because the Democrats allowed it. I never felt like they were taking the time to make their true values and beliefs known, and this past Tuesday, many of them paid the price for not doing so. So, over the next four years, the primary concern for Democrats must be making their true values and beliefs understood. If they can achieve that goal over the next four years, the day after Election Day 2008 will almost certainly be at least a slightly more bearable one for liberals across the country.
The initial reaction to the results as a whole -- not just presidential, but senate and house as well -- on the left was, of course, how did that happen? On the right, it was pretty much a proclamation of victory for the conservative agenda. So, how did the conservatives emerge so victorious? It could be that the anti-gay marriage acts in eleven states drove conservatives to the polls in greater than usual numbers, as many have taken to saying. Or, it could be that the Republican get out the vote effort was simply more effective than that of the Democrat's. But, I think the primary reason for the Republican's widespread victory lies elsewhere.
Tavis Smiley, a radio host on NPR, said during ABC's coverage of the election that he believed people had voted their fears rather than their hopes at the polls. As soon as I heard him say that, I knew that if he was right, Bush would win. In the end, I think he hit the nail on the head with that response. Even when Bush's poll numbers were at their lowest during the past year, he was still the man Americans trusted more to protect them from terrorism. Personally, I think Bush actually makes us more vulnerable to a terrorist attack, but that's an issue for another time. Nonetheless, it is no surprise that people tend to side with Bush when it comes to terrorism, as it is widely viewed as a military issue, and those are the issues that have always been strong points for Republicans. Thus, it should come as no surprise that a vast majority of people who viewed terrorism as the most important issue in this election voted for George Bush.
However, a majority of voters said they cast their vote based on a candidates "moral values." Of course, this was based on exit polling, which if I recall correctly, had John Kerry winning Florida and Ohio. But, assuming it is at least somewhat accurate, this is the bigger problem for Democrats and liberals in general. Not that they are out of touch with mainstream "American values." In fact, I bet many of the Democrats who lost are in reality, closer to the mainstream values than their arch-conservative opponents who won. But somehow, those, and all Democrats, have been portrayed as so liberal by the Republicans, that they are simply out of the mainstream. The concept of a moderate liberal is simply non-existent to these Republicans. To them, we are all anti-war, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, anti-religion, nut cases, and they took every opportunity they could to try to make the public see the Democrats in that same light. In the end, it seems they achieved that goal.
Many Democrats are probably asking how they did so with such ease. In my opinion, it was because the Democrats allowed it. I never felt like they were taking the time to make their true values and beliefs known, and this past Tuesday, many of them paid the price for not doing so. So, over the next four years, the primary concern for Democrats must be making their true values and beliefs understood. If they can achieve that goal over the next four years, the day after Election Day 2008 will almost certainly be at least a slightly more bearable one for liberals across the country.
posted by Adam Cohen at 1:00 AM
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