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| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| "It's the economy, stupid." |
| 2008-11-05 |
| Dr. Helen Smith (alias "The Instawife") I was just watching numerous young Obama fans celebrating on the Fox News channel and read the stats scrolling across the bottom of the page. They stated that over 60% of voters who were worried about the economy voted for Obama. That, for me, summed it up in a nutshell. So many right-leaning types are trying hard to figure out what they did, what the Republicans did, and why they lost. Each election cycle, there's always a theme. For the last two elections, it was Iraq and national security. Now those issues are in the background and this time around, it's the economic crisis, with a little (or a lot) of help from the media in pushing it to the forefront in people's minds. Why is this important? Because rather than think the country is going through some incredible demographic shift of Republican-hating left-wing ideology, it is rather comforting to know that the major reason people voted for Obama in this election was the economy. McCain was actually polling pretty well right before the economic crisis. Next election cycle, it will be something else. It might favor the Republicans or it might not. But to think that the entire philosophy of individual rights, small government, national security and gun rights is lost on a new generation of voters based on this one election is not only foolish, it shows a degree of cynicism that may not be accurate. The next two or three election cycles will need to be evaluated before we can can say that America has rejected the ideas of free markets and free minds. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #7 Okay, I'll bite [again], iff Jan. 2009 - 2012/2016 Post-Dubya Period = SOCIALISM IN AMERIKA [Budget-National Regressionisms], and in the absence of ANY CLEAR WINNER IN THE GWOT NOR FOR ONE NATION OR CAMP TO DOMINATE OR EVEN SET UP ANY DESIRED OWG-NWO, WHY DO MANY AMERICANS = AMERIKANS THINK MOULA BOULLAH US $$$, NOT REGRESSIONS, WILL BE FOREVER AND PERMANENTLY A'COMIN THEIR WAY??? IRAN, etc. wants the US out of the ME, whereas ASIA = RUSSIA, CHINA, + INDIA, etal CAN'T DECIDE IFF THEY PREFER OVERTHROW-MINDED LOCAL ISLAMISTS + PERENNIAL VIOLENT SECTARIANISM, VERSUS HAVING A US-WESTERN MIL PRESENCE IN EAST-SOUTH ASIA!? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-11-05 23:26 |
| #6 Delusion and panic of crowds never fails to amuse. At least FDR's one of FDR's lies sounded good "we have nothing to fear . . .", when, of course, there was plenty to fear. Though it may be long remembered for what may prove trivial - "the first black man . . .", this may also be remembered as a pathetically normal election. Given how close the past few elections were, and how weird the repeat Perot/Nader influences were, this is merely a return to the norm - a close, but clear decision, nothing near blowouts of the recent past ('84, '72, '64) nor the more distant past ('32, '20, etc.) If the dems overreach claiming a mandate, as W did to a brief extent, they're almost certain to tempt fate and lure the compliant media further into bankruptcy. As always, couple best wishes with low expectations. |
| Posted by: Don Vito Omeling5062 2008-11-05 23:16 |
| #5 ...it's the economic crisis, with a little (or a lot) of help from the media in pushing it to the forefront in people's minds. A little help from the media? How about that the MSM was in the bag for BO? How about the incessant drumbeat day after day for BO and the negative press for McCain. How about the fact that the MSM never, ever has really looked into BO's background or experiences or if they did, we never heard anything of it. Barack Obama had been running for President ever since he was elected to the Senate--maybe before. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-11-05 19:35 |
| #4 When the US Economy is humming we are that shining beacon on the hill with power to spare both hard and soft. I'm amazed that so many politicians lost site of that and kept digging. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-11-05 18:18 |
| #3 I think Dr. Smith is right. From the first days of the primary campaign, every political analyst understood that the ONLY way for a Republican to win in November was to have the economy chugging along briskly. That didn't happen and we got Obama as a result. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-11-05 16:25 |
| #2 The financial meltdown was reflected in polls swinging 10% to Obama (-3 to +7). |
| Posted by: ed 2008-11-05 14:14 |
| #1 Obama will be given three envelopes by George Bush who'll advise him to only open them sequentially when the crap hits the fan. He'll open and use the first one even before election day - Blame everything on your predecessor. [George Bush only got till April of his first year before the media stuck him with the economy, but being good lap dogs, they'll be able to cover till the start of the third year.] That's when he'll open the second envelope - Reorganize. [Knowing that the next election is now fully on the way, he'll have to sacrifice some staff who'll need to move on for 'other job opportunities' or for 'family'.] Shortly before the 2012 election when things are tight, he'll open the third envelope which will read - Prepare three envelopes. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-11-05 13:42 |