We got the results I feared. I was hoping for a different result, but in the end the pollsters were again correct and it was a 5 point win for Obama, with a devastating down ballot result. When you end the night being glad that Ted Stevens might eek out a victory, that is a bad sign.
So here are some things that I think we now know for the future. If we want to get this country back on the right track, we better learn these and act on them:
1) People are not afraid of Socialism, it is an acceptable political outcome. I'm going to be thinking a long time on why this is, but I think that it is a combination of lack of education within the electorate, a generation has passed since Carter, and the illusionary success of European socialism in our globalized economy.
2) Bi-partisanship is a waste of time. You can't make nice with the political enemy and expect them to play fair or support you in any meaningful way. The PUMAs were interesting to listen to, but they weren't a political factor. The fact that McCain and Hillary are friends means nothing, and just serves to cheapen our positions. By the same token, mavericks should be marginalized, not given our nomination.
3) Image, charisma, and articulation matters. If our candidate doesn't make the people who watch Access Hollywood say, "Hey! He/She is really hip and cool!", then we are toast. This goes for ALL of our leaders, not just our presidential candidate. We need people who can articulate our positions in terms that the voters can understand and resonate with. It took an Ohio plumber to put in simple words what was wrong with Obama's tax plan, and it came too late. At the end of the day, none of our candidates really stood a chance with this dynamic.
More:http://www.redstate.com/diaries/dave_in_fla/2008/nov/05/can-we-now-dispense-with-some-myths/
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment