Some Reflections on the Election

Yeah, yeah, I know. Old news. Sleep deprivation kept me from talking about it then, so you'll have to bear with me. Why? Well, because it's my blog!

It is interesting to note in the wake of the election what emotions have been touched upon. Of course, for the left there has been despair, despondency, and depression. I can totally understand these feelings. This is the way I felt when I realized that Bill Clinton was going to be elected the first time, when I realized that he had been re-elected, and most especially of all when it looked like Al Gore might get away with stealing the 2000 election. These feelings are not surprising, and frankly, the folks that are despondent that President Bush was re-elected have reason to feel that way. They felt that his approach to governance was wrong and they realize that with him back in the White House for another 4 years that very little will be changing. Had Al Gore or John Kerry stolen their respective elections - and they both tried to - I would have been just as despondent, knowing that the country was about to be taken a very different direction than I would desire.

But they didn't succeed in stealing their elections, now, did they?

My man definitely won on November 2. I actually expected to feel elated, overjoyed, and ecstatic. Oddly, that wasn't my primary emotion. I felt it, but it wasn't primary. No, the primary emotion that I experienced was relief. I was actually surprised by how many Bush supporters that I talked to that told me the same thing. We are all so relieved that it is over. We are relieved that the President will be able to continue his successful policies, and most of all we are relieved that a man whose faith is real and not merely puffery will be presiding over the direction of this country again.


Oh yeah! 

Here's something that is unfathomable to me. Everywhere I went prior to the election, I didn't encounter one single person who would admit that they supported the absent Senators John Kerry and John Edwards for President. In fact, most of the people that I know were quite vocal in their support of President Bush and even more vocal in their detraction of John Kerry. Here's the scary part - even in my little Southern small town county the vote was 34,549 for Bush to 16,517 for Kerry. I couldn't account for nearly that kind of a margin in my communication with others or by outward signs such as bumper stickers or yard signs that there was anywhere near that much support for Kerry in this county. In spite of all of our conservatism, Kerry still got 1/3 of the vote. I am totally perplexed by this one. The margin was even closer on the state level. Totally weird.

I guess my sign theory doesn't work. Even though Ballentine creamed Easley in the number of signs posted around the state, Easley pretty well destroyed Ballentine in the election. I will never understand why North Carolina will vote for a Republican President, two Republican Senators and a Democrat for Governor. The best Governor that I can remember was Jim Martin - the only Republican Governor to ever sit while I have been alive. He managed to cut taxes, cut spending and still have a surplus when Jim Hunt took office. (Hunt managed to destroy all of that in a couple of years, leaving the state all but bankrupt when Easley took over. Thank God for term limits.)

Anyway, enough of that for now. I found an article quoted on the Powerline Blog the other day. They were quoting Tony Blankley who was commenting on Lawrence O'Donnell's call for the blue states to secede from the US. He wrote:

This dominant sentiment of the Democratic Party elite — that scores of millions of Americans are categorically unacceptable as fellow countrymen — is evidence of a cancer in the soul of that party. These Democrats, quite expressly, are asserting that "Christers," people who believe in the teachings of Jesus as described in the inerrant words of the Bible, are un-American, almost sub-human. Some of these Democrats would rather secede than stay in the same country with such people. If they were in the majority with no need to secede, what would they do? Their bigoted and absolutist view of religious people is at least a second cousin to the Nazi view of the Jews.

Interesting, no? I'd like to comment on this statement on two different levels. First of all, I'd like to say that I am absolutely thrilled to learn that the demonized denizens of the left have come up with a new derisive name for Christians. That tells me that we're (Christians are) finally doing something right. Of course, I am not naive enough to think that there isn't something disturbing about it at the same time. When these sorts of notions begin to take hold - especially among a ruling class - you can believe that persecutions are soon to follow. I think that Target's decision to ban the Salvation Army from soliciting funds in front of their stores is a perfect example. Mr. Blankley doesn't exaggerate. This view is very akin to the attitudes held by the Nazis and you can rest assured that their actions wouldn't be much different if they are allowed to go unchecked. (A very good reason to fight tooth and nail for the protection of the Second Amendment in my opinion.)

Level two. If they want to secede I'd be more than happy to accommodate them and help them pack. However, if they secede they need to realize that there will be no entitlements coming from us. There will also be no military assistance unless it is in our best interest. There will also be no dual citizenships. Choose wisely. Once you have run your country into the ground and are broke and desperate you will likely cry for us to re-absorb you into our wonderful, prosperous, safe country. However, I doubt that we will let you back in. Stupid people have stupid children. We don't want the bad bloodlines coming back into the country.

Anyway, that is about all that I have time for tonight. As I breathe a sigh of relief that we have not only retained power but also increased it I am extremely pleased to see that the Left still doesn't get it. Perhaps we'll add 5 or 6 more seats in the Senate in two years!