Some Thoughts on the Election
It was with a sad and heavy heart that I watched the election results come in last night and realized that my pessimism about the electorate was warranted. However, with the popular vote so close, it seems that we are, as Drudge says, a very divided country. I expect that we will stay that way for some time. Given the difficulty that Republicans have for winning elections –how can they win Ohio or Pennsylvania, for example, given the large number of unions in those states?–it is important to think through psychological and economic ways of coping for the next four years or more.
One important way of coping is to realize how many conservatives and libertarians are out there and connect with them. I spent some time out in California last month and was amazed and delighted to see so many people who had a similar take on politics as myself. We ate dinner, went to events and shared stories about our experiences as right-leaning individuals in left -leaning professions. It was refreshing and good for my emotional health.
It is also imperative to make connections with those of a similar political persuasion not just for the social aspect, but for financial and legal ones. As the economy continues to do worse (and it will), we need to lean on each other for support, work, encouragement and even legal help. Given the press and the liberal’s penchant for making those on the right into pariahs, our jobs, reputations, academic freedom and economic well-being are often on the line. Because we tend to be more individualistic, we are often left to fend for ourselves in these arenas. Don’t let that happen.
If someone on the right has a business, support it if it is worthwile. If they need help defending their reputation, jump in. If an angry professor is isolating and belittling a conservative in the class room or public forum, speak up. A group of two is better than one, and more is better. If you find yourself in a situation where you need help, ask for it. If you see another conservative or libertarian in trouble, even if it is just in a blog post, do something. Defend them, fight back, and support your fellow political travelers, because if you won’t, who will?
And what would be the point. America died last night. CPR and Heroic measures will not bring her back. Greece would be the best we can hope to be.
Maybe, but in the meantime we can help each other to survive and even prosper. Those on the left who voted for the death of America can fend for themselves.
I’ve finally got some sleep. I’m through feeling sorry for myself,my family and my country. I will not stop. I FIGHT! My country, my GOD, my FAMILY! I fight! You won this round you rat bastards, but I’m still here and I ain’t forgot what it’s all about! I was down, I cried, I wallowed, I self pitied and I’m done. Now it’s time to get back to work!
Hi Joe,
Rolling over and playing “dead” is exactly what the left wants. America didn’t die last night, it just got another left curve. Necessity is the mother of invention. We HAVE to fight, otherwise America will have died but it will have been at our hands as well. No matter how discouraged I get I always think of the brave men & women who make this country great. I can’t let them, or myself, down. Fight on!
Two questions come to mind:
1/ If God is just, how can He allow this to happen?
2/ Because I don’t see any good coming out of last night’s results, does that mean that there can’t be any?
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B487M8KEkpHZSEpscE11MW0zakE
God’s inscrutable teaching is not always apparent at the time…usually we understand well after the fact. In past times large numbers of Americans still had a clear understanding of the tyrants of their origins.
My family, the branches of all four grandparents, arrived in-continent before 1700. We know only the hope and joy of the United States.
It will take a full generation of evil to understand what we had…
I only hope it can be reclaimed.
God dispersed Israel more than once.
Blessings…and pass the (political) ammunition.
ta
I am far less upset that Obama won than I am that Romney did not win by the biggest landslide in 150 years. I was slightly miffed that Barky won in 2008, but after four years of childlike incompetence and international stupidity, I am stunned beyond words that anyone other than a devoted Marxist ideologue would tolerate that monumental idiot and his braying jackass of a VP for another four years.
Joe in Houston is absolutely right: This country was put toes-up in a box last night. All that remains is to bury her.
…oh, and that $16T in debt? Enjoy it while it lasts, because in two years it’ll be closer to $25T.
Lyrics to taps…
Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.
Fading light, dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.
Thanks and praise, for our days,
‘Neath the sun, ‘neath the stars, neath the sky;
As we go, this we know, God is nigh.
Sun has set, shadows come,
Time has fled, Men must go to their beds
Always true to the promise that they made.
While the light fades from sight,
And the stars gleaming rays softly send,
To thy hands we our souls, Lord, commend.
The only way things will change is if those paying into it become the very essence of those taking from it. Join the welfare class because right now that is the most patriotic thing one can do.
Economic aikido. I like it!
Yeah. Why sit back and pay into it? There’s no point now and the best to do is simply become another one by joining it. It’s actually the most effective way to change it. Women, Latinos, they are the big voting blocs well let them pay for it now.
The result was close enough to what I thought, although Obama did better in Virginia and Florida, and in the popular vote, than I expected.
The broader message is that conservatism of any meaningful stripe is essentially finished in the US on the *national* level.
The GOP is going to take note, now, that they cannot win without increasing their appeal to a broader demographic, which means non-whites, young single women, young people in general. This means much, much, much less conservatism because all of these groups are fundamentally anti-conservative. The GOP will have the choice to do this, or to slide inexorably into a Whig-type of irrelevance.
My guess is that the party as it is will split between a “mainstream” version which moves to the left and ends up in the centre or slight left of centre, and a more conservative version which is kind of viewed as a fringe, but gets a certain % of votes. Both will offset each other, leading to a left wing hegemony moving forward in *national* politics in the US (states will, of course, remain divided).
Another possibility is that the GOP will hunker down and avoid a split, focusing on states where it can win as a conservative party, and accepting that it can’t win national elections. I think that is certainly a possible scenario — it really depends on which side wins the coming civil war in the GOP, and what the loser decides to do.
Either way, however, the impact of any kind of conservatism (other than a very skinny and vague somewhat less government, somewhat lower taxes type of conservatism) seems to be inexorably on the wane, and the resulting transformation of the United States will be total, comprehensive, culturally destroying and fundamentally negative in my view — but if I were a 24 year old Latina, I probably wouldn’t see it that way.
The US is becoming a different country, very much by design. The confluence of (1) the lackadaisical tolerance of mass immigration of people with fundamentally different political values with (2) an educational system which has succeeded in its goal of indoctrinating generations of young people to leftist idealism has resulted in the creation of a majority in this country that is hostile to its traditional values, and actively seeks to upend and replace those with something else. This is a new majority that will be durable. Even though the split is still “close” this morning, the demographic shift is unmistakable and the trend of its continuing is unbreakable. The country known as the United States of America is slowly but inexorably morphing into something else — something different from what it has always been, and something which will have different political values to match its changed population.
Somewhat-Richer-Version-of-Brazil here we come! Hasta la vista, USA!
I agree. I fully expect Telemundo to be blasting from every television I come across, to expect to see people break dancing in public, riding skateboards in and out of their respective favelas. I’m not kidding. Brazil, here we come.
It is time we consider the really possibility that we should treat our present situation as an occupation and start planning for an insurgent war. Look at Norhter Ireland for a good example. There should be a two paths plan and organization, on overt and one covert. Win election, and make sure if our enemy win make sure their supporter pay for it. America is one and indivisable, that is our promised to futures generation, and we have the duty to do whatever it is need to take back our country. Hate and vengence are proper emotion in this situation. Remember who these these people vote for and what they want for America and our children – do want it take to win.
I am absolutely disgusted with people who think that amoral collectivist deserves 4 more years.
White males, your duty now is to impregnate as many women as possible and get them on the dole.
emmm…
I’m not so sure I want to be the dole. Child support and all that.
Otherwise, it sounds like a fun plan!
That’s the point. Examples show me that being irresponsible and having kids by many different women is a demographics changer and to be aped. Since blacks, hispanics, and women claim they are the “real” America, best damn way to make sure they lose demographics is to make them pay while at the same time stave off reproduction. We as while males do not care about who pays now. Only that they do.
Okay. You talked me into it.
Gotta go and get busy!
Where is Glenn? Instapundit has been silent since last night and I am having withdraw symptoms!
Try clearing your cache–there is problem with it. He has been updating!
Perhaps now, conservatives will abandon the futile and damaging battle for “the universities”. We aren’t taking them back. But we can abandon them. Sure there will be some attendance to get the credentials but you go, keep your head down and get the piece of paper. That assumes decent competing universities don’t arise. However, if you have a belief in open discourse, such an organization will always be subject to take over by the intolerant just as “the universities” were.
But as Carlyle said, the library is the new university. And we now have the greatest library ever conceived right at our fingertips. As such, intellectual development doesn’t require “the universities” nor graded tests. Fundamentally, the university was a place for individuals to come together, study the same or similar subjects and engage in discussion to expand understanding. What about that can’t be done online?
And if you think it can’t be done, then you been damaged by the “school system” as this study using Ethiopian children who’d never seen a printed word reveals, all it takes is access to information and a curious mind, everything else is a crutch.
So will we see a more formal underground libertarian intellectual society develop?
As a physician, I advise people to brush up on quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Cost utility analysis is going to run health care, and doctors will find themselves practicing algorithmic, cookie-cutter medicine. Remember, many things Medicare spends money on (e.g. dialysis, ICDs, chemotherapy) cost more than $50,000/QALY. When all of medicine is government run, this won’t fly. The American population is in for a shock when the Independent Payment Advisory Board begins presiding over death panels.
I think it was Glen Reynolds who pointed out that we will not have scary Death Panels telling you what treatments you will be denied, we will have nurturing Life Panels telling you which treatments you will be allowed.
Minorities and women just destroyed the greatest country the world has ever known.
We have reached the tipping point. There is no coming back from this.
I’m sorry I lived to see this.
I saw this comment on Hot Air:
“I’ve got a better idea. The House GOP should pass EVERYTHING Obama wants. Stop being the bogeyman for Obama to blame everything on. Pass the tax hike for the rich. Show the American people how subtracting 80 billion from 1 trillion does jack. Let Obama come up with the other 920 billion in deficit spending. Show Americans what happens when we get downgraded twice in 4 years. Show them what happens as paying the interest off on the debt takes up more and more of the budget. Show Americans how much power you lose going green and shutting down coal plants. Show Americans the price of gas when you refuse to let oil drilling expand. Let him burn this country to the ground. Make it so painful for every voter that if they even think about voting democrats they shudder. Let Obama destroy the democrat party.”
Zaggs on November 7, 2012
Zaggs has it right. A controlled burn. An uncontrolled burn…whatever. Give Barky every last thing he wants, including full credit for all of his idiotic, cowardly decisions and suicidal ideas.
Go Galt. Go FURTHER than Galt: Get on the dole. If you can get welfare, take it. If Barky wants to give out free cars to (insert demographic here) and you qualify, take the free car. Become a parasite like the rest of his followers.
Let the Dems destroy this country and stop looking like you’re trying to save it. Let it crash. When it does, the Dems will have catastrophe as their trophy. Good luck getting another Dem elected for 50 years.
Am I being extreme? No. the Libs are the extremists, and it’s goddamned time we let them achieve their goals and take credit for it. Let the children eat the seed corn. When they’re starving, they just might learn their lesson.
If this country can stomach four years of a teenager whose only summer job was “community organizer,” and watch as he writes blank checks to his cronies, and see this country wallow in a pool of piss for four years, and then have the TEMERITY TO RE-ELECT THE SWINE, then it’s time to give them the hell they crave and make certain they know it was their own doing.
Right now, short of civil war, I’m open to anything that will teach this country the consequences of its actions.
Addendum: “Give Barky everything he wants…”
One exception: guns. Any and every move he makes to weaken the 2nd Amendment should be fought with rabid conviction. That’s the one CTRL+ALT+DLT we cannot afford to lose. Once he gets the guns, we’re off to the UN slaughterhouse.
Incidentally, a Glock .45 and Kimber UltraCarry .45 are on my X-mas list, with ammo. I smell a stink in the air and it’s called “Guess who doesn’t care about re-election?”
It’s a little late to get in on this, but Boehner should let him get what he wants. Tell the Dems in congress to prepare a tax and spending bill with which to negotriate with, then retitle it using Republican votes, “The Democrat Party Written And Pased Largest Tax Hike and Spending Bill Ever”, then place it before the House for a vote, unchanged. And have enough Republicans vote “Abstain” in order to have a quorum present, and let it pass solely with Dem votes.
I’ll bet it goes down to defeat if he does that. They want compromise so they can gat what they want, and blame failure on the Republican added compromise parts. Which is what they’ll do if Boehner compromises and negotiates.
I’m with Zorro!
It’s like spending the last 4 years living in a padded room with a psychotic woman and when they offer to let us out we say “No thanks, she promised us she’s going to do something different with her make-up.”
Judgding from the election results, young women and single women have rejected the American man in favor of the hunky exotic Marxist alpha male. We can how look forward to the government becoming surrogate husband to millions of women. (Actually, it’s pretty much already happening.) Most men will have no mating prospects and hence no motivation to work towards the betterment of the country. What happens to a nation when its men decide that their country is no longer worth fighting for? We’re about to find out. Keep an eye on military recruitment and military suicide trends.
Dr. Helen, have you and Professor Reynolds considered opening a school? Given the hammerlock the Left has on the education system, creating an alternative educational infrastructure designed to inculcate critical thinking skills and conservative/libertarian values, as well as a good classical knowledge base, seems like a worthwhile venture.
I think that it is probably inaccurate to say that America died on November 6. The reelection of Barrack Obama is just a symptom that the America I loved and was loyal to has been gone for a while. Now the question is what to do with this new information. In the immediate term, the knowledge that I am just a resident in a country that goes by the same name of the place I was loyal to will not change much. I am going to put more energy into every man for himself contingency plans and get disinvested from the financial system as much as possible but I have no plans to leave. English is the only language I speak fluently, I have family here and all the other English speaking countries are even worse.
However, If I were a divorced man it would be a different matter. I have skills that people have been willing to pay me for and I assume that there are people in other countries that would be willing to pay me for those skills as well. I understand that the authorities will now confiscate a divorced man’s passport to prevent him from escaping the financial burdens imposed by the government. Do other countries grant citizenship and issue passports from their embassies and consulates? Liberia and Panama seem to license ships to anybody who pays the registration fees. Do places like Vaunatu or Tonga do the same? Many people I meet these days either work from home or tell me that they spend so much of their time either on the phone or communicating by email that they could do their job from anywhere. How feasible would it be for a former American with a Liberian or Tongan passport to work from the Bluefields area of Nicaragua, Guyana or Belize? Just like the market for illegal drugs and illegal aliens seems to be served it seems that there might be a market for an underground railroad that would move divorced men out of the United States.