Posted on 01/07/2013 4:38:51 PM PST by SJackson
The most charitable way of explaining the election results of 2012 is that Americans voted for the status quo – for the incumbent President and for a divided Congress. They must enjoy gridlock, partisanship, incompetence, economic stagnation and avoidance of responsibility. And fewer people voted. As I write, with almost all the votes counted, President Obama has won fewer votes than John McCain won in 2008, and more than ten million off his own 2008 total. (Note: this was written the day after the election. The final results indicate that Romney exceeded McCain’s total by less than one million votes, while Obama received almost four million votes fewer than he did in 2008 – the first time in history that a president won a second term with fewer votes than he scored in his first victory. RSP)
But as we awake from the nightmare, it is important to eschew the facile explanations for the Romney defeat that will prevail among the chattering classes. Romney did not lose because of the effects of Hurricane Sandy that devastated this area, nor did he lose because he ran a poor campaign, nor did he lose because the Republicans could have chosen better candidates, nor did he lose because Obama benefited from a slight uptick in the economy due to the business cycle.
Romney lost because he didn’t get enough votes to win.
That might seem obvious, but not for the obvious reasons. Romney lost because the conservative virtues – the traditional American virtues – of liberty, hard work, free enterprise, private initiative and aspirations to moral greatness – no longer inspire or animate a majority of the electorate. The notion of the “Reagan Democrat” is one cliché that should be permanently retired.
Ronald Reagan himself could not win an election in today’s America.
The simplest reason why Romney lost was because it is impossible to compete against free stuff. Every businessman knows this; that is why the “loss leader” or the giveaway is such a powerful marketing tool. Obama’s America is one in which free stuff is given away: the adults among the 47,000,000 on food stamps clearly recognized for whom they should vote, and so they did, by the tens of millions; those who – courtesy of Obama – receive two full years of unemployment benefits (which, of course, both disincentivizes looking for work and also motivates people to work off the books while collecting their windfall) surely know for whom to vote; so too those who anticipate “free” health care, who expect the government to pay their mortgages, who look for the government to give them jobs. The lure of free stuff is irresistible.
Imagine two restaurants side by side. One sells its customers fine cuisine at a reasonable price, and the other offers a free buffet, all-you-can-eat as long as supplies last. Few – including me – could resist the attraction of the free food. Now imagine that the second restaurant stays in business because the first restaurant is forced to provide it with the food for the free buffet, and we have the current economy, until, at least, the first restaurant decides to go out of business. (Then, the government takes over the provision of free food to its patrons.)
The defining moment of the whole campaign was the revelation (by the amoral Obama team) of the secretly-recorded video in which Romney acknowledged the difficulty of winning an election in which “47% of the people” start off against him because they pay no taxes and just receive money – “free stuff” – from the government. Almost half of the population has no skin in the game – they don’t care about high taxes, promoting business, or creating jobs, nor do they care that the money for their free stuff is being borrowed from their children and from the Chinese. They just want the free stuff that comes their way at someone else’s expense. In the end, that 47% leaves very little margin for error for any Republican, and does not bode well for the future.
It is impossible to imagine a conservative candidate winning against such overwhelming odds. People do vote their pocketbooks. In essence, the people vote for a Congress who will not raise their taxes, and for a President who will give them free stuff, never mind who has to pay for it.
That suggests the second reason why Romney lost: the inescapable conclusion that, as Winston Churchill stated so tartly, “the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” Voters – a clear majority – are easily swayed by emotion and raw populism. Said another way, too many people vote with their hearts and not their heads. That is why Obama did not have to produce a second term agenda, or even defend his first-term record. He needed only to portray Mitt Romney as a rapacious capitalist who throws elderly women over a cliff, when he is not just snatching away their cancer medication, while starving the poor and cutting taxes for the rich. Obama could get away with saying that “Romney wants the rich to play by a different set of rules” – without ever defining what those different rules were; with saying that the “rich should pay their fair share” – without ever defining what a “fair share” is; with saying that Romney wants the poor, elderly and sick to “fend for themselves” – without even acknowledging that all these government programs are going bankrupt, their current insolvency only papered over by deficit spending. How could Obama get away with such rants to squealing sign-wavers? See Churchill, above.
During his 1956 presidential campaign, a woman called out to Adlai Stevenson: “Senator, you have the vote of every thinking person!” Stevenson called back: “That’s not enough, madam, we need a majority!” Truer words were never spoken.
Similarly, Obama (or his surrogates) could hint to blacks that a Romney victory would lead them back into chains and proclaim to women that their abortions and birth control would be taken away. He could appeal to Hispanics that Romney would have them all arrested and shipped to Mexico (even if they came from Cuba or Honduras), and unabashedly state that he will not enforce the current immigration laws. He could espouse the furtherance of the incestuous relationship between governments and unions – in which politicians ply the unions with public money, in exchange for which the unions provide the politicians with votes, in exchange for which the politicians provide more money and the unions provide more votes, etc., even though the money is gone. How could he do and say all these things ? See Churchill, above.
One might reasonably object that not every Obama supporter could be unintelligent. But they must then rationally explain how the Obama agenda can be paid for, aside from racking up multi-trillion dollar deficits. “Taxing the rich” does not yield even 10% of what is required and does not solve any discernible problem – so what is the answer, i.e., an intelligent answer?
Obama also knows that the electorate has changed – that whites will soon be a minority in America (they’re already a minority in California) and that the new immigrants to the US are primarily from the Third World and do not share the traditional American values that attracted immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is a different world, and a different America. Obama is part of that different America, knows it, and knows how to tap into it. That is why he won.
Obama also proved again that negative advertising works, invective sells, and harsh personal attacks succeed. That Romney never engaged in such diatribes points to his essential goodness as a person; his “negative ads” were simple facts, never personal abuse – facts about high unemployment, lower take-home pay, a loss of American power and prestige abroad, a lack of leadership, etc. As a politician, though, Romney failed because he did not embrace the devil’s bargain of making unsustainable promises, and by talking as the adult and not the adolescent. Obama has spent the last six years campaigning; even his governance has been focused on payoffs to his favored interest groups. The permanent campaign also won again, to the detriment of American life.
It turned out that it was not possible for Romney and Ryan – people of substance, depth and ideas – to compete with the shallow populism and platitudes of their opponents. Obama mastered the politics of envy – of class warfare – never reaching out to Americans as such but to individual groups, and cobbling together a winning majority from these minority groups. Conservative ideas failed to take root and states that seemed winnable, and amenable to traditional American values, have simply disappeared from the map. If an Obama could not be defeated – with his record and his vision of America, in which free stuff seduces voters – it is hard to envision any change in the future. The road to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and to a European-socialist economy – those very economies that are collapsing today in Europe – is paved.
A second cliché that should be retired is that America is a center-right country. It clearly is not. It is a divided country with peculiar voting patterns, and an appetite for free stuff. Studies will invariably show that Republicans in Congress received more total votes than Democrats in Congress, but that means little. The House of Representatives is not truly representative of the country. That people would vote for a Republican Congressmen or Senator and then Obama for President would tend to reinforce point two above: the empty-headedness of the electorate. Americans revile Congress but love their individual Congressmen. Go figure.
The mass media’s complicity in Obama’s re-election cannot be denied. One example suffices. In 2004, CBS News forged a letter in order to imply that President Bush did not fulfill his Air National Guard service during the Vietnam War, all to impugn Bush and impair his re-election prospects. In 2012, President Obama insisted – famously – during the second debate that he had stated all along that the Arab attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi was “terror” (a lie that Romney fumbled and failed to exploit). Yet, CBS News sat on a tape of an interview with Obama in which Obama specifically avoided and rejected the claim of terrorism – on the day after the attack – clinging to the canard about the video. (This snippet of a “60 Minutes” interview was not revealed - until two days ago!) In effect, CBS News fabricated evidence in order to harm a Republican president, and suppressed evidence in order to help a Democratic president. Simply shameful, as was the media’s disregard of any scandal or story that could have jeopardized the Obama re-election.
One of the more irritating aspects of this campaign was its limited focus, odd in light of the billions of dollars spent. Only a few states were contested, a strategy that Romney adopted, and that clearly failed. The Democrat begins any race with a substantial advantage. The liberal states – like the bankrupt California and Illinois – and other states with large concentrations of minority voters as well as an extensive welfare apparatus, like New York, New Jersey and others – give any Democratic candidate an almost insurmountable edge in electoral votes. In New Jersey, for example, it literally does not pay for a conservative to vote. It is not worth the fuel expended driving to the polls. As some economists have pointed generally, and it resonates here even more, the odds are greater that a voter will be killed in a traffic accident on his way to the polls than that his vote will make a difference in the election. It is an irrational act. That most states are uncompetitive means that people are not amenable to new ideas, or new thinking, or even having an open mind. If that does not change, and it is hard to see how it can change, then the die is cast. America is not what it was, and will never be again.
For Jews, mostly assimilated anyway and staunch Democrats, the results demonstrate again that liberalism is their Torah. Almost 70% voted for a president widely perceived by Israelis and most committed Jews as hostile to Israel. They voted to secure Obama’s future at America’s expense and at Israel’s expense – in effect, preferring Obama to Netanyahu by a wide margin. A dangerous time is ahead. Under present circumstances, it is inconceivable that the US will take any aggressive action against Iran and will more likely thwart any Israeli initiative. That Obama’s top aide Valerie Jarrett (i.e., Iranian-born Valerie Jarrett) spent last week in Teheran is not a good sign. The US will preach the importance of negotiations up until the production of the first Iranian nuclear weapon – and then state that the world must learn to live with this new reality. As Obama has committed himself to abolishing America’s nuclear arsenal, it is more likely that that unfortunate circumstance will occur than that he will succeed in obstructing Iran’s plans.
Obama’s victory could weaken Netanyahu’s re-election prospects, because Israelis live with an unreasonable – and somewhat pathetic – fear of American opinion and realize that Obama despises Netanyahu. A Likud defeat – or a diminution of its margin of victory – is more probable now than yesterday. That would not be the worst thing. Netanyahu, in fact, has never distinguished himself by having a strong political or moral backbone, and would be the first to cave to the American pressure to surrender more territory to the enemy and acquiesce to a second (or third, if you count Jordan) Palestinian state. A new US Secretary of State named John Kerry, for example (he of the Jewish father) would not augur well. Netanyahu remains the best of markedly poor alternatives. Thus, the likeliest outcome of the upcoming Israeli elections is a center-left government that will force itself to make more concessions and weaken Israel – an Oslo III.
But this election should be a wake-up call to Jews. There is no permanent empire, nor is there is an enduring haven for Jews anywhere in the exile. The most powerful empires in history all crumbled – from the Greeks and the Romans to the British and the Soviets. None of the collapses were easily foreseen, and yet they were predictable in retrospect.
The American empire began to decline in 2007, and the deterioration has been exacerbated in the last five years. This election only hastens that decline. Society is permeated with sloth, greed, envy and materialistic excess. It has lost its moorings and its moral foundations. The takers outnumber the givers, and that will only increase in years to come. Across the world, America under Bush was feared but not respected. Under Obama, America is neither feared nor respected. Radical Islam has had a banner four years under Obama, and its prospects for future growth look excellent. The “Occupy” riots across this country in the last two years were mere dress rehearsals for what lies ahead – years of unrest sparked by the increasing discontent of the unsuccessful who want to seize the fruits and the bounty of the successful, and do not appreciate the slow pace of redistribution.
Two bright sides: Notwithstanding the election results, I arose this morning, went to shul, davened and learned Torah afterwards. That is our reality, and that trumps all other events. Our relationship with G-d matters more than our relationship with any politician, R or D. And, notwithstanding the problems in Israel, it is time for Jews to go home, to Israel. We have about a decade, perhaps 15 years, to leave with dignity and without stress. Thinking that it will always be because it always was has been a repetitive and deadly Jewish mistake. America was always the land from which “positive” aliya came – Jews leaving on their own, and not fleeing a dire situation. But that can also change. The increased aliya in the last few years is partly attributable to young people fleeing the high cost of Jewish living in America. Those costs will only increase in the coming years. We should draw the appropriate conclusions.
If this election proves one thing, it is that the Old America is gone. And, sad for the world, it is not coming back.
At the risk of being flamed. I believe you are correct sir. The barbarians are at the gate. I believe, however, that the decline started long before 2007, but is accelerating under the charlatans in charge now.
We have voted in leaders to bring about our own destruction.shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiachOur elected leaders have pandered to
the most perverse and perverted agenda.We as a Nation have cursed YHvH after His warnings.
We have called down on ourselves the curse of Isaiah 9:11-21After years of pagan idolatry, YHvH allowed the hedge
of protection to be lowered and the nation of Israel
was attacked by the Assyrians.On September 11, 2001, YHvH allowed a breach in our hedge of protection.
The following day, Democrat Tom Daschle called down a curse on America.
On September 11, 2004, Democrat John Edwards repeated the curse on America.
On February 24, 2009 Democrat Barack Hussein Obama repeated the curse for the third time.
(Matthew 18:16; 2 Cr 13:1; Deu 19:15 & Amos 3:12)The stock market fell 7% on Sept 17, 2001
( 29 day of the month of Elul)Seven years later on the 29th of Elul,
it fell again 7 %
At the end of each Sabbatical year,
all debts are made worthless.Seven years after the attack on September 11, 2001,
We elected a man to lead this country whose
whole persona is built on lies.In 721 BCE, the walls of Israel were breached.
The nation's leaders with pride and in arrogance
of heart cursed YHvH.
See Isaiah 9:10.
Isaiah 9:9 .....Asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart:Isaiah 9:10 "The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with smooth stones;
The sycamores have been cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars."This nation was dedicated in St Paul's chapel
located at the corner of Ground Zero.
The Sycamore tree at St Paul's chapel
was destroyed by a steel beam from
the World Trade Center.The New York Stock Exchange was
chartered under a Sycamore tree.Ten years after the initial breach
the nation of Israel was attacked
and overrun by the Assyrians.
Half the nation was captured
and taken off to imprisonment.I love metaphors;
they teach those who have ears to hear.
For more information buy the book Harbinger
by Jonathan Cahnif my people,Seek YHvH in His WORD !
who are called by my name,
shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.Ask and you will receive His Salvation !
And Alex, I will see you over there. It cannot happen soon enough for me. I hope to be in Davao City later this year.
“Free” and “Sex” are two of the most powerful words in advertising. If you look at Obama’s campaign, welfare and birth control giveaways were prominently featured. It is indeed “free stuff”, but in advertising terms, it’s like yelling “Free... Sex”. It’s very catchy.
May God have mercy on us all.
Obama’s Communist Agenda for Amerika is being rapidly accepted by all who fear his brutal might.
“I hope to be in Davao City later this year.”
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OK, Mark. I have not been on Mindanao, but I understand
that Davao is a nice city, I am not, however, into city life.
Stop off on Cebu, rated by Travel and Leisure, the third best island in Asia. I am in Dalaguete, about two hours south of Cebu city.
Keep in touch.
I had a girl friend in Obong Dalaguete once. I have been to Mindanao before. Davao city has a no non sense mayor, Ms. Duterte. Maybe you have heard of her. She does not tolerate any foolishness, and has a reputation throughout the Philippines. I will have two more friends moving there, one to Davao and the other to Baybay, west of Tacloban.
America had an empire? Who knew?
Certainly had to be one of the strangest empires in the world. Territory taken by conquest was simply handed back to the former opponents on the basis of nothing stronger than a promise they would behave better in the future, and territories that are still administered by the US are held by only the flimsiest of ties, as Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
But there is a very real possibility that an actual empire shall be created out of the ashes of what was once the American Dream, where the subservient vassals pay tribute to the Great Overlord, and those who fall in the shadow of this looming presence tiptoe softly, so as not to attract unwelcome attention.
“I had a girl friend in Obong Dalaguete”
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I can see Obong from my beach. It is a nice area, and we go to the springs on occasion. They have an interesting history that dates back to when the Spanish discovered the Dalaguete tree that hangs over the spring’s swimming hole.
I have heard good things about Davao and the mayor.
Davao is fortunate to be on the good side of Mindanao, far from the Muzies.
“Little slide show here:”
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Thanks for posting the link.
I often do it when mentioning the area, but failed to do it on this thread.
Look at the group photo of friends, lower right.
I see my photo is the first one in the group...taken from Osmena peak here in Dalaguete, and the highest point on Cebu, 3100 feet.
I live at TawiTawi beach in Dalguete.
Oooops...If you click on my photo, it opens up my entire life with many photos, hahaha.
The link goes here:
http://www.facebook.com/alex.wilson.92754
Many of us are given to “someplace else” dreams these days. Just out of idle curiosity I first found Dalguete on Wikipedia, which then lead me to the link. So your photo is there...small world! Is there a monsoon season in the Phillipines?
Many of us are given to “someplace else” dreams these days. Just out of idle curiosity I first found Dalguete on Wikipedia, which then lead me to the link. So your photo is there...small world! Is there a monsoon season in the Phillipines?
” Is there a monsoon season in the Phillipines?”
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Not particularly. In my four years here, I have not had a day where I could not bicycle to the market.
I experienced my first typhoon this past month.
It was exciting, but did no real damage.
The women of the town had all the leaves and other derbies
swept up my the next day.
There was an overnight power outage, and some minor damage
to a new concrete pier.
The women of the town had all the leaves and other derbies
swept up on the next day.
It was worse to the south of us, with a few casualties.
I was reading about that typhoon when it was still two or three days out from you. That one little island really lucked out.
That's another key reason why the reported vote totals are consistent with fraud and cheating of an unprecedented degree. It seems extremely hard to fathom how the total two-party vote would be less that that in 2008, when one factors in the ever-increasing population and media coverage of the major candidates, the polarizing presence of Obama (which intuitively figured to increase, rather than decrease, total voter turnout) and the lack of any particularly popular and well-known third party candidate.
The fraud and cheating this time around likely incorporated new techniques to supplement the more traditional ones, such as hacking into electronic vote counting systems including touch screen and optical scanning devices, most particularly in the large urban areas in swing states where historically reliable polls had given Romney a slight advantage immediately prior to Election Day. It's likely that these hacked programs took away many votes from Romney as well as adding to Obama's totals. It's hard to fathom that in just about all these states, like falling dominoes, Obama won be margins large enough to be called one after another only minutes after the polls closed in those states on Election Day.
Another sign very suggestive of an election not on the level: the reported "shellshocked" feeling of experienced Romney operatives on election night, when reported results in favor of Zero differed quite widely from their internal pollsters' estimates.
Unless this issue of fraud and cheating is addressed by meaningful changes in states' election procedures, every other political issue will be rendered practically moot, because the 'Rat candidate's victory will be guaranteed nationally and everywhere where these shenanigans are permitted, regardless of the real vote of eligible voters.
Incidentally, the fraud and cheating was also instrumental in the defeat of Congressman Allen West in Florida, and very likely in several other senatorial and House races, especially in the swing states.
“The people I met in Agusan del Norte told me never go west of Cagayan de Oro City. “
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I think you mean EAST of CdO.
That gets into the Muzie territory, where they also have an autonomous territory.
I have yet to see a Muzie, but I am sure there must be a few up in Cebu city. Detroit probably has more, haha.
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