Posted on 11/05/2004 6:49:05 PM PST by OESY
Family Vote Wins It
Yesterday the American people voted decisively to re-elect President Bush.
It was suppose to be among the closest races in our history.
But the pundits and pollsters were wrong. The exit polls were really wrong.
So, what happened?
On the face of it, the media elites did not factor in the strong Christian vote.
For all the hoopla we have been hearing from the media about new voters, cell phone voters and young voters, the evidence suggests they never materialized.
Yet conservative Christians turned out in droves. They turned out because they are worried about the cultural re-engineering in America. They like Bush. They didn't trust John Kerry.
Last night, MSNBC reported that 21 percent of Americans said moral issues were the biggest factor in their decision more than those who said the economy or the war on terror. How come we never saw this discussed in any polls before Election Day?
Clearly the media weren't including the Christian vote because it didn't fit their agenda.
Heres my take on 2004 on some key points:
Vietnam and the POWs Were Critical
How the Democratic Party thought it could elect the most liberal senator in the country - from Massachusetts, no less - to the White House boggles the mind.
How arrogant it must be to think we would elect this man who, along with Jane Fonda, was one of the leaders of the pro-Viet Cong anti-war movement.
This arrogance was compounded by the fact that the media tried to portray Kerry as a war hero.
But this all failed when former POWs last summer had the guts to stand up and accuse Kerry of betraying them and the country.
When a single TV commercial aired making these claims, Kerrys lead in the polls evaporated, and he never regained it.
'Stolen Honor' Steals the Show
When Kerry and his allies threatened to take Sinclair Broadcast Groups FCC licenses if the network aired the documentary Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal, they were telegraphing to the world how much they feared the American people might see it.
This documentary by the courageous award-winning journalist Carlton Sherwood was not political propaganda as its detractors said. It was a factual account of what Kerry did during his anti-war days and how that behavior affected American POWs and the war.
Though under incredible pressure from every angle, from everything the Kerry campaign could throw at it, Sinclair did air a few minutes of the 43-minute documentary as part of a program. But the American public was deprived of most of the information in the documentary.
At that point NewsMax stepped into the breach. We decided that the publics right to know overrode the intimidation tactics of the P.C. thought police.
In the end, NewsMax decided to air Stolen Honor. Last weekend, we aired the documentary several dozen times across the nation, including 10 showings on PAX-TV alone. PAX reaches almost 100 million American homes. We estimate that more than 5 million Americans saw Stolen Honor.
Kudos to Giuliani, McCain, Pataki
Though I dont always agree with Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, I must commend them for their staunch efforts on behalf of President Bush.
They worked tirelessly on behalf of the presidents re-election, and they deserve tremendous praise.
Also, Gov. George Pataki helped make New Yorks GOP convention a stunning success. It was a defining moment in the campaign, and Pataki played a key role. Like Giuliani and McCain, he worked in overdrive for Bush, and no doubt he will be a contender in 2008.
Ed Koch Cant Be Underestimated
In the days before the election, Ed Koch wrote on NewsMax: On November 3, when President George W. Bush awakens to read the final election results, I believe he may say to himself: Thanks to the Jewish community, I won. They will never have cause to regret their confidence in me.
This has turned out to be true. I would add only that the president also should say to himself, Thank you, Ed Koch, for making it happen.
As we all know, Koch is the former mayor of New York City (some say he never really left office) and one of the nations most prominent Democrats. He is also a proud Jewish American.
Way back in 2003 Koch came out strongly to endorse President Bush. His support never wavered.
In South Florida, where Jews constitute a significant part of the population, Koch made numerous appearances endorsing Bush. And he and Giuliani teamed up to do a radio ad that endorsed Bush.
It worked. Most Jews still voted for Kerry, but in lower numbers than they did in 2000. I believe that shift contributed to Bush's significant victory in Florida this time.
Schwarzenegger Disappointing
No doubt Arnold Schwarzenegger's appearance in Columbus, Ohio, during the closing days of the campaign helped Bush. But I doubt it gave him his margin of victory there.
NewsMax has been reporting for months that Schwarzenegger was trying to distance himself from the president.
Compared to Rudy, McCain and Pataki, the Terminator was MIA.
Arnold could have used his star power in many ways for the president, with a few more visits to Ohio and Pennsylvania and perhaps a TV ad endorsing him.
But like most celebrities, he has an inflated sense of his own importance.
Republicans need to remember this election when there's talk of changing the 22nd Amendment.
$2 Billion Media War
NewsMax Magazine hit the nail on the head with our June cover story, The Media War on Bush.
We estimated that the major liberal media would give Kerry favorable news coverage and commentary worth an estimated $2 billion.
When one considers how the media are still working overtime for Kerry with networks such as ABC, CBS and CNN still not having called the election for Bush we may have to revise that figure upward.
My friend Alfonso Landa, whose noted father was an FDR insider, told me this week that he was amazed how well Bush had been doing despite the constant drubbing he had received from the media for several years now.
I believe the American people voted not only to reject Kerry on Tuesday, they also voted to reject the media elites.
The media, which had invested so much in the hate politics of Michael Moore and the outright bias exemplified by Dan Rather and CBS, received the publics verdict yesterday.
Dick Morris Hits the Bulls-Eye
As many pundits and pollsters claimed that the election was just too close to call, for weeks now Dick Morris was the only one putting his reputation on the line predicting a victory by Bush.
As election polls were closing after 7 p.m., Dick and I discussed the exit polls, which were depressing, to say the least. They showed a blowout victory for Kerry, winning every swing state with the possible exception of West Virginia.
As it turned out, they were all wrong. But Dick Morris was the first to pick up on it, as we chronicled last night exclusively for NewsMax readers.
Shortly after results started coming in from Indiana and Kentucky, I received an urgent call from Dick. Somethings wrong with the exit polls, he said.
Bush is doing much better than he did in 2000.
Morris said if the trend continued, the exit polls would be way off.
As more states flowed in, the trend continued to hold up. Morris noted that Bush was even doing 6 points better in Kerry's Massachusetts than he did in 2000.
At about 11 p.m., when Pennsylvania results showed Bush losing, but not so badly, Morris called me to say: Bush will carry Ohio. He will win. We can go with it.
NewsMax was the first to break the news, thanks to Dick Morris.
I believe Dick is the best political strategist of our time. He is also good with the numbers, as last night demonstrated to me.
Hillary in 2008
The dust has not even settled on this election, and the buzz is Sen. Hillary Clintons 2008 run.
There's little question shell make a bid for the White House in four years.
All I can say is that Hillary is no Kerry.
Koch was great, so was Rudy.
There are certain New Yorkers who will never forget the Bullhorn Doctrine.
Waddanunderstatement
To the Americans that stood in line for hours to cast your proud vote for President Bush....Bravest Bravo!!!
Rush said we were 22 million strong.
Another superb talk radio host, Michael Savage with his 10 million strong also were urged to not be stymied by false exit polls and kept on voting despite the schemes of the Kerry campaign and left wing media to stifle the republican voters.
And, I cannot finish without congratualing Sean Hannity for his road trip to get the President's Message out and energize the Right Wing. Great and inspiring job.
The video Stolen Honor and the Swift Boat Vets for Truth, and the POWS for Truth...all courageously came to the aid of her country and countrymen even under the worst media and left wing assault. They stayed true to their mission and were victorious after all these long decades of silence.
And, most of all thank you voters for drawing a line in the sand and not letting the men in black robes and trial lawyers decide the fate of our most precious right to vote, that was and is being paid for by the blood and ultimate sacrifice of young soldiers lives.
That's the last thing Rush said at the end of his program before the election.
You left out Zell Miller. His prediction that Kerry would not carry a single Southern state, and his analysis in A National Party No More, was a breath of fresh air from a retiring southern gentleman. He'd make a more formidable political strategist than Dick Morris, who did seem to vacillate quite a bit.
Slowly... but steadily. Baby steps; baby steps. :)
Sean Hannity also was voice of calm and reason when the sickening news of the initial exit polls started to break.
I could tell Sean was very "troubled" but he prepared his listeners for the jolt, and was totally insistent that they meant nothing, and it helped me calm myself as well.
But I was preparing for the possibility that the words "President-Elect John Kerry" might soon be uttered, and it definitely was disheartening to say the least.
Thank goodness for reasonable voices and for one of the greatest presidents of our time, GWB!
The American people are under attack from two quarters: radical islam and leftist ideology. That we can still stand strong in the face of these threats is evidence a Higher Power is at work to protect us.
I was continually mystified by the enigma of his service. Was he a war hero or a self-admitted war criminal? I wondered if he committed his acts of bravery and honor and his atrocities all within hours?
The flaw in this logic: The Western voters aren't going to change their minds based on what's reported from the East.
And there was no way they were going to supress the Western vote by trying to make it look so good for Kerry that they should all just stay home. Not with the stakes so high this year. That may have influenced past elections, but the Westerners won't fall for that trick again.
Rats are dumb and arrogant, they did not learn much in last 20 years. In 2008 they will elect Marxist witch from NY to be slaughtered in presidential election.
Yes you are so right about that. I heard him talking with Matt Drudge and Matt was trying to tell us something phony was going on with the mainstream media. It was a defining moment on the day of our election 2004.
I heard his words to and his words still echo loud and strong. We did not give up the Mother Ship of Liberty that day.
We know we are in a fight for our lives and our faith and right to express our religious beliefs. America never has stifled anyone's right to religion. But for some reason Mel Gibson's could not be tolerated. And, his film about the last few shining and wondrous hours of the Life of Jesus could not be. Gibson's was the first salvo in the election of 2004.
Just like the magnificent heroes of Flight 93 were the brave first defenders of September 11, 2001 and the first battle cry....Let's Roll...on the War on Terror.
Let's chill on trashing Arnold. Arnold "called" me here in NM and said he wanted to "pump" me up about voting for GWB.
I've heard that Hanoi Jane called dim New Mexicans - nuff said.
Great report, but I am surprised Ruddy did not mention Youngstown Mayor McKelvey (Democrat) who was a STRONG Bush supporter.
The influence of McKelvey's support was felt in Cuyahoga County and Summit and Stark County and some of the other NE Ohio counties.
Akron, Cleveland and Canton TV News shows and radio are a tight knit group so this democrat mayor's influence spread far beyond just the Youngstown area.
I am in Florida but spent most my life in Ohio. I would love to hear the Ohio people confirm what I said since you were there.
The Amish vote (and the Amish rarely vote but did this time) and McKelvey's support may have helped turn the state Red.
I rather think she is in many ways, actually.
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