What I Think about Election Day 2012

Last week’s election was a key turning point in the direction the country is going, perhaps as significant as the 1992 election.  It’s key because our candidates this year were such mirror opposites of each other in terms of their overall vision and direction.  While they share many of the same priorities, their plans and methods are far more different than we’ve seen in the recent past.  In my opinion, both of our candidates will lead this country into bad places.  There is no candidate that will make everything better, and that’s disappointing.  There are many reasons for this, but I think the biggest reason is partisan politics.  Me, I like partisan politics.  While it can over-polarize particular issues it does provide a vastly uneducated electorate a means to decide which leaders they wish to support and do their governing for them.  Political parties help you decide whether to elect a pro-life candidate or to focus on the candidate with a trickle-down economy plan (another concept our electorate doesn’t seem to completely grasp).  The downside to political parties is when they start acting like political parties.  When the party motto is “They’re wrong. We’re right.” there is no room for compromise or understanding in a republican government that requires a majority consensus for anything to get done.  That leads to the emphasis not on being right or doing right but having the most people to ensure your way is the way things will go.  It’s become about winning and not governing.  That has led to the most impotent and ineffective Congress in history.  As we approach the so called “fiscal cliff” I’m quite certain that our Congress will fail us again … not because they couldn’t come to a compromise, but because they wanted to make the other party look like the bad guy.  I wish I could say the new Congress coming in is going to do any better.  Me, I’m saving up and planning for the worst.

So, as we look ahead to the next 4 years of what will certainly be a roller coaster ride through hell in this country, let me provide a few tidbits of wisdom to both parties that perhaps might jolt them into changing their stance/opinions on a few things for the next couple of elections.

Democrats

• As a former member I can sympathize with you the most.  Even though I’m registered Independent, I still describe myself to others as “liberal” and I’m proud to be so.  However your party’s choice of leaders, policies and platforms just makes me want to puke up my colon.  Here are a few reasons why.
• You think the government is the answer for everything.  For deciding social policy.  For taking care of people who won’t (notice I didn’t say can’t) take care of themselves.  For providing loans to private businesses.  For providing health care.  You all need a healthy dose of a college constitutional law class to realize that NONE of those things were intended for the federal government to provide in the original Constitution.  There’s a very good reason for that … when governments start to assert control over the free market and people’s lives, bad things happen. Color it anyway you want, it’s still the first step on the road to Socialism, and look how well that turned out for the average citizen. 
• Even if somehow you can justify and pass laws that empower the government to pay for things not laid out in the Constitution, Democrats need to get it through their heads that someone needs to pay for it all, and those people are the taxpayers!  We can have mandated health care and financial bailouts and welfare for life for anyone.  Sure.  It means more taxes on us to pay for them.  Anyone who tells me we can afford all of these entitlement programs and government initiatives while cutting taxes is grossly underestimating the costs of running a country this big while providing its citizens with all these neat benefits.  Sure, there are ways to cut spending.  All we have to do is cut back space exploration and national defense. WTF ever.  So what else will we cut back?  Welfare?  Medicare?  The money has to come from somewhere folks.  Better wise up and understand that you’d better be ready to pony up from your own pocket to pay for all these great government programs.  What?  You don’t want to pay more taxes? Too bad.
• And please don’t tell me that we can just increase the deficit to pay for it.  That’s like putting your monthly mortgage payments on a credit card.  Sure, you can stay in your house for the time being, but once that card maxes out and the bank comes calling, I hope you have some way to pay for it.  If we believe the Democrats, it’s almost like you want our kids to pay for it.  At this point Alex and his family will owe nearly $100,000 when he turns 18, and he hasn’t done anything in/for this country other than grow up.  Does that make sense to you?  Is it worth it to have bailouts now when our kids won’t be able to buy/pay for anything later on?
• Now one thing we do agree on is the impact a Republican administration could have on social issues.  The potential disasters in regulation or outright abolition of reproductive and free speech rights terrify me almost to the point of voting against anyone who backs the Republican party!  I’ll get to that in a minute. 
• It all comes down to this for me … what is more important: the stability of our country’s economy and the government that oversees it or the potential loss of rights in social issues.  I have to say, sadly, that today it is far more important for our country to stop bleeding money and to stabilize government spending.  With my vote this year I risked a Republican administration who wants to put it in law that I can’t burn an American flag in protest.  I will trust in the judicial system to protect my rights.  At least my country wouldn’t default on loans or debts while the court case is worked out, and the economy tanks so far that the country cannot function.

Republicans

• First thing today, before you get your first cup of coffee, the Republican party needs to look at the demographics of the election and ask themselves why they didn’t get the vote of the women and minorities.  Then they need to do something about it.  Today, the Republican Party is the party of well-off/wealthy, white, Judeo-Christian men, and don’t deny it.  When you say you’re the party of Reagan you’re not going to win over the Justin Bieber fans, single mothers or immigrants working minimum wage.  There are many reasons you lost the election, but the truth is you’re not even trying to extend your voter base!  Why don’t women like your party?  Why don’t homosexuals?  Why don’t blacks or hispanics?  Better think long and hard about that.  And, if your answer is you’re a party who believes what we believes and refuses to change or consider alternatives, you’d better get used to losing.  A lot.  Your voter base will start dying soon.
• The Republican party needs to get in the 21st century, mostly from a social standpoint.  To dictate social morals through laws is questionable enough, but to base a party platform on the outdated Judeo-Christian values as you have in the past, you assure yourself irrelevancy.  We live in a free society where citizens are encouraged to explore their belief systems free of restriction by their government.  21st century America encourages this culture, providing various means of social media to explore within as well as a society open to the possibility of alternatives.  That’s why you have gay pride parades, transgender conferences, requests for same-sex marriage and a growing number of people who think there’s more to life and love than just one man with one woman.  Better get on board this train.  It’s been around for centuries.  We now have a society where those things, some I would say are still considered a bit taboo, are open for discussion, open to the public and now open to protection under the law.  If you choose to hold true to the idea that anything other than one man and one woman is not an option, you will forever doom yourself as the party that is out-of-touch with modern society, and rightfully so.  Gay love is no different than your traditional definition of a marriage.  Accept it.
• Get some energy, would you?  You know how to win the Bieber fans?  Be interesting!  Be energized.  Energize the people around you.  Don’t be afraid of technology, embrace it.  Don’t be afraid of social media or trends!  Understand them and look for value in them.  They’re your electorate too.
• And find some leaders we can all get fired up about.  In 2004 the Democratic party seemed lost.  John Kerry was the best they could do.  But then the convention shows up and here are these two fireballs, two energized members who get people fired up about being in their party and being an American citizen.  One was Hillary Clinton.  The other is our President now.  Get some people up on that stage that can re-energize the youth and vitality of your party, or you’re never going to win over the younger undecideds, no matter how good your argument is. 
• Make this clear to every single member of your party:  Rape is a crime.  It’s a horror.  There is never, not one circumstance when it is acceptable.  The health of the raped person matters above all else.  To say otherwise is to be inhuman.  At least two of your candidates this year were inhuman.  Not good.  You’re guilty by proximity.
• Oh yeah … if you’re running for office expect every single word you utter to be recorded by someone, somewhere.  Democrats want this because they like to be heard.  That 47% crap was an election-killer.  I’m amazed you still did as well as you did.
• Dial back your pundits.  Hannity, Beck, Limbaugh.  They’re not winning over voters.  They’re not even firing up your own party members.  All they’re doing is alienating people.
• No matter what you have to do do not let Donald Trump or Sarah Palin speak for your party again.  EVER.

The Next Four Years

• Surprisingly I can live with Obama as President for the next four years if he works hard to make some changes with our economy and works to get things done, rather than just try and then blame the other guy when nothing happens. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks as he leads the battle to beat the fiscal cliff.  So far, it just looks like business as usual.
• The biggest problem I have with Obama’s first administration was a complete lack of governing on the part of Congress.  I don’t fault Obama for trying to push through his agenda.  Any President faces opposition on any initiative.  My problem was the decision by Congress to basically oppose EVERYTHING that came out of the Executive Branch.  That’s not governing.  That’s partisan politics at its worst.  It meant no budgets passed, no laws passed, debt increasing, spending unaccounted for.  In effect, our elected representatives were on paid vacation for four years.  Enough, Congress!  You’ve been elected to govern.  DO SOMETHING!
• Sadly, the makeup of Congress didn’t change much last week.  There are some new faces.  Hopefully that will be enough to jar some things loose and get things going.
• Our debt is going to go through the roof and through the upper atmosphere.  At some point we’re going to have to pay for that.  Last I heard Obama’s only answers included taxing the wealthy more (which won’t even make a dent in the debt he’s added with Obamacare and the bailout) and a vague reference to cutting the deficit.  Well, unless you’re going to include increasing taxes on everyone by 2-3%, I don’t see us making any sort of impact in the debt we have.  I can only hope no one comes calling to collect.
• Well, at least we know abortion, flag burning and same-sex marriage rights won’t be changing.  Yeah.  That makes my concerns about the economy just vanish.  No … wait … that don’t make a damn bit of difference.
• You’d better start showing me more of Joe Biden otherwise you might not get my vote.