Nov 07 2012

The Obligatory “You’ll Eat Your Crow And Like It” Post

Published by at 9:22 am under 2012 Elections,All General Discussions

One of the great things about blogging is when you have an epic face plant moment, you get to post about it the next day – no matter what. /sarcasm

Amazingly, President Obama ran the table of swing states – taking all but North Carolina. Color me sadly stunned. I got none right, outside NC. I am in good company I guess: Rove, Limbaugh, Krauthammer ….

Something is clearly wrong on the GOP side if after four years of this kind of economy the nation is ready to go through four more years of massive debt and deficits with no job creation. And there will be very little job creation coming. Businesses are looking at tax hikes, Obamacare and massive new regulations. Business owners (like us) don’t have the luxury of adding a lot of new people now – unless they are there to fill out government forms. This does not make us money or competitive, it simply drains our revenues that should be going to opening new opportunities and raising salaries. But why would a liberal, community-organizer understand business?

I worry about our kids, and the fact we are not handing them the same nation handed to us by my parents generation (WW II). Instead of the American dream being about making something of yourself and succeeding, it is now who can grab the most government handouts. Or better yet – be the one handing out the goodies to the poor masses. And the debt they have now to pay off is horrific.

If Americans under the age of 18 were required as a group to pay off the entirety of the federal government’s debt in equal shares, each would now need to pay about $218,676.

That is more than the $130,468 average price tag for four years at a private college or the $173,100 median price for an existing one-family home in the United States.

Obama only knows one trick – spending. Hopefully the GOP House will – this time! – hold their ground. But I fear they will fold, like they did in 2011.

It is not morning in America – again. And I can point to a few things that kept GOP out of office – again.

First off in VA: the GOP has to let the voters pick their candidates. ‘Ol George Allen ‘the retread’ was hoisted on the voters without their support (or desire). He was a huge boat anchor for Mitt Romney. You cannot get people excited about a campaign when they are not even allowed to vote (win or lose) on the selection of the candidates. Bob McDonnell is the face of the new VA GOP. The old guard who fear open primaries need to go into retirement – they have done enough damage. There better be change in the Grand Old Party of the Old Dominion. Or else go the way of the Whigs.

Social issues: If the GOP is going to be strapped with idiot white men telling women what it means to be raped they should just give up now and not waste time or money. Aiken and Mourdoch left a stain on the entire GOP’s small-government message of the season. This makes three GOP senate candidates I am so glad did not make it I can’t tell you. Boat anchors, all of them.

Rich White Guy Party? When I hear talking heads say the GOP needs 75% white turn out to win, there is something seriously, seriously wrong. I mean what is the point of a national party that looks like they come from one family? America is diverse and we need to tap into that and explore its potential. Instead we find the GOP being distilled down to a single large voting bloc. Rich White Guys….

This is the new face of the GOP – or should have been.

Mia Love conceded in a hotly contested congressional race against incumbent Rep. Jim Matheson (D) in Utah’s 2nd congressional district.

As was Herman Cain, Sarah Pailin, etc. Yes – I am an old(er) white guy, but not rich and sure as hell not comfortable with an all-white male group as my social circle. I can’t talk sports and cars that long before going comatose. I enjoy the diversity of my Northern Virginia community – including the immigrant working families. I want legal and managed immigration: not rabid, unbending, uncaring anti-immigration. I definitely think women should be equal partners in all endeavors. All of sudden I see the GOP as the lecturing, know-it-all  guy you hate to be around. Mitt Romney was a nice exception to the rule.

I am not going to sugar coat this. President Obama AND his party won big after four years of historic economic pain and suffering. That tells you something about how bad the opposition appeared to too many voters. Turnout was astoundingly high, which meant the people spoke. Races were close and down to the wire, which means voters wanted a good option. I cannot help but ponder what a Bob McDonnell would have done in 2012 (like he did in 2009). Or a Chris Christie – though I am a bit cool on the man.

The GOP needs an overhaul, new blood up and down, and a new set of causes built around a moderate libertarian core of limited, non-intrusive, cost-efficient, results-oriented government. That means jettisoning all ideas about using the government to impose a preferred set of morals on We The People. Get over the social engineering, life will teach the lessons needed to survive and thrive.

Finally, pick a small set of priorities like national debt and career/wealth opportunities (which is not the same thing as ‘jobs’) and hammer the hell out of them. Expose the problems and failures of the opposition (see green energy for endless examples of cronyism). Don’t dance around the issue and try and be polite. Stay on target, stay focused and work solutions. If you are off yapping about rape being God’s will you are going to be seen as completely off the tracks and in the ditch. Because you are!

Four more years of incompetent leadership will lead to only one thing – another shot at a bruised and beaten electorate in 2016. But in those four years, the GOP better be a completely different animal.

Now, back to life for a while. I have an economic storm to prepare for, and it won’t be easy going to weather this one.

Update: By the way, the esteemed Ed Morrissey has an interesting post out this morning – noting we had a D+9 turnout again. Can you say “centrists”?

Update: Curious about that economic storm coming? Here is one bleak outlook worth reading.

56 responses so far

56 Responses to “The Obligatory “You’ll Eat Your Crow And Like It” Post”

  1. Redteam says:

    AJ, attempted to post again, comment in moderation. If you don’t want me to comment here, please say so. I’ve been with you several years, maybe 8 or 10, don’t understand why you want to censure me.

  2. jan says:

    Redteam, I’m sure interested in what you have to say!

  3. penguin2 says:

    Jan

    I think you’re right on the style difference between the two campaigns. One represented the traditional, we have manners and care about America. The other represented the decadence of Hollywood and decay of America. It’s been said JFK would never be able to run as a Democrat today, because he told people to ask what they could do for their country, not the other way around.

    The sheer nastiness of the president and his minions and surrogates was astounding, and when we did not fight back it cost us.

    Hadn’t thought about the image of the Romneys and how the Dems were able to use against them vs America being able to embrace them.

    The corruption and vileness of these people has reached the point of no return, and until we can take down the malignant media, the real enemy, we can’t win or rescue this country.

  4. jan says:

    Penguin2

    Another incredible stat, that came out with the exit polls, was that 11-12% of people who supported the tea party movement voted for Obama???????

  5. oneal lane says:

    I am a little concerned over this rush to play “identity and racial politics” on the “Right”.

    So now it is said, to win we need to have non-white people out in front. Wasn’t that what the GOP convention did. Lot’s of non-whities out front.

    Great numbers of white folk voted for Obama, twice, but now we are saying non-white voters could never vote for a white guy. Is this true? Is that a not racist notion in itself?

    I think the problem is that our “ideas” do not attract them, or it is that we have done a poor job a selling our ideas. Moreover, I think folks here are following the European route, of dependence and complacency. Gimmie my stuff and promise me security, I’ll settle for that, to hell with freedom. How can you appeal to folks like that!

  6. Redteam says:

    AJ, thanks for finally releasing those 2 comments from moderation. For anyone that may be interested they are 3 days ago and 1 day ago. It would have been nice if they could have been inserted while the conversation was going on, would have fit at that time. I can only assume the subject was somehow inappropriate.

  7. Redteam says:

    Penguin, I’m not too sure you should believe some of those election stats. For example one precinct in Ohio voted 108% of registered voters and 99% of those voted for Obama. There had to be voter fraud involved. As I stated several times, there was a good chance that the Dimocrats would steal the election. Well, I’m pretty sure we saw that happen. Just 500,000 votes total in just a very few precincts would have completely reversed the election. Several of those precincts got 99% Dimocrat vote. Now folks, I don’t know about you, but there are very few neighborhoods in the United States that are 99% for anything. But when you see that happen and just in the critical precincts, you can be sure the Dimocrats were in charge of the ballot box. Kinda like Chavez in Venezuela and Putin in Russia.

  8. jan says:

    Redteam

    There were districts and precincts in both Ohio ann PA that had ‘weird’ voting going on. In one of those states something like 59 had zero votes for Romney — all going to Obama. Now that defies logic! Also in the the district that Allen West was in there were problems there as well. Who knows what unreported stuff occurrred in other areas.

  9. Mordecai Subaru says:

    Hello Mr. AJ,

    Have you signed off, roger wilco over and out ??
    I’m sure no one would blame you

  10. Layman says:

    dbostan: Thanks for the link. Interesting. You’d think that a guy with Rove’s political savvy would be putting money into coaching candidates on how to answer “gotcha” questions. For any candidate to put the words “God’s will” or “legitimate” into ANY discussion of rape just indicates political stupidity. There are ways to answer those questions, without selling out your values, and at the same time not sounding like a political jack a$$.

    I know that people want to play the “establishment” vs “tea party” game but let’s face it, where is the Senate now if we win the seats lost by O’Donnell, Murdock, Akins, and Angle? Flawed candidates are flawed candidates – no matter where they come from.

    Let’s face it, the left does a great job of putting up liberals who know how to talk moderate. We put up either conservatives who sound like knuckle dragging Neanderthals or limp wristed wishy washy moderates who can’t make a basic arguement for any conservative prinicple.

    We need to come together as a party and come up with a list of guiding principles and then go find candidates who are attractive, articulate, live those values, and who can sell those principles to the public.

  11. dbostan says:

    The End Of The Karl Rove Death Grip Signals A Reagan Renaissance

    Liberals do not grasp the distinction between Ronald Reagan and (either) George Bush. This blind spot creates a massive confusion and hazard to their ambitions. Obama defeated neither the Reagan Narrative nor Team Reagan. Team Bush appropriated, and then marginalized, both. Obama beat Team Bush, not Team Reagan. The implications are huge.
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2012/11/12/the-end-of-the-karl-rove-death-grip-signals-a-reagan-renaissance/

  12. Redteam says:

    Layman, I think you mostly right. (in fact I see nothing I disagree with). I’m basically anti-abortion. but. I think a woman should be able to get an abortion if she really wants to do so and she really feels like it is the best thing for her to do under the circumstances. But an 8 mont or 9month abortion, NO. (except to save the mother’s life) But women that get raped don’t have to carry a baby because it’s God’s will that she got pregnant. That’s stupid. I am a conservative, but I think others have the right not to be. I’d follow conservative values, but not impose them on others. show them my way is best. they accept it or not. it’s a big tent, it’s a big country.

  13. Redteam says:

    mordecai subaru, yes AJ is missing in action. He made reference to drinking too much on election night. Those headaches must be ‘tough’

  14. OldSarg says:

    Come on Dude! Bounce back. I enjoy your writing and we need the motivation.

  15. AJStrata says:

    Old Sarg,

    Thanks. Not really a question of bouncing back as much as being swamped with issues rippling out from the election (and sequestration, etc).