It’s a weird thing in this country. When it comes to state and
local elections, American citizens seem to act in a responsible
manner; that is, they actually do the work necessary to make
informed and responsible choices in the voting booth. People seem
to be able to grasp the issues that affect their lives and then
make sober decisions based on what is beneficial for them and their
families. Yet, when it comes to presidential elections, all bets
are off.
Every fourth November all critical thinking seems to go
out the window. One of the most important decisions an American can
make is often treated as nothing more than a popularity contest.
The quest for the next leader of the free world is frequently the
butt of late-night TV jokes and worse. Whereas folks realize that
their local and state representatives will have a great impact on
their social and financial well-being and then vote accordingly,
when it comes to selecting a Commander in Chief, they act like
judges on American Idol. But why?
Can it be that the collusion of the press is more
pronounced when the White House is at stake? Recall the dirty
dealings of the so-called
JournoList, a group of leftists in the media who conspired to
kill stories that might hurt the 2008 Obama campaign. Although this
sort of thing has been rumored to exist for years, its exposure was
greeted by the rest of the media to the sound of cricket chirps.
Yet such is what passes for objective journalism in America
today.
But that’s not the only arm of the left with which we have
to contend. The Nazis had their Hitler Youth and Mussolini had his
baby Black Shirts, but here in America we have the public school
system. Armed with federal money from pre-school Head Start
programs all the way through Pell Grants, and staffed by loyal NEA
unionistas, new waves of young socialists roll out of our
classrooms and college campuses every day, eager to embrace the
Nanny State and “make a difference.”
But perhaps the most insidious weapon at the disposal of
liberals is their entertainment division; including certain TV
personalities and shock jocks, who for some reason have a
mesmerizing influence on a large chunk of the populace. Back in
2000, a few friends of mine who had never expressed an interest in
politics shocked me by opining that George W. Bush was “an idiot.”
When asked how they had arrived at that learned opinion, the reply
was typical: “Come on, everybody knows it!” When this dreaded
phrase slips the mouths of an otherwise uninformed electorate in a
presidential election year, you know the country is in big
trouble.
So, if we hope to overcome liberal propaganda and
presidential electoral stupidity in order to save our beloved
constitutional republic, we might have to concentrate elsewhere.
And a good place to start would be to work on regaining the Senate.
Does this mean abandoning our efforts to depose Barack Obama? Of
course not; but failing to attain that end would not necessarily be
a total disaster. After all, as conservatives, our goal in
Washington is, essentially, gridlock. And if we can keep the House
and add the Senate, we could reduce Obama to the lamest of lame
ducks.
And the possibility of regaining the upper chamber is
quite probably within our reach. The GOP has two seats that might
change hands; Nevada and Massachusetts, while the Democrats are in
danger of losing eight seats; most notably Nebraska, North Dakota,
Missouri, and Virginia. A net pickup of four seats will have
Republicans in great position to blunt most, if not all, Democratic
mischief.
Now many would caution that a weak candidate at the top of
the ticket would automatically doom our chances, but I’m not so
sure. Although a man with long coattails would naturally be a
bonus, in the face of the events of the past four years, it’s not
really a necessity. The ugly process Democrats used to pass
Obamacare — with all its deals and backroom sleaze — was too big
for even the liberal media to cover up, revealing their
skullduggery to the nation. That’s why incumbents like Ben
“Cornhusker Kickback” Nelson have been running for the
hills.
And over the hill is just where we need Democrats to be if
we are to block Obama judicial nominations and other vital
appointments. If the GOP can retake the Senate and live up to their
reputation as obstinate obstructionists, Obama and his ilk may well
be revealed as the petulant adolescents we believe them to be.
Hopefully this petulance will manifest itself this coming November;
if not, we can wait.
