WHY BUSH WON
Senator Kerry, in fact pretty much everyone associated with his campaign has shown grace and dignity in defeat. The bombast of the campaign has turned into a welcome calm. I just hope that will be the case for the nation as a whole. It probably will be the case for a day or so but that will change...soon.
Kerry didn't lose because he is a bad guy, he lost because the nation is mostly conservative. No matter how often the Hollywood elites try to tell us that it is square to oppose gay marraige, partial birth abortion or the recognition of God as a driving force in our daily lives, they are wrong. Our founding fathers knew that a nation without a moral compass is like a house built on sand. If you have no firm basis by which to gauge right from wrong, then theoretically, any behavior can be justified. The moral relativism that is being espoused by those who want a secular society has been rejected by the vast majority of the United States. Just look at the amount of red on the electoral map compared to the amount of blue. Aside from the east and the west coast and a pocket that's pretty much confined to the upper midwest, the country went with the party that best embraces their core values. America is steeped in morality, patriotism and a belief in equality sans affirmative action programs. The Democrat party had better recognize that fact if it wants to remain a viable force in this country.
posted by pgreg @ 7:08 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
But, Pete, the "founding fathers" were mostly agnostic or atheist.
Kerry lost because noone liked him. Many disliked Bush, but had no fondness for the other guy.
And, just because most people feel one way or another, (including my points of view,) doesn't make it right. Look at the Germans in WWII. More than happy to allow the extermination of the Jews. Because that was the "will of the people," does that make it justifiable? Of course not. I used a very extreme example. How about racism in America? Not long ago, it was the law to require a "test" by minorities to vote. It was also allowed to disallow their presence in public or private building. It was ordinary to not allow them to attend "white schools." Was that OK? There are many examples of the majority being wrong. Don't use that as your compass of correctness or morality. If you were to use your heart as a compass, I would follow rather than mob mentality.
Amen. Love ya' buddy.
By the way. I think the Shrub will do as Ronald Reagan did in his second term. Do things that only Republicans could do. Like reach an arms agreement with the Soviets. If a Dem had tried something like that, he'd be labeled a commie and run out of town in a minute.
The first term was for a job. The second term will be for the people. I hope.
You wrote:
"Just look at the amount of red on the electoral map compared to the amount of blue"
You really cannot look at electoral maps for any kind of meaning. The electoral vote was designed to make sure that people in sparsely populated areas had an equal vote in the mix. Just one more vote in a county for Bush does not construe that Bush had an "overwhelming" majority of votes. The popular vote is a much much better way to gauge a president's popularity. Looking at the popular vote, you can see that the country is divided nearly 50:50 between Bush and Kerry. The inner states are just slightly more pro-Bush than they were pro-Kerry in this last election. Just enough for Bush to win. Out here in the Bay Area of California, we're still waiting to find out what "really" happened in Ohio. 13 hour voting lines are inexcusable, especially in a swing state as important as Ohio.
You also wrote:
"If you have no firm basis by which to gauge right from wrong, then theoretically, any behavior can be justified."
What shall that basis of determining morality be? Judaism? Buddhism? Christianity? Or...how about we just use common sense? I for one speak for the millions in this country that do not base my morality upon a belief system called "Christianity". I am agnostic, bordering on atheist. I am both repulsed and frightened by the idea of society being governed by Christian moral beliefs, which I do not believe in. Whatever your religious beliefs are, but let's say that you are Christian, just for one moment imagine that the US policy is now going to be run according to "Jewish morality". Or how about Islamic? Would that feel right to you?
Gentle Reader,
I understand that the amount of red on the map does not reflect population. I disagree that we should go to a popular vote total to decide the presidency, but your point is well taken. The vote was undoubtedly a close one devoid of the 'clear' mandate that some are claiming.
In regard to being repulsed and frightened by Christian beliefs, I'm wondering just what tenets of Christianity you find to be so awful. Granted, there are religious nuts that give the whole bunch a bad name, but like most if not all religions, Christianity promotes goodness, decency, understanding, kindness, self-respect and respect for others. If the majority of people cannot agree on these basic rules of conduct then we do have a problem. You seem to advocate throwing out all these basic rules and starting from scratch. This would seem to assume that you place more faith in yourself and your peers than you place in religious tenets that have been in place and served us well for thousands of years. Throwing out religious guidelines of decent behavior and starting anew just because you are frightened and repulsed by a few religious 'nutcases' would seem to be an unnecessary and extremely drastic solution to a 'problem' that a great number of Americans don't think exists. There are many of us who find the temerity of those who would rather we have a totally secular society based on a new and supposedly better set of values than those which have served humanity for so long to be repulsive and frightening. In short, those who are so sure they have a better way are long on ego and short on humility.
Oh yes, humility is another religious tenet that should perhaps be sent to the ash heap.
Granted, religion has been the cause of a great number of problems in the world. However, having a society that has no moral footing where people just use their own version of 'common sense' would give us anarchy and chaos. That is, a situation where anything goes. We now have a version of this in places like Denmark which to me, is a sorry model to emulate.
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