Posted by
Randal Lee Manning Jr. on Wednesday, November 08, 2006 7:41:25 PM
The recent election was a disappointment to Republicans. But what sticks out most to me in the election results is an extreme lack in good judgment in the populace of a couple of states. In this blog I wish to outline some of the worst collective decisions made in the election. Results that point to ignorance and downright stupidity by the electorate in these states.
Pennsylvania: This state proved itself to be moving more and more towards the Democratic party in this election season. Unfortunately in doing so, it sacrificed one of the bright spots in American politics, now ex-Senator Rick Santorum. Santorum was extremely visible during the election season, his opponent Bob Casey was nowhere to be seen. It is a popular American cliche to say that politicians are spineless and will say anything to get elected. Usually people pretend to abhor this attitude, however in the Pennsylvania it was this attitude that prevailed. This stereotype does not hold to Santorum who was always extremely candid throughout his service and the campaign. Unlike his Republican cohorts Santorum stood by his decisions for the war in Iraq and by President Bush not because it was politically advantageous but because it is what he truly believed. Also equally unpopular with the Pennsylvanian crowd was Santorum's deeply rooted religious belief, another part of his campaign that he refused to give up even though it likely hurt him in the polls. As I listened to Santorum stump during the run up to election night he was conversant with the political, academic and religious movements that are confronting America a trait that is deficient among most other candidates. Santorum was crushed on election night and Pennsylvania opted to send a ghost in Bob Casey to Washington, rather than a strong and unflinching voice in Santorum. What is perhaps most unfortunate about this race is that Pennsylvania voters are unlikely to hear the name Bob Casey for the next six years, while Santorum will probably continue to rise in American politics and leave Pennsylvanian voters kicking themselves. Santorum was not the biggest loser in this election but rather the electorate in Pennsylvania kicked a great leader to the curb, a decision they will surely regret in the future.
Virginia: This was a swing race and very critical to which party would remain the majority in the Senate. Therefore it was not surprising that it was a brutal campaign. George Allen's opponent Jim Webb found that he had used the word "makaka." This shouldn't have been a big deal to the voters of Virginia considering that the liberal media and Webb had to stretch very far to imply that he was using this as a racial slur. Allen held back his dirt on Webb until about two weeks before the election. It was then that Webb's perverted book excerpts were made visible to the public. Considering that his books were on the same plane as child pornography I figured that this would signal the end of Webb's senatorial aspirations. Surprisingly enough the Virginia voters not only condoned Webb's books but they turned out in support of him and sent him to Washington. Reading Webb's book excerpts one can not help but come to the conclusion that he is at best a troubled individual and at worst a pedophile. Nonetheless Virginia stomached this display of perverse morality putting him in a place that will allow him to legislate. Don't be surprised if we see the Senate become much more friendly to the North American Man Boy Love Association, also known as NAMBLA. Virginian voters should be ashamed of themselves, their disregard for morality and character combined with extreme partisanship is a shame to America and it's electoral process.
Minnesota: The most disgusting display of ignorance and downright stupidity in an electorate came from Minnesota. Minnesota made Keith Ellison the first Muslim ever elected to congress. I highly doubt that people will take issue with this because they do not want to be branded as a bigot. However this would be missing the point. Ellison is not Middle-Eastern he is black, the problem comes not from his race but from his commitment to an ideology. This is tantamount to electing an fascist Nazi during WWII or a known Communist during the Cold War. That is right we have a fox in the hen house and we have put our enemy inside the house of representatives. What people do not understand about the Islamic movement is that it is a political, as well as a religious movement. Muslims are committed to the idea of governance under Sharia Law. They also are committed in most cases to ousting the state of Israel. These are not just extremists Islamic commitments but they are held by most moderates as well. Ellison was also a member of the Nation of Islam which is an anti-semitic organization and committed to both the religious and political tenets of the Islamic commitment. We have numerous examples of how Islamo philosophy has failed both politically and morally, look at the Middle East, and Minnesotans have the gall to elect a committed Muslim to the house of representatives. I fail to see why the Minnesota voters decided that electing a leader whose political philosophy is a direct contradiction of traditional American political thought and governance. Now we can understand why our founding fathers opted for the electoral college when electing a President. One of the functions of the electoral college is to protect from the stupidity and ignorance of the electorate and the fact is that parts of our electorate are still both stupid and ignorant is self-evident in states such as Minnesota. Furthermore this is demonstrative of how seriously people take the war on Terror. If you are electing representatives from your enemy you clearly do not understand the war or take it very seriously. I guess I should have suspected this much from the state that produced Al Franken.
What this reflects is an electorate that is not conversant with the problems that are facing America. It reflects uneducated voters going to the polls to do their duty but lacking perspective on the issues or the problems facing America. Results like this are partially a byproduct of a society that has escaped from reason. Another reason for this is the gullibility and fickleness of the public. If you look at the President's approval ratings he has been among the most popular and the least popular Presidents in the history of America. If you ground your decisions, like our society does, on feelings rather than facts or reason you are more likely to be swayed in opposite directions with relative ease. I am sad to say that looking at the results of these elections I am embarrassed by my countrymen. I look back to the greatest generation of WWII and can't help but think that my generation has allowed the American standard to decline.