..........so what happened?No matter how the election for President of the United States would have turned-out, there would have been new history made. On one hand, there is the election of a woman to the V-P spot; and on the other, a race minority. President Elect Barack Obama made history with the win. Most states went the way that were anticipated via the polls (polls really do mean something). So, what happened to the Republicans? I think the explanation is simple - lack of appeal to the working class and younger voters. In spite of George W. Bush, the Republicans still had a chance to win the White House again. Many voters still believe in the standards of conservatism. In my opinion, the problems lie in the attitude of the Republican candidates and their ability to appeal to working class people. I live in a solid Republican area, where strong conservative values are reinforced in tradition and in church. I guarantee you that I could line 100 people from my community up and ask them; "why do you vote Republican?"; and they would all reply based on two reasons: 1) my family has always voted Republican, and it's good enough for me; 2) because the Republicans don't believe in abortion. Narrow views? That's not for me to determine, but I do believe that we need to put a little more thought into it than that. The one thing that really sets in my mind and still amazes me is the inability of the Republicans to reinvent themselves to appeal to younger voters. I never flinched over John McCain's age, but many did. Many people did not vote for McCain because he is 72 years old. Narrow view? Yes, I think so. Who were our other Republican choices? We had Fred Thompson, who is about as appealing as moldy bread; not to mention that he is a real smart ass who degraded the views of others; there's Rudy Giuliani, who was always a little too liberal for the hardcore Republican, and a known womanizer; then there's Mike Huckabee, the far right wing fundamentalist. The Republicans need to work on getting some fresh blood into the party during the next four years, or you will cease to exist. The GOP won't have to give up their values, they just need to work on being able to appeal by policy rather than with the elitist, "we're right, and you're wrong because you're liberal and stupid" theory. The Republican Party did a great job in the past 21 months of turning away voters with a very negative approach. The GOP also had to make a choice as to support of the sitting president - which resulted in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario. I am a Democrat, and I hope that President Elect Obama will change some things about how our land is governed, and how our country will prosper. I would hope that for any president that is elected. I look forward to a more positive America, and a recovery for our economy and foreign policy. Many die hard GOP folks are now spewing the "doom and gloom" that is sure to befall our nation. To them I say, "give it a rest"! Things are what they are; you can learn to work within it or you can exhaust yourself working against it. No matter how you slice it, the Bush Administration was/is a disaster in most every way. I'll be anxious to see if the Democrats do as the Republicans did when they had control. Will they sit and do nothing, or will they make changes for the good of us all? If they do nothing; then they deserve the same punishment that the Republicans received in the election last night. That's what the 2008 election was about - punishment of those who truly failed America! I personally voted for every Democrat I could find; and in the case of non-partisan offices, I tried to find out which way they leaned as well. Now it's off to hear the nut-jobs complain. Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Glenn Beck (just to name a few), should be praising the election as four great years of job security; for it is their duty to use the election as a means to tear the country further apart and to make sure the people are polarized towards one another. There were points in the Bush years where I felt that I could back his decisions and play team ball; but the nut-jobs never would let it completely happen for me. The words of people (using the word "people" loosely) like Rush Limbaugh is nothing short of an attempt to brainwash Americans, and many have fallen victim to the poison of his words. This is the first presidential election in which I have voted for the winner in twelve years. I am optimistic that there will be some change. There has to be some change! I am optimistic that President Elect Obama will look out more for the middle class. George W. Bush spoke volumes when he is addressing a fundraising dinner where patrons paid $20,000 per plate, and said; "you are my base." The "base" of America has always been and will continue to be the middle class. George W. Bush was never intelligent to believe that, and that's why American jobs were sent overseas by droves on his watch. That "base" of his could not enjoy obscene profits and keep jobs here in America. I am optimistic that more people in America will have the opportunity to prosper. Am I a socialist? I don't think so; but I do want to see the vast opportunities of America enjoyed by all its citizens. That's how I interpret "spreading the wealth around." It means filling-in more of that gray area between the "haves" and the "have-nots" based on opportunity. That may mean taxing the hell out of corporations that prosper on the back of a twelve-year old child laborer in Bangledesh over that of an American citizen trying to feed his family with a steady factory job. Enormous profits by a small sector of our population is not what our economic system should be about. That wealth doesn't trickle down, unless you live in Mexico or the other places that American jobs have gone. A reasonable profit for services rendered and goods sold should be the order of the day. The price of oil has fallen dramatically; but the "sticky" prices that are supposedly the result of high oil prices are still there. Does government need to step in and help the consumer? Would a government intervention be the end of free enterprise? Those are questions that will, no doubt, be asked of this incoming president. I know that some of you are reading this and saying, "blah, blah, blah." I may be more liberal than you, but I'm no elitist. I realize that my views are not the only views, and I know that the Democratic Party does not provide the only correct answers. Only a true asshole will say that he has all the anwers. The problems of America are bigger than any of our individual opinions or that of one political party. The ability to compromise has always been the true strength of America. I hope the next four years will show us the compromise needed for our success as a union, undivided by our arrogance.
