Thursday, November 11, 2004
A Public Service Announcement
For Democrat partisans, the American Left, and anti-Americans in general: here is a picture of the voters that didn't go your way. One that's a lot more realistic than the portrayal by a certain British tabloid.
We start off with Michele from A Small Victory (via Belmont Club):
I voted for George Bush.Now we have the Economist's take (via Meat):
I am not a redneck.
I do not spend my days watching cars race around a track, drinking cheap beer and slapping my woman on the ass.
I am not a bible thumper. In fact, I am an atheist.
I am not a homophobe.
I am educated beyond the fifth grade. In fact, I am college educated.
I am not stupid. Not by any stretch of facts.
I do not bomb abortion clinics.You will not be thrown in jail for the sole reason of being a liberal.
This is not Nazi Germany in any way.
Your child's public school will not suddenly turn into a center for Christian brainwashing.
Your favorite bookstore will not turn into puritan central.
You will not be forced into concentration camps.
You will not be burned in human-sized ovens because of your religion.
We will not be forced to wear uniforms and march in line every day.
You will not live in fear.
If you think this is a country in which you have to live in fear, I have some friends in Iran who would like to have a little talk with you.
Yet there is counter-evidence. When asked directly about their attitudes to abortion, the responses this time were no different from 2000: 55% said it should be always or mostly legal. On gay marriage, 26% approved and 35% supported civil unions. So it is possible that “moral values” are not just a matter of social conservatism but also code for trust in the candidate, or respect for a man’s willingness to take a stand—where Mr Bush won easily. Mr Kerry never quite managed to persuade voters of his leadership qualities.And I'm taking the following from the ever excellent Belmont Club, although you should also read this, this, this and this.
The recent Presidential election was neither a mandate for empire nor a signal to impose a set of values on an empirically diverse world. If it was revolutionary it was also defensive in character, but in the way of Midway and Stalindgrad; a kind of turning of the tide. The passage of the gay marriage ban in eleven states occurred in the same election that rejected the candidacy of Alan Keyes. It is not that most people wanted to thump a Bible, it was that they didn't want to be thumped at all -- least of all by a synthetic political correctness. The rejection of gay marriage cannot be understood except in relation to the social activism from the Left, any more than a Warsaw barricade can be explained by a sudden desire to pile domestic possessions in the middle of a roadway without glancing at the Panzerkampfwagen VI rattling down the street.I feel compelled to do this because I'm starting to feel that I don't really exist in the minds of some people: I'm young, a college student, and an ethnic minority (geez all that's missing is the lesbianism). It means that it is inconceivable to some that I am calling voters to help President Bush instead of, um, moping and killing my brain cells to lament his victory.
It had seemed that some of those politically opposed to myself have, in their blind fury, abandoned all their cherished political principles. This wouldn't freak me out so much if the human shells that are left seem so unable to maintain sane dialogue, which is essential for the health of our society.
So, now that you hopefully learned something about that strange population called "Middle America" (and the 25 million Bush voters in the Blue states), there's a letter for you from Truth Laid Bear.
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