Learning from the Election

[Geee]

PJMedia:

1. Populism

The Republicans have only won the popular vote since Ronald Reagan’s presidency on two occasions: 1988 and 2004. In both instances, even the patrician Bushes were able to paint their liberal opponents as out-of-touch Massachusetts magnificoes. Lee Atwater turned Michael Dukakis, the helmeted tank driver, into a bumbling Harvard Square naïf. Karl Rove reminded the country that John Kerry, the wind surfer, was a spandex-wearing, wetsuit-outfitted yuppie who lived in several of his rich wife’s mansions, as he jetted around in her plane and sailed on her boat.

 

Otherwise, it was the Republicans who always ended up reduced to plutocratic grandees. Since 1960, and with the exception of Barack Obama, the Democrats always lost when they ran northern liberals — George McGovern, Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale, and John Kerry — so great is the American distrust of both old money aristocrats and Northern tsk-tsk scolds. Apparently southern accents — LBJ, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore — were necessary fides to win the popular vote, a sort of implicit reminder to voters that liberal Democrats could be just folks rather social engineers and redistributionists. Wealth apparently is not the key as much as an impression of familiarity with the working classes. Liberals laughed at Reagan riding horses, chopping wood, and chainsawing on his ranch, but voters liked what they saw. Neither party apparently can nominate a Massachusetts governor or senator and expect to win. Mitt Romney is a good man who would have made a very good president, but by June he was no longer a good Mitt Romney. Instead, millions of dollars in hit ads and free media assaults reduced him to a hideous caricature of a greedy, heartless Scrooge.

[nickydog]

VDH's point #9 was me to a T. Mr.n. was and still is an irritating channel surfer who equally watches CNN, MSNBC and Fox News and says it is important to know what "the enemy" is saying. It drove me crazy. But all along he predicted Obama was going to win and now I know he was right. I did tell him that, by the way -- admit he was right. But I still won't watch MSNBC. Can't do that.

[Chickadee]

I told MrC I have several demands. (Actually, I have a lot of them . . . ). One is that I get to ban certain television programs from our household: #1 - The View; #2 - anything with Bob Schieffer; #3 - Katie Couric; #4 any evening network news program, and so forth and so on. I'll tolerate, and sometimes enjoy, Judge Judy and Judge whomever, all Top Gear and Speed Channel shows, but NOT liberal drivel! To survive, I must stay in my cocoon a bit longer.

[nickydog]

Oh, yes. I am definitely still in my cocoon, too. May stay there for the next 4 years.