I’m appalled. Appalled at my country. I thought I had grown out of it, but I guess that lurking in the back of my mind was the assumption that, if confronted with the truth of what’s going on, the Common Man will ultimately decide for common sense. Last night was a particularly nasty wake-up call, flying in the face of even liberal polling.
Like everyone else, I’ll spend a good part of the day going over the post mortems (that’s for you, Yancey!). I’d be a fool not to be open to the possibility of election fraud. On the other hand, that’s not the whole story. If you examine multiple state-wide election results in the same states—governor/senator is an easy comparison—it’s clear that there is quite a bit of ticket splitting going on. The implication of that is that a lot of people are extremely ignorant regarding how our political system actually works. What possible thought process could explain that phenomenon in our current national situation, short of shocking ignorance? How do they think human beings work things out in a political system? If people can’t figure that one out, how can one reasonably expect them to figure out more complex policy issues—whether of national security, economics, basic morality, or whatever? Assuming these people make any effort to get informed about such things.
Then again, I don’t care how Blue a state is or how weak a GOP candidate may be—John Fetterman? Really? But, after all, Zhou Baidan? There is a moral corruption at the heart of America that runs very deep.
On the other hand, being an incorrigible glass-half-full type of person, even in the Senate—which is lost, barring something close to a miracle—there were some good signs. There are some better newcomers replacing departing RINOs. That’s not nothing—these are younger people for the most part, and may form a nucleus around which to regroup. We need something to build on. It may be the work of generations, but the work must continue.
And now for the post mortems.
That 260 million Americans rolled up their sleeves to put an unknown substance in their body should tell you how easily way too many of us can be misled. Last night is proof positive of how many stupid Americans there really are.
Leaving aside the possibility of fraud, you are left with possibility that people have simply given up on the GOP. People are angry about the Covid response, and they may have some inkling of the immense damage done by the vax, but the GOP went along with the lockdowns and the vax. People may be angry about inflation and high spending, but the GOP never opposed the gusher of money printing that went with the Covid response and they spent like drunken sailors. People may oppose the war in Ukraine, but the GOP as fully on board with that. And the GOP was complicit in the regime change operation against Trump.
This has been a long time coming. I seriously considered just leaving the Senate part of my ballot blank. I didn't, but Ted Budd's campaign was an offense against man and God. Warmed over Fox news talking points from fifteen years ago, and you knew he didn't mean a word of it. "TED BUDD WILL GET WASHINGTON OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!" Please. Nothing about DOJ reform, or getting the three letter agencies back under a modicum of control. Nothing about tech censorship, or the crisis on the border, or getting the pedos out of the schools.