Interim Reflections on Today's Election

Reflections on Today’s Election Before the Winner is Decided

I am writing this at 6:15pm PDT. Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia have not been called, but the other states are falling as predicted. Either candidate can still win the election, but the odds favor the President. If Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia go for the Governor, then it will come down to Ohio.

The results so far demonstrate several realities.

First, today’s electorate is not your grandfather’s. President Kennedy’s inaugural address asked “Ask not what your government can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Today’s electorate, the famous or infamous 49%, is increasingly dependent upon the government for employment or benefits. It is moving towards the European social democracy model, the increasingly bankrupt social democracy model.

American exceptionalism was built upon individualism and a spirit of self-reliance. Today’s America is becoming increasingly one of government dependency.

The second reality is, as I have written before, is that the Republican Party cannot survive as a Caucasian only party. It cannot survive by excluding Hispanics and other ethnicities. America is now a rainbow country with Caucasians but a plurality. Anti-Hispanic bias has cost the GOP several elections.

The third reality is that the Republicans cannot ignore women’s issues. They can be pro-life, but they should not nominate candidates who insulting utter statements about reproduction. Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock should be poster childs for what not to say.

Fourth, the October Surprise this year was Tropical Storm Sandy, which interrupted Governor Romney’s momentum.

Fifth, regardless of the Presidential outcome, Washington will remain a divided government. The Republicans will retain the House and the Democrats the Senate with each gaining at least a few additional seats. It also appears that the House will be more conservative and the Senate more liberal than the past Congress. The GOP’s strategy of using reapportionment to preserve House seats paid off.

In the words of the ancient Chinese curse: “May you live interesting times.”