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The Left doesn’t get it.
Last Tuesday, and election of historical proportions had taken place in this country, serving notice on the Obama Administration that we, as a people, are sick and tired of a government run amuck.
But, they aren’t listening. Playing down the results with condescending statements, such as “voter anger” or insulting the American people by saying we aren’t “thinking clearly” does very little to increase the Administration’s credibility among the American people.
Let me put it this way: First of all, the American people are not as dumb as most liberals and Lefties want to believe, or, actually believe. The American people are smart, savvy, protective of their freedoms, and they know a bad deal when they see one. Across the country, American people took a hard look at the way the country was going, and decided they were going to do something about it.
They did.
They went to the polls and voted, they voted their pocketbook, their wallet, their dreams of their futures as well as their children’s. The read papers, listened to politicians, researched issues, and decided “enough is enough”.
American people, by and large, are not “sheeple”, your average American is a hard working, thinking individual with a strong sense of right and wrong. Americans, in general, don’t want anyone taking away the things they have worked for and earned, be it money, property, possessions, or rights. Yes, rights, or in this case Rights, as in the Bill of Rights. There are people that have been in my life for a long time, that were pretty ambivalent about the political process, issues, and what goes on in Washington. For many years they didn’t pay much attention, because they had jobs, families to raise, and work to do. So long as they were living their lives without interference or oversight, they were fine. They were confident that all would be taken care of. “This is America” they reasoned “Things will work out.” And rightly so. I have often thought that way myself. In America, we have a way of working things out, correcting mistakes, and “righting the ship” as it were. So long as there was a job, a paycheck, and the freedom to do as we wished with our lives, worship the way we wanted, and, raise our families as we saw fit, we were all okay. Washington was a sometimes pain in the rear, but, we trusted, in a distant sort of way, the people we sent there to run things. So long as things were stable at home, at work, and in the community, we paid attention to what was going on locally, and left the national issues to those we elected to take care of them.
Then came 9/11, the first real event in my life that woke people up, those ambivalent ones, who were enraged that someone dared to disrupt their way of life. The attack called to mind the sacrifices over the last 200 years of Americans in the past to retain, and defend the freedoms of this country. People who didn’t even know what Islam was at the time, became knowledgeable over night. Post 9/11, life began to settle down again, but, people were keeping an eye out over their shoulder. They saw the threat as external, something that the people in Washington needed to take care of, to keep the enemies off of our shores. Life continued, it was more or less prosperous for many of us, and while we hit and economic bump in 2002-2003, it corrected itself like we knew it would.
Then came the Recession of 2007. At first, it didn’t seem so bad, but, as months went by, Americans began to see just what may be in store for them. They turned to the people in Washington, appealed to them to fix the problem. It didn’t get fixed, it got worse. A presidential election was coming in 2008, and we knew what we had to do, if the party in power didn’t fix things. Jobs were being lost in huge numbers, economists were using words like “Recession” “Depression”, and “Economic collapse”. Banks were failing, and business was bleeding jobs. We were in two wars, one less popular than the other. Chaos seemed right around the corner.
Then, like a light in a tunnel, a Presidential candidate appeared on the scene. He was smooth, suave, exuded confidence and promised to change things, fix the economy, bring American out of the dumps and restore jobs, and confidence. Americans took to his message. After eight years of Bush, and a failing economy at the end of his term, Americans said “no more majority, Republicans, it’s time of fix this.” In the age-old American tradition of “if you can’t fix it, we’ll find someone who can.” Barack Obama and the Democrats swept the Republicans out, and the Democrats, with their message of “Hope and Change” in. America looked to Barack Obama with Kennedy like awe, and Reagan-like confidence. He talked well, and said all the right things. He appealed to that part of many Americans, that just wants to be left alone to live their lives in peace, be allowed to prosper, and be free to make their own choices. (there were, however, many people who knew exactly what Barack Obama was, and what his intentions were, but that’s another diary entry)
Soon after the Inauguration, American began to have it’s doubts. First, came the “Stimulus” designed, it was said, to create millions of jobs. It faltered, it sputtered, and, it ultimately didn’t deliver. Then came Health Care Reform, a law that made many Americans wake up and say “what the…?” Packaged to appear innocuous, the 2,000 page monstrosity set off debate after debate. Americans began to question why the government needed to take over 1/6th of the economy, and as far as many Americans were concerned a segment that was working just fine. The more Americans looked at the promised “hope and change” proffered by Washington, the less confident and more concerned they became. Jobs kept going away, unemployment kept rising, and all that Washington was willing to offer was more failed stimulus, more regulation, and higher taxes. Americans began to realize that the Unions, the one-time protector of the American worker was now, working in Washington seeking to shackle the same workers that they purportedly protected. Americans saw, for the first time in their lives, their freedoms being threatened, not by an outside enemy, but by their own government. They were being told, that they had no idea what was best for them, that the government would take care of it. And, in the classic American way, the American people rebelled. They started standing up to their Senators, and Congressmen, Governors, and State Reps, and began to demand accountability, explanation, and that their interests be front and center. They began to research, to read, to become more informed about what Washington was up to. They realized, many of the previously ambivalent ones, that Washington needed watching. “Town Hall” meetings reverberated with angry Americans demanding that their elected officials listen to them, and be accountable to them. Many of them decided to not listen to their constituents, figuring they knew better than the people they governed. They voted how their party wanted them to, not their constituents. Americans grew angrier.
Then, came the “Tea Party”. Groups of Americans, from all walks of life, and every economic stripe began to take an even harder look at the people in Washington, and decided that these people need to be removed.
So, the Bloodless Rebellion was born. “Tea Partiers” organized, raised money, and funded candidates who campaigned on the ideals set forth by our Founding Fathers. Less Government, more power to the people and the states, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and it went on. Dismissed by the Washington elite, ridiculed by the mainstream media, these people forged on, and movement gained steam. A lot of steam. In a very short time. The 2010 midterms were coming, and the American people knew, that if thee face of Congress as well as their state and local governments were not changed, they could count on more government, less freedom, and more restrictions. The Constitution was publicly disregarded by many politicians, some of them even calling the document “irrelevant” or saying that it had “outlived it’s usefulness”.(Phil Hare in downstate Illinois learned that lesson)
In the first months of 2010, primaries were held all over the country, and to the surprise of many in Washington, old, established politicians were being knocked out of the running in the primary. Yes, the primaries. The “ruling class” was being challenged by upstart, grassroots, “Tea Party” conservative candidates, and the Tea Party backed candidates were winning. Conservatives were winning, and Washington didn’t know what to do. As spring and summer wore on, poll after poll proclaimed disaster for the Democrats. But, the didn’t listen, they didn’t get it. They had no idea why the Americans were so angry. Barack Obama even said that we weren’t “thinking clearly”. They were being rejected, their ideas, repudiated.
On November 2nd, the message was delivered. The largest swing in the House since 1948, over a dozen states elected Republican governors, ninety-nine State Houses changed to Republican majorities, Long time politicians were ousted, while others were forced to spend millions to retain their seats, when in the past, they hardly had to spend anything. A message was sent to Washington, as well as state capitals throughout the nation: “Stay out of our lives, quit wasting our money, and start listening to us, We are the reason you people have the jobs you have, DO NOT take us for granted anymore.”
In the course of the campaign, the American people got to see the true ugliness of the Left, the socialist Unions, and the various minority activist groups. It was all on display for us to see, as desperate people launched desperate bids to remain in power, stopping short…just short, of violence.
By and large, the American voter is an independent, who votes for those they they perceive as being the ones to protect their life and liberty, who is going to create jobs, and interfere less in their lives. The independent voter saw Barack Obama as the man who was going to do that, until he revealed what his true intentions were, and what he meant by “fundamentally transforming America”. The Congressional leadership also revealed who they were. The American voter said “no more”. Now, as our newly elected representatives get ready to take over their new jobs in January, we must, and I mean we MUST keep the pressure on and hold their feet to the fire. They need to realize, all of them, incumbent and newly elected, that they work for us, the people, we put them there. It is our money, our country, and they are the ones that are supposed to maintain it.
But, in the aftermath, the Left doesn’t get it. Angry people aligned with the left are throwing tantrums like petulant teen-agers, that their idealistic, and immature vision of a Socialist utopia has taken a hit. Media types cry, activists shout, and through it all, they continue to denigrate, insult, and belittle the American people, and fail to recognize, or even read, the message that was sent. Even some Republicans don’t get it. Left wing acquaintances of mine are depressed and angry, angry in a “how dare they do this to me” sense.
We are at an historic crossroads. Which road will we take? The fight is on, and the battle has been joined. In 2012, we do it all again, and we also get to replace the man at the top. It is time for all of us regular Americans, those of us who love our liberty, our rights, and our nation, to pressure Washington, and our State governments to listen to us, and only us. We need to remind them that we have the power, and that we are loaning it to them, to do the right thing with.
And, that “right thing” is to protect our security, maintain our freedoms, and keep the government out of our lives.
God help the newly elected who decides to go with “the established ruling class” in Washington.
Cross posted
Moe Lane
Erick Erickson
Jeff Emanuel
Steve Maley
Caleb Howe
