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Jewish World Review Nov. 9, 2012/ 24 Mar-Cheshvan, 5773 Obama's re-election bewilders By Deroy Murdock
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Ronald Reagan called the 1964 election "a time for choosing." Tuesday's election yielded a time for bewilderment.
Given his record, it is astonishing that President Barack Obama won re-election. He should have lost, big time. Despite an $833 billion stimulus and $5.6 trillion in fresh national debt, the economy crawls forward with 2 percent growth. Shovel-ready projects were not shovel ready. The Department of Energy has generated some 60,000 "green" jobs -- at $578,333 each. When Obama arrived, the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent. It's now 7.9 percent. Nonetheless, Obama is the first president to get re-elected with joblessness above 7.2 percent since FDR in 1936.
Serious analysts like Michael Barone, co-author of "The Almanac of American Politics," forecast 315 electoral votes for Mitt Romney. Accurate since 1980, the University of Colorado Boulder's model predicted 330 electoral votes for Romney. In fact, Romney secured 206 electoral votes, with Florida still too close to call.
Reputed uber-genius Karl Rove reconfirmed that he is the most overrated living participant in American public life. As "the architect" of profligate "compassionate conservatism," Rove helped smash the GOP's reputation for fiscal discipline. This still hurts Republicans. As Reuters' Tim Reid wrote: "Early national exit polls revealed that about 50 percent of U.S. voters still blamed former Republican President George W. Bush for the country's economic problems rather than Obama." The allegedly brilliant Rove foresaw 279 electoral votes for Romney. Oops! Rove should retire to a Texas ranch, where he can raise and sell actual bull.
By beating these odds, Obama demonstrated that a majority of the U.S. electorate supports democratic socialism. Three bumper stickers on a California automobile recently illustrated this sad truth. They said, "Obama" "Tax the Rich," and "Live Better -- Work Union." Rather than being rejected as un-American, class warfare proved to be a winning formula. Look for Obama and the left to sow further seeds of discord. Let's see how many prosperous people, entrepreneurs and job creators grow sick of being blamed for America's woes. Many will retire. Others will exile themselves to countries where they will be appreciated.
Romney's general-election campaign had its flaws, but it was energetic, issue-based and optimistic. Nonetheless, he was excoriated for remarking that 47 percent of Americans essentially were beyond his reach because they "believe that they are victims" and "that government has a responsibility to care for them." Actually, Romney tried to sell limited government to the 49.5 percent of Americans who pay no income tax. Obama offered them health care, school loans and other free "investments" financed by the 51.5 percent of Americans who pay income taxes.
Tuesday may have tipped this seesaw. Once a largely untaxed majority of Americans vote themselves free benefits funded by a taxed minority, Washington, D.C., will descend into Athens on the Potomac.
Amid the debris, there are a few reasons for free marketers not to stick our heads in our ovens.
Republican Sen.-elect Jeff Flake of Arizona is one of Capitol Hill's most stalwart soldiers for small government, tight budgets and terminating pork-barrel excess. He will serve Arizona and America splendidly. Republican Ted Cruz also is Senate-bound. Texas' former solicitor general is scary smart, well-spoken to a fault and Hispanic. Perhaps he and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., can remind the GOP how to appeal to this large and growing demographic group.
Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana. These states soon may collide with Obama, who is a battering-ram-wielding drug warrior, despite belonging to the Choom Gang, his high school posse of Hawaiian potheads. Perhaps federalism and Obama's abandonment of his weed-laced hypocrisy will merge like smoke rings and end marijuana prohibition.
Voters in Maryland, Maine, Minnesota and Washington embraced gay marriage. Social conservatives cannot complain that unelected judges imposed this policy. Conservatives and libertarians jointly should pry government's nose from something in which it has no bloody business.
A majority of Americans voted for big government. Now, we all must share the bed that they made. Unfortunately, as Reagan once said, "If you get in bed with the government, you'll get more than a good night's sleep."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. Comment by clicking here. Deroy Murdock is a columnist with Scripps Howard News Service and a media fellow with the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.
• 11/05/12: Actually, Obama is growing the economy • 10/26/12: Romney's ignored Mitt-zvahs • 10/19/12: Obama's most dangerous disappointment • 10/12/12: About Behghazi, Obama lied, people died --- and few bother to cry (out) • 10/05//12: Obama the exacerbater • 09/28/12: Barack Obama, slacker-in-chief • 09/24/12: Citizens or subjects? Candidates offer choice • 08/17/12: Dems ignore own issues with Medicare • 08/13/12: Speech Romney should give on Bain • 07/20/12: Obama's green projects bleeding red • 07/13/12: EPA, why fine oil firms over fantasy biofuel? • 07/06/12: How about remembering Mexican victims of 'Fast and Furious'? • 06/29/12: Health-care victory will give Obama headaches • 06/22/12: Mitt Romney, get on bus • 06/18/12: The 'racist' Florida vote purge obeys federal law • 06/08/12: Scott Walker's win should propel big reforms, stiffen pols' spines • 06/01/12: Regulators regulate, and that's a problem • 05/25/12: WWII hero Karski to receive U.S. Medal of Freedom • 05/18/12: Not the behavior of normal Americans • 05/18/12: Spacemen to NASA: Cool it on global warming • 05/04/12: Libs want to plunge the penthouse • 04/27/12: Obama and company are pushing hard on the pedal for deadlier cars • 04/20/12: We don't need no stinkin' budget? • 04/14/12: New Reasons to Hate Obamacare • 04/06/12: Team Obama plays energy policy for laughs • 03/30/12: Twitchy Dems need to let workers put tax-cut money in retirement funds • 03/23/12: Why not $100-an-hour minimum wage? • 03/15/12: The real (high) cost of Obama's health care act • 03/09/12: Race-baiting Dems oppose voter ID • 03/02/12: Forget kids --- today's debt hurts adults • 02/24/12: Dems arise against Obamacare • 02/17/12: The voting dead are understated • 02/10/12: Holder takes on 'racist' photo-ID cards: Prejudice is widespread --- even Obama backed them • 02/03/12: On tax plans, Gingrich trumps Romney • 01/27/12: Photo IDs can protect elections, let dead rest • 01/20/12: Romney runs hot and cold on global warming • 01/13/12: Economic freedom declines in U.S. • 01/06/12: Time to yank off Mitt's mask • 12/23/11: Boehner hands Dems a gift • 12/15/11: The U.S. could learn much from Hong Kong • 12/09/11:$687 billion is available to Congress free of strings • 12/02/11: Obama criticizes Wall Street but takes money from it • 11/18/11: Puerto Rico shows Washington the way • 11/11/11: Take heed, America: In Ohio even left-wing unionists voted to repeal ObamaCare • 10/28/11: Thanks, Netanyahu, for surge of hardened terrorists • 10/24/11:The Obama Spend-O-Rama • 10/17/11: Cain stakes his viable claim just by showing up • 10/07/11: Green jobs are national scandal • 10/04/11: Obama proudly declares class war • 09/23/11: Obama wrong about ‘Do-Nothing’ Congress • 09/16/11: Obama needs Ryan's vision on jobs • 09/09/11: Reaganomics trounces Obamanomics • 09/02/11: Labor leaders to Obama: Stop killing jobs • 08/26/11: Pro-market Perry vaults over Romney in GOP race • 08/19/11: Some rich Americans will not rest until Washington boosts their taxes • 08/12/11: Hope, change and free birth control for all • 08/05/11: Debt deal does virtually nothing • 07/21/11: Dems pro-choice on abortion but little else • 07/15/11: Debt deception: If only Dems were honest and GOPers were courageous • 07/08/11: Congress' war on light bulb blows up
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||||
