Hallelujah!!!!!!
By Tom Barrett (11/09/04)
Hallelujah!! Four more years!! No, I’m not gloating – I’m just very happy. There IS a difference.
Actually, I’m not happy. I am delighted. No, delighted is not strong enough. How about elated? No, that doesn’t describe how I feel. Ecstatic? Closer.
Let’s just say that the best day of my life was the day I met the Lord. The second best was the day I married Ana. The third best was the day Sarah was born. And the fourth was last Wednesday, when John Kerry conceded that the people had elected George W. Bush to his second term as president.
Everything was final (thank the Lord!) when President Bush was declared the winner of Iowa on Friday. With that, he finished the 2004 campaign with wins in all three of the states that were still up in the air on election night. And the county map of the United States (above) ended up mostly red with a sprinkling of blue freckles.
GRACIOUS IN DEFEAT
I have to give credit to Senator Kerry for the way he handled his defeat. Most observers, including yours truly, believed that he would follow in Al Gore’s footsteps and keep the nation in turmoil through legal challenges until Inauguration Day. He was certainly prepared to do so, and probably would have had the vote been closer. But even though the vote was not close, he could have made the nation pay the price for his defeat through the use of unethical attorneys and partisan judges. The fact that he did not go that route reflects well on him, and I for one am grateful to him.
GRACIOUS IN VICTORY
Bush was likewise gracious to Kerry. He gave Senator Kerry time to realize what he already knew; that there was no way additional vote counting would cast any doubt on his victory. He graciously waited until after Kerry spoke to the nation before announcing his speech. During the speech he reached out to Kerry, the Democrats, and all who worked to defeat him. “Let me speak to those who voted against me,” he said, and he did just that. "To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it." He promised them that he would be the President of all the people, Democrat and Republican, and he will do so. Thank God we have a humble man, not a vindictive man, in the White House.
A MAGNIFICENT MANDATE
George W. Bush is the first president since 1936 to be elected to a second term and at the same time gain seats in both houses of Congress. The Republicans now control the White House and have strong majorities in the Senate and the House. This is without question a strong mandate. Americans, including 10% of the Democrats who voted, not only voted the President into office, but also the legislators who will help him achieve his goals. The electorate has spoken with their votes: “We believe in the President’s agenda!”
Of course the Democrat spin doctors would have us believe otherwise. “Almost as many people voted against Bush as voted for him.” They have conveniently forgotten that they bashed Bush just four years ago because he did not win the popular vote (typical Liberal memory loss; they forget anything that doesn’t advance their case). They also forget that their boy Clinton failed to achieve 50% of the popular vote in either of his elections. In fact the last president before this election to top 50% was Bush’s father, the 41st President. The 43rd President got 51% of the vote to Kerry’s 48%, winning almost four million more votes than his opponent. He also won 34 more Electoral votes than Kerry.
One other measure shows how strong the President’s influence is. Two states had already passed legislation protecting the traditional definition of marriage as one man and one woman. Eleven more states voted on such issues in Election 2004. All were passed, largely because of the “Bush Factor.”
Here are some interesting statistics:
* Bush received more votes for president than any candidate in US history
* Bush won 31 states; Kerry won 19.
* Bush won approximately 80% of US counties (see map above); Kerry won 20%.
* Total square miles of Bush counties: 2.5 Million: Kerry 0.5 million
* Average population of Bush counties: 150.9 million; Kerry: 103.6 million
* 52% of Catholics voted for Bush instead of Kerry (who is a Catholic)
When asked what the most important qualities in a candidate that would influence their vote, voters responded as follows (for more details, see the LINK regarding Post-Election statistics below):
* (17%) Has clear stand on the issues: Bush 78%, Kerry 21%
* (17%) Strong leader: Bush 86%, Kerry 13%
* (11%) Honest, trustworthy: Bush 70%, Kerry 29%
* (8%) Religious faith: Bush 91%, Kerry 8%
* (7%) Intelligent: Bush 8% Kerry 91%
The last item (intelligence) was hilarious in light of the fact that recently released intelligence (IQ) test results showed that Bush is more intelligent than Kerry! After talking about how much smarter he is than Bush for over a year, Kerry was asked about his IQ compared to Bush’s by a reporter. He refused to answer…
On all accounts, and by all measures, Bush won decidedly. The Liberals won’t be able to whine, “He was appointed, not elected,” this time. He swept other Republicans into office at all levels; not just in the US Congress, but in state and local races as well. Bush has a mandate, and he will use it wisely and fairly.
A SURPRISING RESULT
The exit polls were stunningly wrong about who would win, but that should have been no surprise. They were just as inaccurate in 2000. In that election, thousands of Democrats lied to media pollsters, saying that they were Republicans whose conscience forced them to vote for Gore instead of Bush. Since Gore was the media’s candidate, it was easy to fool them. They WANTED to believe that Gore was winning. When you have taken sides, it is impossible to view data objectively, and you are easy to fool. Eventually we will find out why this year’s polls were so inaccurate, but if Republicans believed them and failed to go to the polls (which I believe to be the case), they will have found out too late. The only lesson to learn from exit polls is not to trust them regarding the winner or loser.
But one result of the exit polls has been the major story since the election. These polls have proven to be accurate because the questions did not involve WHO the individual voted for, but rather WHY they voted for their candidate. We know the results are accurate because subsequent independent polling by unbiased non-media pollsters confirm them.
There were numerous interesting results from the questions about why people voted the way they did, but the one truly stunning result was that the top issue that caused people to vote for Bush and against Kerry was “moral values.” To my knowledge, no one foresaw this. My article last week made the case that the War on Terror would determine which way people would vote. Others thought the economy would sway the vote.
But fully 22% of those polled felt that moral values were more important than any of the other big issues. That means that they believe that if a man has a solid moral and spiritual base, he will make the right decisions regarding protecting our nation and keeping us economically strong. It also means that the great majority of Americans do not favor abortion or homosexual marriage. The polls have showed this for years, but Kerry ignored the will of the American people and was defeated as a result. Almost 80% of those who felt moral values were the most important factor in their decision voted for Bush!
FOX News said, “The data showed that 79 percent of voters who chose moral values as their top issue voted for Bush. More interestingly, voters who supported Bush cited trust and clarity and faith as key components to their decision.”
The fact that Americans voted their morals means one other thing. Evangelical Christians, Catholics and conservative Jews showed up at the polls and decided this election. These religions are bound together by the Book, which clearly teaches that the murder of unborn innocent children in the womb and the perversion of two men or women doing what the Bible calls “unnatural” will never be tolerated by God. And they vote their morals even when other issues are important to them.
I believe that Election 2004 marked the beginning of the end for the Democrat party. Those of you who have no knowledge of history may think that is impossible. “We’ve always had a two-party system. We have to have Democrats.” By the way, a Republican said that to me, not a Democrat. And he’s right. We will always have an opposition party. But it may not be the Democrats. US History, short as it is, teaches us that several once-strong parties have lost their moral compass and ceased to exist as a result.
If the Democratic Party is to survive, it will have to adapt to the new reality in America. The majority of Americans, including many of their own party, are much more conservative than the party leaders. If the leaders fail to realize how out of touch they are with their members, more and more Democrats will switch to the Republican Party.
INTERNET RESEARCH:
Catholics Important to Bush Win
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/155/story_15598_1.html
USA Today Election Statistics
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/front.htm
Newspaper Wants to Know: What Are Moral Values?
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/accent/morality_form.html
Post-Election Statistics
http://www.changingworldviews.com/postelect.htm
Associated Press: Bush Wins
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/11/05/politics1115EST0504.DTL
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