Maybe the most frightening moment of an incoming tsunami is when the sea, wrenched by enormous under water forces, pulls back from the land mass, and a momentary still pervades the beach. The sense of being safe, on dry land, is overwhelmed by the dread of the unforeseen but inexorable wave surge to come. Waiting for inevitable destruction can be psychologically unbearable.
So must it have been for the democrat party nation in the state of Wisconsin on the eve of November 2nd. In a wave of voter impact unique in its focused destruction, the democrat party lost the Governorship, the available U.S. Senate seat, the Assembly, the Senate, and control of the U.S. House delegation. Swept away in the tide was the heart of the democrat leadership, the 18 year so called maverick U.S. Senator, the Leader of the state House, and the Leader of the State Senate. The aftermath of the wave is a blue state now emblazoned bright red, and the shore line in just one day is unrecognizable.
The election Tsunami of 2010 proved to be every bit as ferocious as advertised and the consequences of such a complex wave will be felt for years to come. Beyond the state of Wisconsin, some very interesting aspects of the surge deserve Ramparts acknowledgement and circumspection:
Rise of the Black Conservative
The election of Representatives Tim Scott from the 1st district of South Carolina and Colonel Allen West from Florida’s 22nd district with solid victories in white majority districts are indications of a new type of African American politician – strongly conservative, fierce defenders of individual responsibility and endeavor , small government, and most at home in the Republican Party. Since the 1960’s and the association however unfair of the democrat party with civil rights legislation and societal safety nets has lead to election after election of greater than 90% support for the democrat ticket in the black community and the subsequent effect on districting and policy of democrats. A rising middle and upper middle class black voter is beginning to result in cracks in the homogeneous voting pattern, as more and more focus is paid to the four decade effect of the juxtaposition of singular loyalty to the democrat party by blacks and the state of the black family, economic and educational opportunity, and relative progress compared to other ethnic groups. Representatives Scott and West may prove to be leaders in a more circumspect evaluation of liberal policies on the African American community and a more competitive argument for their future voting power.
Woe Be Gone California
The tsunami stopped at the border of California. Liberal democrats Governor Brown and Senator Boxer cruised to easy victories as the California voter proved oblivious to the state of California’s precarious position as a debtor government in severe economic peril, with crushing mandates and uncontrolled immigration imperiling its very existence. The voter seemed to hope that the state is simply to big to fail, and if it does fail, will be too destructive to the rest of the nation’s economy for the rest of the country to let it happen. Here’s the bad news California. After the outrage over the TARP and Fannie and Freddie May mortgage bailouts, you’re likely to be on your own in this mess. Good luck , Governor Brown.
The Rust Belt Goes From Blue to Red
The Midwest has sustained a devastating direct hit from the recent recession and has been woefully ill equipped to respond to the economic triple indemnity of high taxes, union driven state budgets and fleeing of traditional manufacturing jobs to more receptive states with better business environments. The rust belt voter said Enough! yesterday with the election of republican governors in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Iowa and the almost complete takeover of state legislatures by the Republican party. This will have profound effects on state economic structures, political re-districting, and business climate likely to be felt for years to come. Any effect on national strategic directions? Remember, of the 44 American presidents, 15 have come from the Midwest.
Government driven Healthcare Mandates doomed Its Supporters to Political Oblivion
The American public was uniform in its distaste for so-called Obamacare. The attraction of an idea of an over arching healthnet provided for citizens by their government paled in comparison to the perception of people with good coverage as to what the effect would be on them personally. The progressive elevation of premiums in direct response to Obamacare mandates after assurance that the effect of nationalization of health coverage would have the opposite effect, was devastating to Obamacare supporters in legislative elections, and time and time again proved to be their elective downfall.
The Rising Stars
There have been few elections in recent history where so many potential stars have been put forward by electoral success. Much has been through the power of the Internet, allowing the viral video to expose to the general public obscure elections and the talent pool that the Republicans had to draw from this time. The list is truly amazing in the depth of the talent bench. Look in the future for the significant impact of such rising stars as Marco Rubio and Allen West of Florida; Tim Scott and Nikki Haley of South Carolina; Scott Walker, Paul Ryan, Ron Johnson, and Sean Duffy of Wisconsin; Rob Portman of Ohio; Kristi Noem and John Thune of South Dakota – a deep bench with other players soon to be prominent to defend the cause of constitutionalist government and individual freedom.
United States Constitution Has Legs
The single driving force of all this change has been the undeniable love of a people for their country’s document of foundation, the Constitution of the United States. The progressive inattention to the principles expressed in the Constitution by politicians who either had no understanding of the tenets of the Constitution or who felt those tenets to be passe or no longer relevant, met with a tremendous backlash from the voting public. It is clear to all that the overriding lesson of this election is that the American voting population is not ready to eject Constitutional principles of government and the relation of the government with its people expressed in the Constitution for some on the fly interpretation. In the end, the American nation felt it had come too far and accomplished to much, to throw out the philosophical driving force of the American Experience.
To which, I say to the American people…..thank you from the bottom of my heart.
