THE 2006 ELECTION: DEMS DIDN’T WIN, REPUBLICANS LOST
THE 2006 ELECTION: DEMS DIDN’T WIN, REPUBLICANS LOST - AND THEY
DESERVED TO LOSE
By
Ken Eliasberg
I postponed any effort to deal with the recent election because I was more concerned with what’s happening, or, on a less positive note, what’s already happened, to our educational system. It tells you a great deal about what’s happening in our society at large. Ignorance is at an all-time high, and a Democracy (a democratic Republic, that is) cannot hope to flourish under these circumstances. One final thought on education (for the moment; rest assured that I shall come back to it from time to time to both tie up loose ends as well as to keep you apprised of evolving developments), and that is a recommendation for how you might best pursue this inquiry on your own, check out David Horowitz’s website, Students for Academic Freedom; noone is doing more today to restore scholarship to the classroom. Also, check out his book, The Professors—The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America, Regnery Publishing, Inc. (2006). Finally, take a look at Choosing the Right College—The Whole Truth About America’s Top Schools, the 2005 edition put out by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. This will tide you over until I get back to you with more of the truth (as opposed to left-wing hogwash).
On that note, let’s take a look at the recent election, which, in and of itself, is a commentary on the pathetic state in which America finds itself.
Needless to say, I was not happy with the results—not just because I don’t like to lose, but, more important, I certainly don’t like to lose when the stakes are so high (again, a war posing an existential threat), and the other side so unbelievably ill-equipped to deal with those stakes. That said, you’re not going to hear any complaints from me about the Republican defeat; they have nobody to blame but themselves. Not only have they been cut adrift from their moral moorings (by themselves), they have wandered far afield of the campaign promises they offered up to take over Congress in 1994. Let me be more specific; the Republicans came to power in 1994 stressing 2 themes—limited government and better ethics. Taking a page out of the Dems playbook, they delivered unlimited government (a conservative oxymoron), some very bad legislation (e.g. McCain Feingold, Prescription drugs, No Child Left Behind, etc.), and a continuation of Clintonian ethics. Heck, if we wanted failure and corruption, we could have stayed with the old Clinton regime (and, if we’re not careful, we may well be afforded an opportunity to revisit that most unpleasant chapter in our history after 2008—and let me assure you that it will be worse; Hillary makes Bill look like a choir boy).
Again, we did it to ourselves; much as I’d like to, I can’t blame the Democrats—they stuck to their agenda.What’s that? Just blame Bush for everything, oppose him whenever possible, and offer nothing by way of improving the various situations that they are complaining about. And we let them get away with it. As Hugh Hewitt observed in his November 8, 2006 column on Townhall.com entitled The Road Not Taken: Forfeiting a Majority:
“Congressional leadership time and time again took the easy way
out and declared truces with Democrats over issues, which ought not to have been compromised. The easy way led to Tuesday’s result.