My first feeling, after learning Tuesday night that Barack Obama had won re-election, was that happy days aren’t just here for four more years but quite possibly 12.
And for the additional eight years of prospective, Democratic control of the presidency we can thank Obama for naming Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State when he took office.
If this 12-year scenario comes to pass, Rush Limbaugh might well be dead before the Republicans regain the White House.
All Hillary will have to do, it appears, is defeat New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie…and even The Tubular One might drop dead between now and then.
Hillary has grown, in my opinion, by leaps and bounds. She is much more confident and sure handed than she was during her husband’s years in the White House, especially the early years. She turned 65 at the end of last month, and she would be 69 (a nice age, better than 70) at this time in 2016.
A lot of people thoroughly dislike Hillary — maybe as many as can’t stand Obama — but many more admire her greatly. Also, as Charles M. Blow, a New York Times op-ed columnist, put it so succinctly and accurately several months ago, conservatives “are on the wrong side of demographics.” In the presidential election, 45 percent of those who voted for Mr. Obama were racial minorities. That’s a record percentage.
With the tide of Latino, African-American and Asian voters — not to mention our mostly liberal-minded young people — the Baby Boomer white class, which held serve so long, has been run off the court. In an online column that The Times posted today, Blow said, “Republicans are trying to hold back a storm surge of demographic change with a white picket fence. Good luck with that.”
The loud exhalation we heard around the nation Tuesday night was not a sigh of relief at Obama being re-elected; it was the dying breath of the white conservatives — the farmers, the pro-lifers, the wealthy and the rednecks (most of whom don’t have any idea what party is working for their best interests).
That crowd? They’re hosed…Somebody should assemble a representative group, tell them to say “Sean Hannity” and snap their picture for posterity.
I know that my multitude of loyal Republican readers out there, led by John Altevogt and somebody else whose name I can’t recall, won’t like this assessment. But if I were in their shoes, I’d be feeling queasy.
Where or in what does their hope lie? How will they change to become competitive again? Will the ultra conservatives clean the mud off themselves and crawl up out of the well?
I guess it will be interesting to watch, but I’m not really concerned about it because my guy won, and I’m going to find a button that says, “I LIKE HILLARY.”
***
Not everything came out as well on Tuesday as most logical-thinking Missourians and Kansas Citians could have hoped.
Consider:
:: Depressingly, and almost inexplicably, the proposed increase in Missouri’s tobacco tax narrowly lost — 51 percent to 49 percent. I say almost inexplicably because the proponents of Prop B ran a lousy, nearly invisible campaign.
How can you fail to sell this pitch: Let’s raise cigarette prices for the 23 percent of Missouri adults who smoke so that we can give our kids better educations?
Somehow, the proponents found a way. At the same time, the opposition ran an effective campaign, financed primarily by the Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association. Convenience stores posted fliers — and the campaign committee ran TV ads — that diverted attention from smoking and focused on higher taxes. Taxes, taxes!
:: Kansas City voters fell into a trap by narrowly approving a proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age for municipal judges from 65 to 70. Now, truly, that’s an outrage. These people work four short days a week (Fridays are so casual that they don’t go to work), and their salaries are about $145,000 a year. That’s more than any other state-system judges, including those on the Missouri Supreme Court and courts of appeal.
The pitch to voters was that the retirement age for Municipal Court judges should be brought in line with that of other state-system judges. The city attorney went so far as to say that Kansas city’s lower age limit could subject the city to a lawsuit!
Well, holy shit…We couldn’t have that now, could we? I guess that would have brought the trash trucks to a screeching halt and deepened the potholes.
So now, after Tuesday’s election, the featherbedders on the Municipal Court are going to get to stay on an additional five years. I’ll bet that even the female judges are smoking bit, fat, Honduran cigars today.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Good blog, Jim. My faith in the electorate is returning. They could have chosen the candidate for the past or the candidate for the future, and they chose the candidate for the future.
If your faith is returning, Jim, we’re making tremendous strides…
Fitz,
GOD controls all of this…I voted – and hope partisonship takes a break for common sense. The FED is still looking for $10.1 trillion in “off-the-book” transactions from 2006-2010.
I look to President Obama accomplishing things. He’s three points down in the “U3” unemployment rates (currerently 7.9%); the U.S News and World Report puts the “U6” unemployment rate at a shade under 15%).
I did not type who received my vote…Sec. of State Clinton will be a strong candidate. We 30 months out from the next election cycle, without an incumbant. Sen. Rubio can change the 2016 election. Christie (and that was a cold shot at his shape – I heard all he eats is salad) may not be the GOP candidate.
But Rush sold alot of Royals’ tickets.
Someone’s will be the scapegoat for Benghazi -and it will not be CIA Petraues or the Sec. of State). President Obama and the Adminsitration will have trouble finding a fallperson – too many lies. The closed testimony will begin with Director Petraues. He stated publicly the CIA provided President Obama with solid intelligence. Sec.Clinton asserts the State Department also did not drop the ball.
The Brits closed their Embassy after the driver was murdered in July.
This is going to be tough for the White House to dodge.
I hope there are answers provided, we deserve answers. My military relatives fighting deserve answers. This is aliitle more complicted than the despictable act of out an active CIA Agent – the Bush 43 White House found a scapegoat.
GOD controlsall os this…
Sometimes God can’t get the votes, Larry…
I will be interested to see if the GOP can convince FLA’s Rubio to pair up with Paul “My Future Is So Bright” Ryan (especially after failing with Susana Martinez.) A more eager candidate might be Governor Fortuño, but who – the party elders would rightly ask – has ever heard of him?
And even if the GOP gets their figurehead, how many rank and file Hispanics would actually buy into the notion that the GOP would significantly alter their party platform? No, it appears the RNC will have to totally overhaul itself, which should lead to highly entertaining internecine struggles, if not outright savage warfare: an amusing prospect (for some of us.)
Instead of playing lackey to the GOP, it occurs to me that there may never be a better time than right now to add a couple of new, long-term political parties to the dead-horse 2 party system. And a minority comprised party makes a ton of sense; it would have enormous appeal to every non-Caucasian in America and could wield enormous national influence.
“How can you fail to sell this pitch: Let’s raise cigarette prices for the 23 percent of Missouri adults who smoke so that we can give our kids better educations?”
One reason is because despite what its backers claimed, there’s no guarantee that all or even any of the money would go to schools. A few newspapers’ (e.g., the Columbia Tribune) coverage explained that the courts have ruled multiple times that the state could spend the money however it chooses: http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/oct/27/curator-questions-plan-to-earmark-tobacco-tax
That’s very true, Tim. It does require trusting that state government would do what it says it will do, but that is true in a lot of so-called “dedicated-tax” situations. There’s no guarantee. So, the trust-in-government factor was probably a major factor in the “no” vote. I just happen to be a trusting person. Some might call me a sucker…Oh, well.
Great post Jim! Glad to be reading your blog again. Tell me more about this “white vote”. I understand that demographic change, I understand that Romney got the highest percentage of white votes ever, but the simplistic language some media (even NPR) uses make it seem like “if you’re white, you voted Romney” to which I say “Bullshit!”
I sure appreciate Nick’s sentiments in favor of the introduction of some new parties into the political mix. The traditional two-party system is no longer working in favor of the general populace, producing gridlock more often than not instead of compromise in support of the greater good. With respect to the GOP, the Party of “No!” must go by the wayside if the Republicans are to have any hope of remaining at least halfway relevant in the foreseeable future. America’s changing demographics would appear to favor the Democrats, but I really don’t think a 69-year-old Hillary will be all that appealing to the voters in another four years. I think they’ll need to go with a younger candidate if they want to retain the White House.
You’ve put a tiny hole in my almost-bursting balloon, Rick, with your point about a 69-year-old Hillary. Maybe it will be a younger person, but I’m convinced there’s going to be a big, big push for the first woman president…And it won’t be a Republican.
And furthermore, we really only earn the right to be heard by others when first we take the time to listen to their concerns and second are of some service to them. Of late, the Republicans haven’t earned this right and thus should largely be ignored. Hey, I really like Larry’s much-needed inclusion of GOD in this whole “equation.” Timely!
Full disclosure, I am in favor of a woman’s right to choose, gay marriage and legalization of drugs.
That said, on other issues I am decidely right wing. What can I tell ya, I am a Cafeteria Catholic too.
Pop the corks and celebrate, cause ya just might get what ya really want. It sounds like the Republicans in both houses are going to give Obama what he wants for a variety of reasons that we need not parse here.
Be careful what ya wish for.
This from CNN
“Federal and private-sector workers with bachelor’s degrees earned the same hourly wage on average. But those working for the federal government enjoyed average benefits that were worth 46% more.
Federal workers with no more than a high school education are paid 21% more on average than their private-sector peers, and have average benefits worth 72% more.
The takers not only outnumber the makers, the makers are more and more drawing a salary from the Government, which, in turn makes them takers.
I realize this is oversimplified, but there is, in my opinion, a raging fire in all that liberal smoke.
I didn’t like either one of the candidates, but with the coming bipartisan agreements in Congress (I think), we are giving carte blance and the keys to the car, to a guy ill prepared to drive the economy.
Don’t wait up mom.
The commentary from Fitz and the ubiquitous commentary in the media with respect to “White Guys” is disturbing and short sighted.
The lack of identification of white people with other white people individually is no surprise considering the 30 year campaign of vilification, constant-in-general-character-assasination and weaponized rhetoric of the 4th estate, Hollywood and a pliable zeitgeist controlled by same.
Those powers, romantically agonizing over any real or percieved slight towards the “Protected Class” (Even as they get off of the boat.) enforce Affrirmative Action (The removal of goods from one group of people, which is then given to another group of people, for the sins of a 3rd group of people who a long time ago, sinned against a 4th group of people.), and myriad Government give aways, assigned for the most part, based on fecundity, a lack of morals and a penchant for daytime TV.
White Americans should hate themselves, the Attorney General sure does.
http://araceagainsttime.blogspot.com/2009/06/attorney-general-holder-whites-not.html
And, he is an important guy who runs the Dept. Of Justice.
This self loathing on the part of whiter folks everywhere, the jokes, the uneven playing field, the open season feel reminds me of the same open season on Nazis.
The on going pejorative attacks on whites from the usual folks are now part of the culture. The glee with which most Americans view the destruction of that Judeo/Christian ethos which for so long held sway in this nation is now business as usual.
Maybe it is just me, but I don’t think it will be good for business, or America.
Chuck — I’m not cracking a baseball bat over the heads of white guys. I’m one myself and kind of enjoy it. I’m just saying, like a lot of other observers, that white men’s days of calling the political shots are coming to an end…Why, you saw what Bill O’Reilly said, didn’t you?
“The white establishment is now the minority…The demographics are changing. It’s not a traditional America anymore.”
Does it make any difference to you that it came from Bill, instead of just little ol’ JimmyC of the Fourth Estate?
It’s just my opinion, but the jubilation over an end of a way of life, an end of a constant and consistant dream of a Judeo/Christian uniformity, which has provided the occidental moral and ethical compass and the magnificant (in spite of our American failings, Vietnam, Iraq–I get it.) “City On The Hill” that is now, so subject to an equality of failed initiatives, so prevalent, so POPULAR by way of MTV/BET, CNN, MSNBC and even Fox News, is the sound of your children, after you are dead, wondering why, their antecedents would leave them in such moribund state.
Congrats again.
The left handed destruction of America, with excuses built in, is an oblique testimony to Fitz’s 4th Estate.
The agenda driven, self loathing, American 4th Estate has failed, has in fact sold our children down a multicultural, diversity river, which, will end with a Heart Of Darkness-Death By A Thousand Cuts that Joe Conrad would abhor.
Late in our life, insouciantly intrepid by way of the 24 Hr News cylcle, we sell our children’s children down a river of convenience, and wax, wax, yes wax again in the face of the truth.
Hey!
Lets all go to sleep.
Sorry to disappoint, but I agree with your initial analysis of the demographic aspects of the election completely. Indeed, you’re just catching up to the message I’ve had for the party since I was chair of the WYCO Party in 1996. In one of my first meetings, I invited the head of the NAACP to our MLK Day meeting, and we had the first open debate on consolidation. In 2000 I created the Council for Better Government, and we ran a million dollars through a national campaign that placed ads on urban and Hispanic radio. By 2002 we changed it over to the America’s Majority and have run national ad campaigns every election cycle including this one – with great success given the size of the project. Had Mitt Romney simply performed in the Hispanic community at the levels attained by W he’d be president today, and it wouldn’t even have been close..
The only problem here is that the party hasn’t taken the hint. Certainly the rewards are there to be had. Thirty-eight percent of blacks have an affinity for conservative ideals, even absent any program aimed at reaching their market. Eight out of 10 black voters voted against homosexual marriage in California, and Hispanics are even more oriented toward a conservative message. They’re industrious, entrepreneurial and religious; they should be voting 90% Republican. The past 4 years, King Hussein almost singlehandedly (along with liberal housing policies) destroyed the black middle class, sent black unemployment skyrocketing, while liberal social policies continue to destroy the black family and community
Absent efforts by the party to engage in major minority outreach by 2016, Texas will be in the Democratic camp. and it will be all over for decades until the Democrats disastrous policies take us the way of Greece and Yugoslavia.
Cool your commie lib jets. With a swing of slightly less than 331,000 votes in NH, OH, VA and FL Romney wins 270-268 in the electoral college.
For my part I am getting actively engaged with FDR, frederickdouglassrepublicans.com. Once blacks realize that they are still enslaved by the democrat party and the welfare pimps like Revs Jackson and Sharpton and playah playah Charlie Rangel and the CBC the tide will turn and they will be FREE AT LAST. No longer chained to the democrat party and the public execution…..I mean, PUBLIC EDUCATION system in concert with the NEA designed to dumb them down to the white democrat masters.
Shame on you white devils who mask your white guilt in the continued enslavement of blacks vis a vis government cheese and phones. SHAME ON YOU! There is a GOD and to him you will atone for masking your hatred of blacks in faux white guilt.
I too have a dream and it will become the nightmare of the white liberal establishment. Knowledge is power and the truth cannot be forever hidden. Burn in hell whitey. Your guilt and shame are rusting the chains of bondage you slapped on the black community with THE GREAT SOCIETY. Give a man a fish he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime.