The election is over and where do conservatives go from here? For me the elections confirmed that it was not about the economy “stupid,” it was about social issues related to the economy. Every conservative radio station was so sure that the economy would decide this election, meaning that President Obama would lose. Clearly this was not the case, as the exit polls have shown demographics played a huge role in the reelection of the president.
And in every case, the issue involved some sort of direct government intervention. Whether it was Obamacare, contraceptives for single women (read “war on women”), a free pass for illegals, or Obama-phones, the list goes on. Every attempt that conservatives made to show that there is no way to pay for all of these goods and services fell on deaf ears. As a result of a clever campaign by the Democrats and their media partners, the wealthy were made to look like the problem. However, the wealthy in this country must also share the blame for not combatting this perception from their vantage point.
The days when one would look up to a wealthy individual and comment, “Now that person has made it for himself in this country” are gone. Now the prevailing perception is that the only way a person becomes wealthy is by abusing the working class. Campaigning on the fact that even by taxing the rich 100 percent, our entitlement debt can’t be paid is a useless strategy when a significant core of Americans feel that if they can’t have their entitlement then nobody should have it, especially the rich.
Many Americans don’t aspire to be rich, but sadly many of these same Americans don’t want anyone to be wealthy either. The “pursuit of happiness” is no longer a valid American dream. Everything is to be shared equally since we supposedly contribute equally. This insidious shift to the left in not ugly for political reasons; it is ugly because we no longer hold in high regard the hard work and personal risks individuals take to get ahead in this country.
Dan Wenceslao
Stanwood
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