A response to Laura Hollis' 2012 Election Post-Mortem

So, this email has been making the rounds; I'm not certain where it was originally posted, but it was allegedly written by a Professor of Law at Notre Dame.  There's a lot of good sense here, but I can't agree with her on all points.  So, since I have this blog, might as well use it, right?  I've copied and pasted the original here, and my somewhat lengthy response to each of her points is below.

Post-Mortem
Laura Hollis, Nov 08, 2012

Laura Hollis is:
Current: Associate Professional Specialist and Concurrent Associate
Professor of Law at University of Notre Dame.
Past: Director at Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Associate
Director and Clinical Professor at University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
Education: University of Notre Dame Law School , University of NotreDame.
Summary: She has 20+ years' experience in curriculum and other program
Development and delivery.

I am already reading so many pundits and other talking heads analyzing the disaster that was this year's elections. I am adding my own ten cents. Here goes:

1. We are outnumbered. We accurately foresaw the enthusiasm, the passion, the commitment, the determination, and the turnout. Married women, men, independents, Catholics, evangelicals - they all went for Romney in percentages as high or higher than the groups which voted for McCain in 2008. It wasn't enough. What we saw in the election on Tuesday was a tipping point: we are now at a place where there are legitimately fewer Americans who desire a free republic with a free people than there are those who think the government should give them stuff. There are fewer of us who believe in the value of free exchange and free enterprise. There are fewer of us who do not wish to demonize successful people in order to justify taking from them. We areoutnumbered. For the moment. It's just that simple.

2. It wasn't the candidate(s). Some are already saying, "Romney was the wrong guy"; "He should have picked Marco Rubio to get Florida/Rob Portman to get Ohio/Chris Christie to get [someplace else]." With all due respect, these assessments are incorrect. Romneyran a strategic and well-organized campaign. Yes, he could have hit harder on Benghazi. But for those who would have loved that, there are those who would have found it distasteful. No matter what tactic you could point to that Romney could have done better, it would have been spun in a way that was detrimental to his chances. Romney would have been an excellent president, and Ryan was an inspired choice. No matter who we ran this year, they would have lost. See #1, above.

3. It's the culture, stupid. We have been trying to fight this battle every four years at the voting booth. It is long past time we admit that is not where the battle really is. Weabdicated control of the culture - starting back in the 1960s. And now our largest primary social institutions - education, the media, Hollywood (entertainment) have become really nothing more than an assembly line for cranking out reliable little Leftists. Furthermore, we have allowed the government to undermine the institutions that instill good character - marriage, the family, communities, schools, our churches. So, here we are, at least two full generations later - we are reaping what we have sown. It took nearly fifty years to get here; it will take another fifty years to get back. But it starts with the determination to reclaim education, the media, and the entertainment business. If we fail to do that, we can kiss every election goodbye from here on out. And much more.

4. America has become a nation of adolescents. The real loser in this election was adulthood: Maturity. Responsibility. The understanding that liberty must be accompanied by self-restraint. Obama is a spoiled child, and the behavior and language of his followers and their advertisements throughout the campaign makes it clear how many of them are, as well. Romney is a grown-up. Romney should have won. Those of us who expected him to win assumed that voters would act like grownups. Because if we were a nation of grownups, he would have won.

But what did win? Sex. Drugs. Bad language. Bad manners. Vulgarity. Lies. Cheating. Name-calling. Finger-pointing. Blaming. And irresponsible spending. This does not bode well. People grow up one of two ways: either they choose to, or circumstances force them to. The warnings are all there, whether it is the looming economic disaster, or the inability of the government to respond to crises like Hurricane Sandy, or the growing strength and brazenness of our enemies. American voters stick their fingers in their ears and say, "Lalalalalala, I can't hear you." It is unpleasant to think about the circumstances it will take to force Americans to grow up. It is even more unpleasant to think aboutObama at the helm when those circumstances arrive.

5. Yes, there is apparently a Vagina Vote. It's the subject matter of another column in its entirety to point out, one by one, all of the inconsistencies and hypocrisies of the Democrats this year. Suffice it to say that the only "war on women" was the one waged by the Obama campaign, which sexualized and objectified women, featuring them dressed up like vulvas at the Democrat National Convention, appealing to their "lady parts," comparing voting to losing your virginity with Obama, trumpeting the thrills of destroying our children in the womb (and using our daughters in commercials to do so), and making Catholics pay for their birth control. For a significant number of women, this was appealing. It might call into question the wisdom of the Nineteenth Amendment, but for the fact that large numbers of women (largely married) used their "lady smarts" instead. Either way, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are rolling over in their graves.

6. It's not about giving up on "social issues" No Republican candidate should participate in a debate or go out on the stump without thorough debate prep and a complete set of talking points that they stick to. This should start with a good grounding in biology and a reluctance to purport to know the will of God. (Thank you, Todd and Richard.)

That said, we do not hold the values we do because they garner votes. We hold the values we do because we believe that they are time-tested principles without which acivilized, free and prosperous society is not possible.

We defend the unborn because we understand that a society which views some lives as expendable is capable of viewing all lives as expendable.

We defend family - mothers, fathers, marriage, children - because history makes it quite clear that societies without intact families quickly descend into anarchy and barbarism, and we have plenty of proof of that in our inner cities where marriage is infrequent andunwed motherhood approaches 80 percent. When Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, many thought that the abortion cause was lost. Forty years later, ultrasound technology has demonstrated the inevitable connection between science and morality. More Americans than ever define themselves as "pro-life." What is tragic is that tens of millions of children have lost their lives while Americans figure out what should have been obvious before. There is no "giving up" on social issues. There is only the realization that we have to fight the battle on other fronts. The truth will win out in the end.

7. Obama does not have a mandate. And he does not need one. I have to laugh - bitterly - when I read conservative pundits trying to assure us that Obama "has to know" that he does not have a mandate, and so he will have to govern from the middle. I don't know what they're smoking. Obama does not care that he does not have a mandate. He does not view himself as being elected (much less re-elected) to represent individuals. He views himself as having been re-elected to complete the "fundamental transformation" of America , the basic structure of which he despises. Expect much more of the same - largely the complete disregard of the will of half the American public, his willingness to rule by executive order, and the utter inability of another divided Congress to rein him in.Stanley Kurtz has it all laid out here.

8. The Corrupt Media - is the enemy too strong? I don't think so. I have been watching the media try to throw elections since at least the early 1990s. In 2008 and again this year, we saw the media cravenly cover up for the incompetence and deceit of this President, while demonizing a good, honorable and decent man with lies and smears. This is on top of the daily barrage of insults that conservatives (and by that I mean theelectorate, not the politicians) must endure at the hands of this arrogant bunch of elitistsnobs. Bias is one thing. What we observed with Benghazi was professional malpracticeand fraud. They need to go. Republicans, Libertarians and other conservatives need to be prepared to play hardball with the Pravda press from here on out. And while we are at it, to defend those journalists of whatever political stripe (Jake Tapper, Sharyl Atkisson,Eli Lake) who actually do their jobs. As well as Fox News and talk radio. Because you can fully expect a re-elected Obama to try to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine in term 2.

9. Small business and entrepreneurs will be hurt the worst For all the blather about "Wall Street versus Main Street," Obama's statist agenda will unquestionably benefit the biggest corporations which - as with the public sector unions - are in the best position to make campaign donations, hire lobbyists, and get special exemptions carved out fromObama's health care laws, his environmental regulations, his labor laws. It will be the small business, the entrepreneur, and the first-time innovators who will be crushed by their inability to compete on a level playing field.

10. America is more polarized than ever; and this time it's personal. I've been following politics for a long time, and it feels different this time. Not just for me. I've received messages from other conservatives who are saying the same thing: there is little to no tolerance left out there for those who are bringing this country to its knees - even when they have been our friends. It isn't just about "my guy" versus "your guy." It is my view of America versus your view of America - a crippled, hemorrhaging, debt-laden, weakened and dependent America that I want no part of and resent being foisted on me. I no longer have any patience for stupidity, blindness, or vulgarity, so with each dumb "tweet" or FB post by one of my happily lefty comrades, another one bites the dust, for me. Delete. What does this portend for a divided Congress? I expect that Republicans will bedemoralized and chastened for a short time. But I see them in a bad position. Americans in general want Congress to work together. But many do not want Obama's policies, and so Republicans who support them will be toast. Good luck, guys.

11. It's possible that America just has to hit rock bottom. I truly believe that most Americans who voted for Obama have no idea what they are in for. Most simply believe him when he says that all he really wants is for the rich to pay "a little bit more." So reasonable! Who could argue with that except a greedy racist? America is on a horrificbender. Has been for some time now. The warning signs of our fiscal profligacy and culture of lack of personal responsibility are everywhere - too many to mention. We need only look at other countries which have gone the route we are walking now to see what is in store.

For the past four years - but certainly within the past campaign season - we have tried to warn Americans. Too many refuse to listen, even when all of the events that have transpired during Obama's presidency - unemployment, economic stagnation,skyrocketing prices, the depression of the dollar, the collapse of foreign policy, Benghazi, hopelessly inept responses to naturaldisasters - can be tied directly to Obama's statistphilosophies, and his decisions.

What that means, I fear, is that they will not see what is coming until the whole thing collapses. That is what makes me so sad today. I see the country I love headed toward its own "rock bottom," and I cannot seem to reach those who are taking it there.

Laura Hollis

My responses to Ms. Hollis' points (and please realize, I've had several more months to review the election, as well as see more and more of it's consequences than she did at the time of her writing:

1.  Yes, you...the Republican Party, and/or the 'conservatives'...are outnumbered.  Yes, the groups you mentioned turned out for Romney in greater numbers than did for McCain four years earlier...but keep in mind, McCain's numbers were abysmal, and only Sarah Palin on the ticket gave the campaign any enthusiasm whatsoever.  McCain was, just as Romney was, the hand-picked and anointed candidate of the RINO Establishment; they are now 0/2 against David Axelrod's Machine with Magic Negro (not my term--the LA Times started it) as front man.

Remember this:  3 million Republican voters stayed home, or cast their vote for Gary Johnson (who, for the first time, gathered over 1 million votes for the Libertarian candidate!).  Who are these Republicans?  Most of them are the oft-derided 'Paulbots' and disaffected Tea Party (and other) grassroots activists who were actively screwed over time and time again by the RINOstablishment, culminating in the scripted voice vote result Tuesday night at the Romney anointing (a Convention, in the old-time sense, it WASN'T).  These were some of the most active and dynamic people in the Party, and they were shat upon at every turn.  Then, rather than the candidate reaching out to them, they were told by Romney's surrogates (including Paul Ryan) to basically shut up, get in line, send money and cast their votes like good little lemmings.  We (and I count myself among them) were literally told to "hold your nose" and vote for Romney.

Excuse me?  Why should I bother casting my vote for a candidate who stinks?  Is that the best motivation you can come up with?  Vote for 'our guy' because he stinks LESS than the other guy?  Top that off with the mountain of evidence (Romneycare, anyone?) that there wasn't actually lick-spit difference between Barry and Mittens, and the RINOstablishment laid the groundwork for their second shellacking in as many presidential elections.

2.  Yes, it WAS the candidate.  Romney's overall record as a candidate was abysmal (ONE win in how many races?) from the outset; he NEVER looked happy on the stump--constipated is more like it.  Mittens may be a good man--in fact, I suspect he is; I'd probably enjoy sitting down to a meal with him and his family--but he comes across as about as exciting as three day old oatmeal, without the benefit of the fiber.  Maybe if he'd eaten more fiber during the campaign, he'd have smiled more and grimaced less...?  Aside from one brief, shining moment in one debate (where it looked like Barry wanted to be somewhere, anywhere else), Romney was lackluster, ho-hum, and BORING.  His choice of Paul Ryan, Infante Terrible and Wonk Without Peer, only reinforced this.  Was it the grown-up choice?  Yes.  Sadly, most of the electorate aren't mental grownups, as has now been conclusively proven yet again.

Finally, Romney raised and spent a record amount of money, badly.  The hubris of his campaign, in believing the pundits from inside the Beltway Bubble, led to the conclusion that Obama's defeat was inevitable.  Certainly history supported this position:  the economy was horrible, Obama's signature legislation had been shoved down the throats of the Congress and American people only by the thinnest of margins, and with a scandilicious number of back-room deals being later brought to light it seemed like a looser of an issue. Obama's other promises had been proven worthless; his 'stimulus' did basically nothing except add to the pile of IOUs in the Treasury, and his crony-based green energy money had blatantly been pissed away.  Despite all this, the mainstream media continued to operate as an unpaid arm of Obama's campaign, and Romney was too busy trying to be liked to actively attack the President where he was weakest.

The difference between Narwhale and Orca and their set-up and use is illustrative of just how big a divide existed between the two campaigns:  both were programs the campaigns were going to use to coordinate their election-day 'ground game'.  The Democrat geek cabal set up Narwhale and LARP'd (Live Action Role Played) it to failure multiple times in the weeks leading up to the election--on election day, when problems arose (as they inevitably will), the 'fix it manual' of solutions had ALREADY been written and distributed.  The end result was that it was never down for long, and pretty much worked as it was intended to.  In contrast, Romney's Orca was a complete flub; it had never been stress-tested to any significant degree prior to election day, because "of course, it's going to work"...and on The Day, it went 'kerplunk, kerplooey', and stayed that way.  So, what actually happened was that Obama had hordes of paid ground workers, all tightly coordinated...and Romney had many fewer on the ground people, with no--or worse, bad--info coming to them.  So much for the RNC's plans to dominate the 'ground game'....

As an aside, it wasn't Mr. Preibus of the RNC who raised all that money.  The person responsible for conservatives cleaning out the couch cushions in the last election was...Barack Hussein Obama, himself.  Don't let anyone fool you...most of that money WASN'T given to elect Mittens Romneycare, but to DE-ELECT BHO.

3.  Yes, it is the culture.  Ozzie and Harriet lost to The New Normal.  Andy Griffith has been replaced with CSI, while the real Andys have been replaced with SWAT teams.  The local schoolmarm has been replaced with a unionized Educrat, more concerned with their tenure and benefit package than teaching.  Tricky Dick Nixon's War on Drugs has done EXACTLY the same thing alcohol prohibition did decades earlier, with completely predictable results--the appearance of 'harder' (more highly concentrated forms) of the intoxicants, the rise of a new gangster class, and the glorification of that gangsta class.  As a side effect, we've now created the largest prison-industrial complex on the planet, which has assured (along with mandatory forfeiture, which is as addicting for police departments as heroin ever thought about being) that crime pays very, very well.  That it also is creating an indigenous group of American Muslims--because black men, who we lock up at disgustingly high rates, come out of prison as converts to Islam more often than not--who are ripe to be turned into fanatical anti-American terrorists.  This hasn't really bit us...yet, but that day is sure to come.

So, yes; the culture wars have been lost...and a good portion of the blame lies squarely with the government, and BOTH political parties.  How many Republicans over the years have supported this, that and the other social program, which decoupled behaviors and consequences?  How many RINOs, not wanting to be seen as mean, hateful and RAAACIST, have given their votes to gimme gimme programs which have now created a truly 'entitled' class?  Yes, they were played like an organ grinder's box by the Dems...but there was quite a bit of quiescent leading to the slaughter going on, as well.  And, when those few brave individuals like Ron Paul stood up and said 'NO!", they were shouted down and called just about everything but a Child of God.  Now, the culture is broken, probably beyond the point of repair.

4.  Yes, America has indeed become, not a nation of adolescents, but a nation of CHILDREN.  Most 'adults' by the calendar still haven't made it through their adolescence yet...at least, that's my view as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist.  And, is this really hard to understand?  For the past several decades, the 'Me' generation has been completely, narcissistically fixated on themselves.  As bad as that is, what's even worse is the effect this has had on THEIR children:  these kids have grown up without any significant parental attachment figure except for the television (and now, the computer and iPad).  Without that constant interaction to allow normal growth and development to occur, what you wind up with is...well, what we have.  A nation of whiney four year olds who, when stressed, regress to about the mental age of 2, and have NO real adult coping skills to rely on.  We've just seen this in the response to Hurricane Sandy--these people live on or near the Atlantic Coast, which has HURRICANES at odd intervals.  They had plenty of warning...and did what?  Did they get a bag together and leave?  Did they lay in supplies and hunker down to ride it out?  (And by that, I don't mean a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread and a 12 pack--did they have supplies of food, meds, and clothes in plastic bags to last a week or 10 days?  Most of them...NO.)  No, they trusted in Mamma Sammy to come in and make it all better...and then cried when the tit wasn't there when they wanted it.  That work crews from all over the South--who do hurricane clean-up on a regular basis and are old hands at it--were turned away because they weren't 'Union' enough--proved to me that those idiots didn't deserve any help.

Sadly, the only thing that will fix this is a long period of truly hard times.  The character that was built during the Depression has all been leeched away.  It can't be taught, certainly not in a government school.  It can only be learned in the School of Hard Knocks...and it won't be a pleasant lesson.  Nor will it be one that everyone will survive, as the Universe in general doesn't care about political correctness, diversity, ethnic balance and sensitivity, and all those other things the whining class obsesses about.  The worst part about it, though, will be the screaming of all those titty babies in big bodies for Mamma Sammy to make it all better....

5.  Yes, there is a Vagina Vote.  There's also a slut vote, which isn't limited to one sex.  Believe that abortion is murder?  Fine, don't have one.  Face facts:  Roe v. Wade has been around so long that it's not going away; harping on this makes you seem as stupid and unrealistic as the Islamofascists--since you both seem to think that women are useful only as chattels and baby-factories.  This may not (or indeed may) be true, but that's how it sounds.  Get over it.  If you REALLY want to take this position, then do what REAL conservatives would do:  start up your own line of Blessed Baby clinics, and put one beside every Planned Parenthood clinic in the country.  Don't just whine for the government to do something, get off your asses and do it yourself:  make the alternative to abortion REAL and CONCRETE and EASY to access!  I'm not kidding here...put a store-front beside every single Planned Parenthood outlet, and compete in the market of public opinion.  I don't like paying for Planned Parenthood and Sluts R Us, and I don't want to pay for your own religiosity-based obsession, either.  Put your money where your mouth is, or STFU.

Oh, and STFU about 'legitimate rape', too; every time some yahoo in a cheap polyester/cotton blend suit (which, btw, violates the biblical prohibition against wearing blended fabrics, which you people so conveniently forget), it makes your whole movement and it's position look like total fools.  You seriously need to muzzle these guys.  Seriously.

6.  Yep, you really need to work on your talking points about the social issues.  See above, for a start.  Come up with a good reason why supporting the death penalty and opposing abortion go together (even though they obviously don't--BOTH involve the taking of life).  Can't answer that?  Then drop it as a talking point.

Defend marriage?  Sure...just don't have your point men be multiply-divorced guys on their second, third or more wives.  Oh, and how does denying two people the 1100+ benefits of marriage, when they've already been in a stable, committed, non-promiscious relationship for years jive with your 'defense'?  Oh, it's not 'biblical'?  Well, then; bring on the stonings for wearing the poly/cotton blends...or eating cheeseburgers...or shaving...or cross-breeding livestock...or taking the Lord's name in vain...or harvesting the corners of fields...or eating shrimp...or collecting firewood on Saturday, even if it keeps your family from freezing...or...or...and while you're at it, look up the meaning of 'malakoi' and 'arsenokoitoi', and compare them to 'paiderassite'...which Paul WOULD have used if he meant it like you say he meant it.

Want to maintain a strong, civilization-saving moral code?  Fine.  Start with the Constitution...the 'endowed by their Creator' bit, which derives from natural law.  Make EVERYBODY equal before the law, and realize that the Creator gave some people a better hand of cards to play than others.  Oppose promiscuity, because it's demonstrably bad for people; support love and committed relationships because they're demonstrably good for people.  Ditch the whole Puritanical 'anything fun is bad, we must torture the body to save the soul' awfulness inherent in so much of your message (and the Government's rules), and be a bit more open to the 'all have sinned and fallen short'.  Read the story of the Good Samaritan...and realize that the Samaritan didn't have a government grant to do what he did.  Provide viable alternatives for people in trouble, and do more 'walking the walk'.

Oh, and shoot the 1% of yahoos who won't STFU, and who keep making you look like fools and worse.  Seriously.  They won't be missed.

7.  Agree.  Obama's going to try to run roughshod over, well, everything most of us hold dear.  Don't be afraid to be called RAAACIST--the media aren't going to like you regardless, so why bother trying?  Stand for what you believe in, or go home.

8.  Agree.  The 'classic' media are hopelessly corrupt...but they are also dying rapidly.  Help this along by supporting new media.  Also, don't let anybody sign off on any stupid 'consent decrees' like the RINOstablishment did to prevent them from howling about voter fraud.  Whatever fool agreed to that is LONG overdue for his pike!

9.  Agree.  It's almost impossible for a small business to start up in this country today; in some places (California), you can dispense with the 'almost'.  However, the economy is contracting; the collapse is now pretty much inevitable.  Move to a better place (Texas, Nevada, Florida and the South are all benefiting from the craziness of other states) and hunker down.  This too shall pass.

10.  Agree.  Stop trying to 'convert' the libtarded, they are gone.  Scrape them off.  We're at 'circle the wagons' time, as much as it pains me to say it.  The tone of the chatter has shifted markedly since the election, and an ugly mood is sweeping the country.  How much longer do we have until it all blows up in the Oligarch's faces?  I don't know...but I'm betting we don't have until 2016.  At this rate, I'll be very surprised if we make it to the 2014 elections, quite frankly.

11.  Agree.  Hitting 'rock bottom' is almost certainly the only viable option.  Sadly, I don't think it'll be long in coming.  So...buy gold and silver, and keep your passport handy.  Alternatively, buy food, water filters, and stock extra medicines and good for barter.  Lay in some seeds, some simple tools, and a good book on Gardening for Idiots.  Pick up an extra pack or needles and a couple of spools of thread the next time you're in the dollar store.  Buy ammo whenever and where ever you can find it.  Pray every day.

So, that's my take.  I'm not optimistic about the near future, but I think that at least in places, what comes after the coming Unpleasantness will be okay.  I doubt that I'll live through it, but I've had a good run already; that doesn't much worry me.  And, I'm keeping on keeping on, like things may actually work out.  I'm just adding a few extra things to every shopping basket....

Bill Chitwood, M.D.