Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has been wondering about these exit polls that are all over the news. Let your Maximum Leader recount what he knows to make sure we aren’t missing something…
The exit polls were not accurate at all in predicting the vote count. They were way off because their sample set was not good. Yet, when the media want to report about what motivated Americans to vote, the exit poll data is what is reported.
Humm… Your Maximum Leader figures this is because they have to report something.
It is the exit poll results showing that “moral issues” were a primary factor in many people casting their votes that seems to be depressing the Smallholder. As his minions know, your Maximum Leader and his good Minister of Agriculture go round and round on the who gay marriage issue. In the end, our different moral beliefs make our positions rather rigid. This is the root of the gay marriage debate. And it is one of the factors in this election.
Your Maximum Leader admits that the gay marriage issue may have given Bush an edge in a number of states. But it is hardly surprising that the issue is so polarizing. Religious people, who might otherwise favour taking small steps towards legal status for gay marriage, don’t like having a troubling issue forced down their throats by judges. Your Maximum Leader knows plenty of deeply religious people who don’t really object to the vauge concepts of “civil unions.” Indeed, your Maximum Leader thinks most people would just as soon let people do what they want - provided you don’t flaunt your lifestyle.
What most people want is toleration. But the terms of the debate are anything but tolerant. On the one side it is “The damned queers want to tell me what I have to believe.” and on the other side it is “The damned religious right are just being bigoted hate-mongers.” The two sides aren’t trying to find any acceptable alternatives, of which your Maximum Leader believes there are many.
Anyhow…
Your Maximum Leader must agree with the good Smallholder on a whole bunch of other observations. First, concerning the Poet Laureate’s predictions that the Democrats may be well positioned for 2008 or beyond. As it stands right now, your Maximum Leader doesn’t think they are well positioned. But he does think that if they can find a moderate midwesterner/southerner with some charisma. They could easily make a presidential race competative. Your Maximum Leader just hopes it is too early for anyone to be thinking seriously about 2008.
Frankly, the Kerry/Bush race was competative. Your Maximum Leader doesn’t understand anyone who says the outcome was somehow predictable. And your Maximum Leader doesn’t understand the constant complaints that this election was “the nastiest election ever.” Look minions… No one went and called George Bush’s or John Kerry’s mother a whore (like John Quincy Adams did of Andrew Jackson); and no one said that Bush was going to crown himself king (like Thomas Jefferson did of John Adams). Okay, on that last point there are some people out there who do think the Bushes are trying to take over the country. (The notion of which is laughable.)
Your Maximum Leader also agrees that this election outcome is not a referendum on the “neocon” agenda. While that was certainly a factor, your Maximum Leader wouldn’t paint with that broad a brush.
Also, your Maximum Leader feels he must clairify his position of an earlier post. Your Maximum Leader doesn’t expect a second Bush term to be “moderate” in the sense that the Smallholder is taking it. Your Maximum Leader hopes that as a lame-duck Presient Bush will try to find a few domestic issues (like Education) and reach across the asile and include Democrats in the process. If Bush wants to better his (as of yet very mixed) place in history - he’ll have to make some concessions to statesmanship over politics.
And that touches on the last point that your Maximum Leader would like to make. All this talk of “moral values” may be much more than what TV commentators are saying right now. The talking heads on TV might not get it. Your Maximum Leader believes that what Americans want in a President is a statesman. We only have politicians to choose from it seems, but deep down we want statesmen. When Americans think of our presidents we think of the great statesmen we’ve had leading our country. Washington. Lincoln. Both Roosevelts. Jefferson. Reagan. These men all had a sense of moral clarity that has nothing to do with religion per se. These men had a sense of what is right by Americans and what wasn’t. They had a sense of our national consciousness. They had a clear understanding of what it means to be American. George W. Bush did a better job of communicating that he had an inkling of that understanding. Your Maximum Leader is convinced that John Kerry has an inkling of that understanding too. But didn’t do as well communicating it. Do not misunderstand your Maximum Leader, he doesn’t believe that George W. Bush belongs in the pantheon of great presidents. But if he does some soul searching and realizes that he can move beyond politics he might surprise us.
Carry on.
