The 2006 Mid-Term Elections
I’ve been asked to comment on the recent mid-term elections. But before I do so, I suppose I should iterate where I stand politically.
For most of my voting life, I was a registered Independent. Regardless of party, I typically voted for the person or issue that most closely resembled my view of life, my values and the role of government in my life.
A few elections ago, I realized that there were fewer and fewer candidates in the Democratic Party that seemed to view things as I did. Also, at about the same time, I came to the realization that the mainstream media was essentially one-sided. I studied journalism in college and was taught that an effective media had to be totally objective and I was seeing very little objectivity in today’s media.
So I changed my affiliation and became a registered Republican. Even so, will I vote a strict party ticket? No, I doubt it. Unlike our media, I feel I can remain objective enough to vote for whoever I feel is the right person for a given position, regardless of party affiliation.
Was I shocked at the results of the recent election? Historically, mid-term elections in a second presidential term often go against the president so, no, I wasn’t shocked. I’m curious to see if the Democrats have any ideas about any issue. Over the last 6 years, I’m not aware of any proposed, viable solutions from the Democrats, on any issue. Overall, they’ve done nothing but complain.
Was I discouraged about the results of the recent election? Not really. I fear that the Democrat’s perceived “cut and run” policy of dealing with Iraq and Afghanistan will lead to more terror activities on our soil, but I’m not discouraged. Nationally, there were a number of “conservative Democrats” elected to Congress and this was encouraging. However, I’ll be watching these freshman legislators to see if they vote along their campaign promises or just blindly follow the new liberal leadership in Congress.
Many people, including my own mother, don’t seem to realize that today’s Democratic Party differs greatly from the Democratic Party of the past. Today’s Democratic Party does not resemble the Democratic Party of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman or John F. Kennedy.
Want an example? In 1960, when John F. Kennedy was running for president, there were three major planks in his political platform. He was pro-defense, favored limited government and favored lower taxes. Are these the ideals of today’s Democratic Party? I’m afraid not, these appear to be solely the ideals of the today’s Republican Party and have always been my ideals.
For the most part, I’m content to watch our government change peacefully, as intended by our Founding Fathers. However, I still have many of the same concerns that I’ve stated in this blog previously. (See “Concerns and Rants”, July 5, 2006.)
So I say this to the Democratic Party: “Congratulations on your win, but I and many, many others will be watching.”
And the beat goes on……….
For most of my voting life, I was a registered Independent. Regardless of party, I typically voted for the person or issue that most closely resembled my view of life, my values and the role of government in my life.
A few elections ago, I realized that there were fewer and fewer candidates in the Democratic Party that seemed to view things as I did. Also, at about the same time, I came to the realization that the mainstream media was essentially one-sided. I studied journalism in college and was taught that an effective media had to be totally objective and I was seeing very little objectivity in today’s media.
So I changed my affiliation and became a registered Republican. Even so, will I vote a strict party ticket? No, I doubt it. Unlike our media, I feel I can remain objective enough to vote for whoever I feel is the right person for a given position, regardless of party affiliation.
Was I shocked at the results of the recent election? Historically, mid-term elections in a second presidential term often go against the president so, no, I wasn’t shocked. I’m curious to see if the Democrats have any ideas about any issue. Over the last 6 years, I’m not aware of any proposed, viable solutions from the Democrats, on any issue. Overall, they’ve done nothing but complain.
Was I discouraged about the results of the recent election? Not really. I fear that the Democrat’s perceived “cut and run” policy of dealing with Iraq and Afghanistan will lead to more terror activities on our soil, but I’m not discouraged. Nationally, there were a number of “conservative Democrats” elected to Congress and this was encouraging. However, I’ll be watching these freshman legislators to see if they vote along their campaign promises or just blindly follow the new liberal leadership in Congress.
Many people, including my own mother, don’t seem to realize that today’s Democratic Party differs greatly from the Democratic Party of the past. Today’s Democratic Party does not resemble the Democratic Party of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman or John F. Kennedy.
Want an example? In 1960, when John F. Kennedy was running for president, there were three major planks in his political platform. He was pro-defense, favored limited government and favored lower taxes. Are these the ideals of today’s Democratic Party? I’m afraid not, these appear to be solely the ideals of the today’s Republican Party and have always been my ideals.
For the most part, I’m content to watch our government change peacefully, as intended by our Founding Fathers. However, I still have many of the same concerns that I’ve stated in this blog previously. (See “Concerns and Rants”, July 5, 2006.)
So I say this to the Democratic Party: “Congratulations on your win, but I and many, many others will be watching.”
And the beat goes on……….
posted by Denny at 12:34 PM
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