By now enough time has elapsed for the shock of defeat to begin wearing off and the hysterics and empty promises of mass Democrat migration to Canada can begin. With President Bush garnering the largest number of popular votes of any president in U.S. history and the GOP securing four more Senate seats and increasing the majority in the House of Representatives, Republicans have been given a mandate despite objections otherwise.
I can understand the anger and depression felt by my Democrat friends (I'll try to avoid using the terms "progressive" and "liberal" since Democrats are neither), I would be upset if my candidate had lost. In this time of Democratic mourning there is plenty of speculation as to what went wrong, and how Democrats can be more relevant in the next election. Sadly, most of the advice to Democrats is from other Democrats. So in the spirit of national unity, please allow me to make a few observations:
1) Homosexual Marriage: For now, this is a losing issue for Democrats. As a Republican I oppose gay marriage, but not because I am intolerant and trying to legislate my religious preference on others. While I object to homosexuality on religious grounds, I leave that discussion in church where it belongs, which is why I was unopposed to the decriminalization of sodomy in Texas. I vote against homosexual marriage because I believe that the only legitimate reason our secular government acknowledges the private and often religious practice of marriage is for the economic subsidization of couples to produce and raise offspring as responsible citizens. Since homosexual unions by definition are incapable of producing offspring without the intervention of a third party; we should not codify into law a whole class of marriage that is not capable of producing children. Further, homosexuals as a demographic are more educated and affluent that heterosexuals. We should not divert limited resources away from the only valid reason that secular government should recognize marriage. At the bottom of the issue, this is simply an attempt to further push the homosexual agenda into the mainstream and force acceptance from the public; something the government should not do.
2) Abortion: The country is much more closely split on the issue of abortion, so it is not so much the losing issue that homosexual marriage is. However, it is extremely discordant to hear from the same people that champion women's rights, minority rights, homosexual and transgender rights, Iraqi civilian rights, etc. that fetal life should have no rights. The same people who march down streets with anti-war banners decrying innocent Iraqi deaths, march down those same streets with banners decrying efforts to end the destruction of our society's most innocent and defenseless lives. As long as this double-standard is embraced by the Democratic party and its fringe-group subsidiaries, you will have no moral authority in the eyes of many. It is empirical fact that human fetal life is just that: both alive and human, and therefore worthy of legal protection. This is a case where conservatives are truly more compassionate. And woe to you Democrats who argue for the continuation of abortion based on the properties and abilities (or lack thereof) of the unborn; for you have become what you despise: the final arbiter of the worth of human life.
3) Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Again, this is an issue which seems to be split fairly evenly in the populace. The problem for Democrats, in my mind, is the "cure at all costs" mentality held by most supporters of ESCR. When you are willing to trade human life for medical experimentation that may or may not produce results, you have yielded the moral high ground. Many try to circumvent the issue by asserting, "the fertilized eggs will die anyway," or "they're not wanted,"; but miss the point that we will all die anyway, and some adults are unwanted. How many Democrats would feel comfortable with experimentation on violent felons, or the homeless, or the permanently comatose? In fact, many object to current experimentation on animals. The bottom line with ESCR is that it destroys human life for the potential of a medical cure. Do we want to be that type of society?
4) Religion and Morality: Democrats tend to worry that the religious beliefs of conservatives will find their way into law. They also believe that there is a correlation between religious conviction and stupidity. A few thoughts on this: i) Everyone holds religious and moral beliefs, even if the belief is that religion is stupid and that it is meaningless to talk of morals. ii) The religious beliefs of atheists, agnostics, and non-church affiliated individuals make their way into lawmaking as well. iii) The tendency for conservatives to insert their religious beliefs into law is tempered by the tendency of conservatives to believe in a "hands-off" governmental approach. I can think of no analog for Democrats: when you believe that everything you stand for is completely good, true, pure and just, as well as untainted by any religious or moral content, you Democrats are unequaled in your militancy and hubris. iv) Stupidity is a universal condition; lest Democrats think that religious folk are far dumber than themselves, I suggest they attend an anti-war rally and take an honest and critical look at the people standing around them.
5) Gun Control: This is certainly a losing issue for Democrats. Occasionally dressing up in camouflage and walking through a field with a shotgun will not fool those of us who take firearm ownership seriously. I cannot stress this enough: firearm ownership is a right, not a privilege. When you try to confiscate and legislate firearms out of the hands of law-abiding citizens you are interfering with the god-given and constitutionally protected right of self-defense. You Democrats work tirelessly to protect convicted murderers from facing justice in the form of capital punishment, and continually foist on our society the thoroughly disproved notion of rehabilitating violent criminals, while demanding that the public remain unarmed and defenseless.
6) Pre-Emptive War: Much akin to gun control is the doctrine of pre-emptive strike. Both deal with self defense. Very few who argue against preemption on a national level would hesitate for a moment to use it on an individual level. How many Democrats would allow themselves to be punched, kicked, stabbed or shot before they began to defend their lives? If a perceived threat exists, it is rational to counter it immediately; and not everyone who strikes first is a bully.
I could go on, but I think the six points above demonstrate how Democrats are losing their relevancy and moral credibility. Having Michael Moore and other radical cronies spew their "America is what's wrong with the world" ideology doesn't help either. So let me end this letter with a suggestion for all of you Moore-loving, America-hating, self-righteous crusaders of the politically correct agenda: move to Canada!
