On 2012

What a year 2012 has been.  From a seemingly endless election cycle to natural distasters to the end of the world itself, there has been no shortage of things happening this year.  I suppose that is true every year, however the problems of this year seemed considerably more pronounced.

Obviously, the most prominent event all year was the presidential election.  On the one hand, I thank God it's over.  The primary season started so early in 2011 and never stopped after.  The election was mean and ugly to watch as the president and his surrogates continually tore down and attacked his opponents.  We wanted to roll back civil rights to Jim Crow, Mitt Romney killed a woman with cancer, we want old people and children to die, etc..  This wore thin in 2010.  It was nearly unbearable this year.

Yet, bore it we did.  And, for the other hand, it is unfortunate how it turned out.  Despite all that we fought for and the dire straits our country is in, we conservatives and the American people as a whole lost this election.  I know I am not the only one who has felt the past couple of months to be long and oppressive.  Unfortunately, this may be a preview of the coming year.  It makes this Tuesday seem far more dreadful than usual.

Then there were the natural disasters.  Hurricane Sandy come to mind for this.  Speaking of, I wonder how all those people on Staten Island are doing.  Haven't heard a thing about the recovery in a couple of weeks.  Though as I last recall, the response was still incredibly slow.

Of course, we can not forget the man-caused disasters, either (the lines kind of blur with the election, but I digress).  Anyone remember Benghazi?  I do.  Four men are dead and we still have no answers.

The list goes on.

Are you depressed yet?

Believe it or not, that was not my intention.  I fully intended on writing an article that balanced the negative with the positive.  An honest assessment of the year, however, recognizes just how bad it was.

There were positives, of course.  I'll get back to you when I think of them.  I think something can be said of all the little things that happen in our lives that we look to, however.  It's hard to find a big thing to look toward as a great positive this year.  At the very least, positives that counteract the negatives.  That pretty much leaves us with God and the blessings, big and small alike, that He bestows upon us.  That should be enough.

I'll leave you with this.  It's been a hard year.  There were a great many highs and much lower lows.  For the coming year and beyond, we'll have to work harder.  We'll have to focus better.  Fight more intensely.  This year was a harbinger of things to come, no doubt.  I think we conservatives are strong enough to handle it.  We have to be for the country we love.

So, for now, recharge your bodies and refresh your minds.  Periods of rest such of this will be more important than ever.

Happy New Year to you all!  I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield of ideas in the coming year.

I thought of a positive! The world didn't end! ...Well, a friend thought it up.

On the 2012 Election

Well, after taking a kinda-sorta break immediately following an election that was a disaster, I am back and in full force.  I have my ice cream, my vodka and my fuzzy bunny slippers and I am all ready to curl up and cry for another few months.  Yes, I will be eating all three.

In all seriousness, as I slowly recover from the utter demoralization of Tuesday, let me give you my thoughts on what happened.

This man loses more gracefully than liberals win, sadly.

First of all, I was utterly shocked by the result.  Not only did Mitt Romney lose, but the Republicans lost seats in congress (though they maintained their house majority).  You already know this.  I think I can also say with confidence I was as flabbergasted as the rest of the conservative movement by this.  It seemed like the momentum was on our side, with the terrible shape the nation is in, and people would be wise enough to make the change needed to fix our ever-growing problems.

They did not and now the question is why?  Let me take a stab at it.

First, I honestly believe Romney was a bad candidate.  Now, do not get me wrong, conservatives did not have a good crop to choose from to begin with.  Most of the others had baggage or inherent flaws.  I love Rick Santorum and Herman Cain (the latter's recent advocacy of a third party notwithstanding), but I also realize neither could have won.  I am also not shortchanging Mitt, for I believe he put as much effort as he personally could into his bid.

However, Romney had several glaring issues, among them Romneycare.  It took the issue of Obamacare off the table almost entirely.  It was most certainly mentioned here or there, but its taxes, spending and rationing never got the play it should have.  Indeed, with Obama's re-election, many businesses fully intend on avoiding its costs and a firmer argument against it may have avoided the lost jobs we will be seeing.

He also never truly has been a conservative.  In this election, it seemed imperative to me that our side draw a clear distinction between ourselves and Barack Obama and, in so doing, show those demographic groups who often vote Democrat that we have their best interests at heart.  That never happened. Romney certainly talked a good game and selected Paul Ryan, to his credit, but it never truly got beyond that.  Thus the lines between the "devil we knew "and the "devil we didn't" became increasingly blurred, particularly during the third debate.

However, moreso than Mitt's own flaws as a candidate was his campaign apparatus.  I believe he surrounded himself with establishment advisers who gave him bad advice.  Part of me genuinely wonders if it was Mitt himself who preferred passivity or the advice he was given to be less aggressive.  Perhaps it was a combination both.  Either way, his campaign was mismanaged, much in the same way John McCain's was (though McCain was a charisma black hole, if what happened Sarah Palin is any indication).  His lack of aggressiveness on issues like Benghazi allowed to truth to stay sealed up tight.

Additionally, I am hearing stories now of a truly weak ground game by the Republicans, which, if true, is truly absurd.  Millions of conservatives and Christians not voting should not be happening, particularly in an election this important.  Obama having a stronger ground game should not have translated into an inept one by his opposition.

This points to what are really the inherent weaknesses of the Republican Party.  If its establishment is so mired in their own egos and belief in their ability that they cannot organize effectively, it is about time they be replaced with people of energy and fresh ideas.  Replaced by people capable of adapting to the information age and changing demographics.  In particular, that establishment must be replaced by people with true conservative principles instead of party loyalty.

I believe when we realize this, conservatives will have learned the true lesson of 2012.

P.S. Think I may write about some of the smaller issues on the election tomorrow or Saturday.  There are many small issues like Chris Christie, Akin and Mourdock and others that deserve some mention.  That and I just feel like talking about it.  You got a problem with that?