Mark Steyn: A catastrophic night for the Democrats (corrected)

The Spectator (U.K.) ^ | 11/06/04 | Mark Steyn

[The KG9 Kid]

Thanks!

[Pokey78]

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

It is SHOCK and AWE again.

[truthandlife]

(FLASHBACK) Secrets of the "Reagan Democrats”--DEJA VU 2004

[Allan]

Bump

[GVnana]

I'm feeling.....serene.

[Vic3O3]

Steyn in good form as usual!

[sarasota]

Don't miss this!

[sphinx]

In the last few days, John Kerry wore himself hoarse shouting that America was crying out for ‘change’. But Bush is the candidate of change, and Kerry was the one running as the status quo candidate — work through the UN, the IAEA, the EU. Bush is promoting radical change in foreign policy, change in domestic policy, but both consistent with ‘red state’ values, expanding liberty abroad and promoting opportunity at home.

Bingo. That's a recipe for a win and an agenda for the next four years. If the 'rats don't sober up, it will serve as a winning agenda for a generation.

George Will's oft-repeated phrase "reactionary liberalism" is also right on the mark re: The Other Party.

[dodger]

Great summary.

I would add that -- despite the relative quiescence at the polls -- the Republicans need to re-write voter laws to remove the distinct possibility of future frauds. Register at the court-house at least a month in advance, no provisional ballots, no motor-votor, clear guidelins for poll-watchers & challengers, etc.

If this had been a bit closer, Kerry and his 10,000 DNC lawyers would now be making Gore's 2000 challenge seem quaint (disgusting though that was ...).

[Time is now]

What many don't realize is that in New Hampshire, you can register to vote on election day. A friend was at a polling place and saw several bus loads of students coming over from MA to vote. Doesn't matter now, but NH will be back in the "R" column next time!

[Huck]

But he’s very poor at selling them to the American people, and what seems obvious to him isn’t necessarily that obvious if you’re in one of the many cities with a reflexively anti-Bush monodaily. It should have been a bigger victory, and Republicans need to examine carefully why it wasn’t.

True.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Unam Sanctam]

Yes, I'm disappointed with New Hampshire too -- we Republicans need some kind of base of sanity here in New England!

[68skylark]

It should have been a bigger victory, and Republicans need to examine carefully why it wasn’t.

After we're all done with a little gloating, we should take a long hard look at ourselves to figure out why this election had to come down to a single state -- it shouldn't have happened that way.

[ride the whirlwind]

As Laura Ingraham just said, Ronald Reagan is smiling....

[NRA2BFree]

As usual, an excellent article! Thanks for the ping!

[goldstategop]

I disagree with Mark Steyn's conclusion. New Hampshire is now a liberal Democratic stronghold like neighboring Vermont. The days when these states used to be flinty redoubts of Republican values in a sea of New England liberalism is long past gone.

[Aegedius]

a Republican President, a Republican Senate and a Republican House have been re-elected for the first time since President McKinley and the GOP Congress of 1900.

Hate to nitpick, but this happened in 2000. But after a few months, one of the reptiles from Vermont switched sides and gave the senate to the Dummycrats.