From: john@anasazi.com (John R. Moore)
Subject: Re: Predictions after a Clinton victory
Reply-To: john@anasazi.com
Organization: Anasazi Inc, Phoenix AZ USA
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 15:33:40 GMT

Keywords: 

In article <1992Nov4.140150.27652@cbfsb.cb.att.com> colten@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (marc.colten) writes:
]
]However - I thought I'd drop in a few predictions for the future:
]
]1) Conservatives will now start whining about the election - vote
]   totals, electoral vs popular, exit polls and other stuff.  Just
]   remember - if Bush had won they wouldn't listen to our whining,
]   so why worry about theirs.  Just say to them "Hey, imagine what
]   you would say to me if Clinton had lost - and then say that to
]   yourself."

Wrongo. All the conservative pundits I heard in the past week 
were discussing how to revitalize the republican party
and were accepting the election as a repudiation of George Bush.
George Bush just made a statement that HE was personally responsible for
the electoral loss.

Keep in mind that Bush was not a conservative, and we (conservatives)
only supported him because we felt he was more conservative than
the alternatives. Reagan won a landslide on conservative ideology,
AFTER servicing four years using the ideology. Bush lost after abandoning
that ideology, and Clinton won after moving farther to the right than
the democratic party has been since 1960. My view for a long time
was "Bush doesn't deserve to be reelected, but the American people
don't deserve for Clinton to be elected." 

Furthermore, consider that the conservative agenda, when subjected to
popular vote in initiatives, won hands down. Term limits won by
overwhelming margin (here in AZ 3 to 1) in all 14 states where they
were on the ballot. Measures to hold the line on taxes won in almost
all cases. For example, a measure to require a 2/3 supermajority to
pass a tax increase and a 3/4 supermajority to override a veto
passed her in AZ by a 3 to 1 margin. Conservatives don't feel that
conservativism was repudiated - just Bushism.

The one area for some conservatives that was repudiated was the pro-life
extreme. I think that this is because the pro-choice/pro-life positions
became extreme, and the american public would choose pro-choice extreme
over pro-life extreme. Hopefully compromise can now be reached in
this area. Also, many americans fear the religious right (with good
reason - I just wish they would fear the statist left as much). The
"family values" issue, which is a valid conservative issue, became
entangled with the "we want to run your life" view of the Religious
Right. Hopefully the Republican party can tame these folks. Family values
is IMHO a valid area of national debate, but when it becomes tinged with
religious moral enforcement, it gets out of hand.

  Now that Clinton has won, I am willing to give him the benefit of the 
doubt. If he ends up giving in to the left wing of the Democratic party, 
we will scream to high heaven.  If he maintains the more moderate policy
on foreign policy and economics policy that he campaigned on, I think
you will find the criticism muted.

  The fun is going to come when Clinton and Congress get over their love
affair. The more moderate Clinton is, the sooner this will happen.

]
]2) Sometime this morning Conservative pundits will start refering to
]   the national mood as "The Clinton Malaise".  

I guess we must just be a bunch of hypocrits, huh? 

]3) It's been raining all night and this morning here in Georgia -
]   I'm sure someone will mention that and imply Clinton had 
]   something to do with it.

Well, if the press was being fair, they would do that, since they blamed
everything on George Bush, and he didn't even have a Republican
congress. Of course, since they love Clinton, they won't (YET!).

]
]4) Watch out for Country and Western fans - some of them think
]   *George* Clinton was elected president and will be very disappointed
]   when they find out otherwise.

What is this, a gratuitous slur of red-necks?
]
]5) Just for fun - get a large sheet of paper, oaktag or foamboard and
]   make up a chart with all of this week economic indicators - GNP,
]   housing starts, unemployment, Dow Jones Average, anything you like.
]   Take it to 20 Conservative pundits and/or economists.  Ask them
]   to comment on it and they will all tell you that it shows the
]   country has never been healthier and happier and Democrats are
]   all doom and gloomers.  Then put the chart away for six months.

This is nonsense. No one believes that the country is at its healthiest,
but a lot of us believe that it is better off than the press would have
us believe. The press, now that the election is over, is starting to
report the positive side.

]6) Expect the 1996 Presidential election to start immediately with
]   4 years of sniping and complaining.

Well, it will build over time. When you consider that the Democrats
have been sniping, snarling, obfuscating, obstructing, complaining,
and blaming for 12 years when the Republicans didn't even control the
congress, you can bet that Republicans will complain when the
Democrat controlled GOVERNMENT screws up.
-- 
John Moore NJ7E, 7525 Clearwater Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85253  (602-951-9326)
john@anasazi.com ncar!noao!asuvax!anasaz!john anasaz!john@asuvax.eas.asu.edu
       - - My gun is safer than Ted Kennedy's car - -
 - - - "It is better to be judged by twelve, than carried by six." - - -
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