SOME THOUGHTS ON THE ELECTION

By Jay W. Van Hoosier
It is the morning after. The fog is starting to clear and as it lifts, the view of the political landscape that Americans have marks a startling difference from the ones previously held. The President-elect of the United States will come into office this January with an overwhelming Electoral College mandate. Additionally, he brings with him a majority in the popular vote – something that even Bill Clinton did not have when he won the presidency. And last but far from least, he will be dealing with large Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress.
Just how Barack Obama accomplished this stunning win will be studied by political scientists for years to come. In order to pull off this type of victory displayed during Election Day 2008, Barack made huge inroads into traditionally Republican held territory – he turned red states into blue states. While gaining a huge majority of the minority vote in this country, which might have been expected, he also appealed to a broad range of other types of voters – independent, college educated, working class, women – and yes, he even gained some conservative votes here and there. On top of all this, he brought to bear a campaign and donation machine unrivaled in the annals of election history.
This election is truly a disaster for the Republican Party. For far too long, the social conservative movement has controlled the nominating process, consequently putting forward candidates who, at least until this election, reflected the views of those who controlled the party. This worked for awhile, due in large part to voter apathy, a fairly strong economy, and poor to average quality candidates put forward by the Democrats.
What the Social Conservatives forgot was that though the country has always been a center-right nation, it was never as conservative as the social conservative movement – which represents roughly 25% of the electorate. They forgot that the majority of Americans are moderate in their political thinking and they failed to realize, as many did, that they were just a crisis away from losing their grip on power.
An economy in the dumps, the most unpopular president in modern times, two wars that have dragged on and have no end in sight and genuine uncertainty in our nation’s future came together to produce the “perfect storm” to engulf the Republicans this election cycle. Their party is in shatters and must do some real soul searching. What will be the future of their party? Will it now move to the center, as the Democrats did under Bill Clinton and as Barack Obama has so spectacularly done this election, and become a more inclusive party? Or will they continue to be the party of exclusion and division? Time will tell.
The future path for Barack Obama will not be easy. Democrats now have no one to blame if they fail to govern. The large majorities in Congress and control of the executive branch must be utilized for effective change – this is what the electorate has demanded this election. If the past teaches us anything, it tells us that it will be difficult at best. But make no mistake – it is possible. All Congress and the President-elect have to do is listen. The American people desire change and they expect that their leaders act like adults and get down to business at hand and solve the nation’s problems, and yes, they demand that I be done in a bipartisan manner.
Like many Americans this morning, I feel proud of my country. It has come a long way since the days of slavery and segregation. It has, in fact, fulfilled the promise of our founders. But we still have a long way to go to fix the problems that are hurting millions of citizens. I, along with all Americans, will pray for our elected leaders as they face these problems. God willing, we will be a stronger nation for their efforts.