A Wise Old Elephant Moves Forward?

I'm not sure what I was hoping for after President Obama was re-elected.  I'm not fool enough to think that the conservatives would just fall into line, but I suppose I was hoping that they would resign themselves to his election and try to work with him to move the country forward.  I certainly was not expecting the kind of open hatred and viciousness that I've been seeing on the internet.  Republicans are seriously angry that Romney lost this election.  I just don't understand why they're so surprised.  Anyone who looked at the campaign objectively could see that Romney had almost no chance of winning a fair election.

I remember back when Bill Clinton was elected for his first term.  My grandmother was a proud Christian and a staunch Republican.  When I asked her how she felt about Clinton winning, she said to me, "Well, I don't like him very much, but that's who America chose. So I will pray for him to lead us with wisdom and for his strength every day.  It's what we must all do."  She meant it too.  So did my grand-dad.  Every evening when they said grace over the meal, they asked God to bless Bill Clinton with wisdom and strength to lead the country.  When I said, "But he's not your guy, you didn't vote for him", the answer was, "well he is now--he's my President, whether I voted for him or not."  What happened to that kind of Christianity?  What happened to that kind of patriotism?

How many of today's "Christian" Republicans pray for President Obama's wisdom and strength?  How many have the attitude that because he was chosen in a fair election, that he's their President, whether they voted for him or not?  What do you suppose the Republicans in Congress are planning now that they've failed in their primary objective, to make Obama a one term President?  Do you think they will put their rancor behind them and try to work with Democrats to improve the economy, create jobs and find a common sense way to pay down the deficit?  From the looks of things, it's a long shot at best.

If the Republican party ever plans to hold the nation's highest office again, then they better start having some serious conversations among themselves about their direction for the future.  Capturing the old-white-guy vote isn't enough to win the Presidency anymore.  The composition of America has changed and as much as they might wish it--there's no going back.  There are a little over 50 million people of Hispanic descent in the US today.  50,000 people of Hispanic descent turn 18 every month.  It is projected that by 2030 almost a quarter of the American population will be of Hispanic descent.  As of October 1,2011 the total population of the United States is approximately 310.4 million people.  157.2 million of them are women.  About 13% of the overall population is African-American.  As of 2010, .75% (that's three quarters of one percent) of the Forbes 400 Wealthiest Americans List were Hispanic or African-American and just 26 are women.

While it is clear that old-white-guys still have the bulk of the money, the ethnic make up of the country has shifted and women account for more than half of the population.  I'll save the religious breakdown for another blog.  For now, the Republicans have some decisions to make, or they will be facing extinction like the dinosaurs they've become.  There is a place for conservatism in our political discourse.  Sometimes there are very good conservative ideas; but those ideas are at risk of being lost because of the Republican inability to face facts.

Once upon a time, Republicans and Democrats came together and shared ideas to solve the nation's toughest problems.  Lately, Democrats spend a lot of time trying to convince Republicans that problems even exist.  Conservatives are spending more and more time with their collective heads in the sand when confronted with real problems.  Instead of being part of the solution, they're in a deep state of denial.  This is a dangerous and costly tack for the GOP.  It's just (in no small degree) cost them an election that by all accounts, with a strong enough candidate, was highly winnable.  Instead, they continued to live in the past and ignored the writing on the wall.  

The GOP can no longer afford to offer such archaic solutions to problems such as immigration, one of the most important issues for Hispanic voters.  No longer can the GOP afford to ignore the problems of poverty, inequality an violence in urban areas.  These issues are of vital importance to African-American voters--and to continue to espouse such antiquated opinions on issues of gender equality in the work place and reproductive rights will be nothing short of political suicide.  It's time for the Republican party to acknowledge that matters of faith and progressive ideas are not mutually exclusive.  It's time to bring real people to the table and to listen to their views on important issues and to create a platform around those ideas.  It's time to put the lunatic fringe in check and to move forward or face becoming completely irrelevant for a very long time to come.

It's the year 2012.  Our first African-American President just won his second term in office.  We have women in Congress in record numbers.  Hispanics are going to continue to grow as a percentage of the over-all population.  Women are not going to accept being penalized for their gender where healthcare is concerned. We will no longer accept less than equal pay for equal work. Nor will we permit a group of men to legislate our bodies and our choices.  Hatred and obstructionism will not be accepted--there is a high price to be paid politically for those values.  So, Republicans, what's it going to be?  Are you going to give the country more of the same...or will you be down on your knees saying a prayer for President Obama's strength and wisdom tonight?