Tuesday's election results seem to suggest the following:
1. Records don't matter as much as they used to. New Jersey has high unemployment, possibly the highest taxes in the country, is traditionally a Blue state, and Christie won easily.
2. Those who are anti-Dems are splintered between the Repubs, Conservatives and Tea Partyers, making it an uphill fight for them absent a super-popular candidate.
3. Political principles are not particularly important. Bill de Blasio is an outright statist, opponent of individual rights/freedom, ran on a platform of increased taxes on the higher income earners and fewer police powers, likely to result in a substantially increased crime rate, and he won very big in the race for New York mayor.
4. Money doesn't talk anymore in political campaigns. It SCREAMS! (Look at Virginia.)
What seems clear is that the Dems and the Repubs have, from a very significant perspective, switched sides. The Dems were always seen as the "liberal" party, easy going in terms of regulating, limiting, the people. Their views on abortion, gay marriage, legalization of marijuana, etc., all supported the permissive society the Dems favored. The Repubs were seen as the more controlling party, supporting traditional values and religious beliefs, social protocols, tougher punishments for crimes, etc.
Today, the Dems want a more dominating government that will control more and more aspects of our lives, restricting our liberties in the interest of doing away with the rewards of personal effort and success, and imposing a greater equality of life through massive entitlement and giveaway programs. The Repubs, and in particular the Conservatives and Teapartyers, are the ones calling for smaller, less controlling government (which is society's middle name), and greater recognition and protection of Constitutional rights and freedoms. To be sure, the ideological transformation is not complete, so that both parties hold contradictory and conflicting principles.
It's a new game.
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