Uninformed Voters

One of my gripes about every election is the number of uniformed (not unintelligent) voters who don't take the time to research issues beyond what they hear or see on the mainstream media. The video below illustrates the huge impact that the media has on voters. The questions were asked to 12 Obama voters, and I understand that Zogby will be releasing a larger sampling perhaps even today.



Zogby released this statement today: "We stand by the results our survey work on behalf of John Ziegler, as we stand by all of our work. We reject the notion that this was a push poll because it very simply wasn't. It was a legitimate effort to test the knowledge of voters who cast ballots for Barack Obama in the Nov. 4 election. Push polls are a malicious effort to sway public opinion one way or the other, while message and knowledge testing is quite another effort of public opinion research that is legitimate inquiry and has value in the public square. In this case, the respondents were given a full range of responses and were not pressured or influenced to respond in one way or another. This poll was not designed to hurt anyone, which is obvious as it was conducted after the election. The client is free to draw his own conclusions about the research, as are bloggers and other members of society. But Zogby International is a neutral party in this matter. We were hired to test public opinion on a particular subject and with no ax to grind, that's exactly what we did. We don't have to agree or disagree with the questions, we simply ask them and provide the client with a fair and accurate set of data reflecting public opinion." - John Zogby

The Day After Thoughts

Now that the election is over ...

• everyone will be happy that endless political ads and commercials will not be heard for another couple years.
• I'll wonder what to post on this blog.
• it's time to congratulate our new President-elect, and acknowledge this historic event.
• it's also time for Republicans to regroup and understand why we lost.

Here are some thoughts that have been going through my mind about why McCain and so many other Republicans were defeated.

1. I truly believe that McCain was the wrong candidate to go up against Obama. During the primaries, the media was very much behind McCain, and that helped him secure the win, but as soon as the primaries were over, the media switched allegiances. The debates were controlled too much by a few individuals, and the issues asked during the Republican Primary debates where seldom if ever touched on during the General Election. One of the big problems with McCain is that many conservatives did not really support him, but they simply opposed Obama ... that resulted in a less than enthusiastic campaign.
   
2. The other problem was perception. This has everything to do with appearance, and nothing to do with substance. Obama was young, McCain was old. Obama was charismatic and eloquent, McCain's speeches were rather dull and boring. Obama seemed to be in touch, McCain seemed a little out of date. I truly believe a younger, more articulate candidate would have faired better against Obama ... I don't know if that alone would have secured a victory, but it might have helped.
   
3. I believe McCain missed a golden opportunity that the $700 Billion pork bailout bill gave him to show that he truly was a maverick. He should have voted against that bill. He should have named names and made famous all the pork that was included in that bill, as he said he would do to any pork laden bill that would come across his desk if he were elected president. Many Americans thought the bailout was a bad idea, and McCain would have had the opportunity to show a huge contrast between himself and Obama, especially as the stock market continues to drop after the bailout has gone into effect.

By the next election cycle, I hope that the Republican Party will find a Newt Gingrich type person who can articulate conservative solutions to problems our nation faces. As Rush Limbaugh says, conservatism works every time it's tried.

Looking ahead to 2012 ... Go Huckabee!

Is Our Constitution Fundamentally Flawed??

Sen. Obama thinks so. If elected, is he going to actually take the oath to protect and uphold the Constitution of the United States when he believes it has fundamental flaws?

Elect Obama if you want skyrocketing electric bills!

Not only does Obama want to bankrupt the coal industry, but he also wants to fight global warming by creating more of a hardship on the poor and middle class! He essentially says that power companies will be fined for greenhouse gas emissions, and they would pass that cost on to the consumers. He also says that the Amercian people should accept that for the good of the environment. Listen for yourself:



Sen. Obama, that is NOT the kind of change we need! He also says that "price signals" should be used to our "change behavior" concerning what type of vehicles we drive and how much electricity we use!

Huckabee on Obama's Ever Lowering Tax Plan

Being from WV, I realize the importance that the coal mining industry has on a state or region. I have uncles who work in coal mines. My grandfather died from black lung from working in a coal mine. My father works on pumps that are used in coal mines. Today, in a released audio tape, Barack Obama basically states that he would bankrupt the coal industry!! Wake up America! Be sure think before you vote!

Take a listen, and click here for the story. Reaction from the coal industry in WV can be read here.