Even before a single vote was cast, political pundits and spin-masters of both political parties were busy defining political reality for us. The election of Republican candidates for governor in Virginia and in New Jersey is not the real story of this election 2009, however. There are local compelling reasons why Bob McDonnell won in Virginia and Chris Christie won in New Jersey. In Virginia you have a charismatic and strong Republican candidate in a traditionally Republican state poised against a weak and ineffective Democratic candidate in Deeds. And in New Jersey you have a very unpopular Democratic governor Jon Corzine seeking re-election in a state that is experiencing hard economic times and high unemployment. The people voted once again for change! In both of these states, President Obama continues to be popular, though polls show rising disapproval for his handling of Health Care Reform and other key issues. Obama’s slipping poll numbers reflect more the disappointment of supporters of his policies than outrage by opponents to his policies, as Republican would have us believe.
Republican spin-masters interpret these results as Obama’s policies being rejected by the people. That the people fear the changes Obama is seeking in solving the many problems created by prior Republican Administrations. That the people would rather go back to the ‘good old days’ of a country governed by Conservative Ideology the past thirty years. Such self-serving political tea leaf reading can only be as successful as the confusion, uncertainty and fear that people feel these days. And that’s what makes these political pronouncements dangerous. They feed on peoples fears and confusion, stoking political hot buttons for narrow special interests, taking us down the road of America’s demise. We must not let these misleading views take hold of our national consciousness.
The real story in yesterday’s election is the repudiation of Conservative Politics in the Congressional Election of the 23rd District in Upstate New York. Republicans held this seat for more than one hundred and forty years! In this election you have a clear contest between Democratic policies as represented by President Obama and Conservative Ideology as represented by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Dick Armey and Sarah Palin, who actively campaigned for the Conservative candidate. This was an election for a member of Congress! This was a clear referendum of where the people stand on national and not local issues. And in this election Bill Owens the Democratic candidate won, with little campaigning at that.
Democrats across the country should take heart and see this victory as a clear signal that people want change. That going back to the same policies and the same people and the same solutions of the past thirty years that brought America to its economic knees is no longer an option. We must move forward with the kind of change that President Obama can only bring about. Not Socialism, but a functioning government that can serve the people and not the narrow special interests. America is strong only when its people are strong and secure. Obama understands that. Republicans can only spin this Truth with clever political curlicues.