Random Thoughts on the '04 Election

Democrats and Religion

In the wake of polling data showing that white evangelical Christians favored George Bush over John Kerry nearly four-to-one, the Democrats have decided that they need to get religion. Watching them wrestle with that just might be more fun than watching the president wrestle with the English language.

That’s because the Democrats cannot appeal to the core values of those who vote their religion without alienating the party’s already shrinking base. To appeal to the religious right, Democrats would have to become pro-life, anti-gay and pro-prayer in public schools. There goes the feminist, homosexual and ACLU vote. I’m not sure they can afford that trade.

The problem they face is that it’s not enough to quote the bible and talk about days spent as an altar boy. You’re expected to live the creed you profess. For some time now, the left has struggled to justify the conflicts between their faith and their actions. To many of the deeply religious, faith means following the teachings of one’s church however difficult that may be. It’s not a matter of picking and choosing those teachings one wishes to obey. Until the Democrats understand that, or at least nominate someone who does, they’ll continue to lose the evangelical vote.

The Electoral College

Dick Cheney’s last minute trip to Hawaii is the best evidence yet of why we should embrace the electoral college. There is no way he’d have traveled to Hawaii if we elected the president by popular vote. The potential to swing a few votes in a direct election would not justify a trip to Hawaii, but the chance to swing a few to win the state and earn four electoral votes did.

That same dynamic holds true in the everyday governing of the country. Without the electoral college, our politics would be driven even more than they already are by special interests, with politicians pandering to those groups that could deliver the most votes. But the electoral college adds a geographic variable to the equation that forces attention on voters who would otherwise be ignored. That is a very good thing.

Red State / Blue State

The pundits once again had a field day with the electoral map, pointing out the division in the country through the use of colorful graphics. And once again, there was an elitist air to their musings. Time and again I heard of George Bush’s ability, or John Kerry’s inability, to connect with middle America. Too often it was said as though we in the red states are all a bunch of Bud-drinking, NASCAR-loving, Toby Keith fans.

In reality, there’s not that big a gulf between the red and blue states. In the states the president won, his margin was about 57 to 43 percent. John Kerry’s margin in the blue states was 55 to 45 percent. That represents a switch of little more than one vote in ten. It’s enough to decide an election, but it’s not enough to paint the electorate with the broad brush strokes those colorful maps suggest.

A truly accurate map would show subtle shades of purple, much more representative of the melting pot we’ve always so proudly claimed to be.