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Showing results for tags 'Politics'.
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Along with the ballot initiatives to reduce penalties of the drug policy and give people the right to sue if an officer tries to prosecute. http://wate.com/2015/02/13/tenn-lawmakers-seek-to-legalize-up-to-half-ounce-of-marijuana/
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[color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]All,[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]The election season is over (finally) and most of us who were hoping for a GOP win wound up disappointed. Lots will be written about how the election was lost given President's performance on what was touted as the key issue: the economy.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]What I am about to say may be off the beaten path a little, but in my tiny mind I'm convinced that it is largely true. These are my thoughts, and I can't really blame/credit anyone else for them, though they may parallel the thoughts of others. [/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]I think the GOP was beaten because Democrats realized that what most of us (myself included) think of as conventional wisdom was proven incorrect. Conventional wisdom says that an Administration's performance on the economy, domestic policy, and in foreign policy are key factors in deciding an election's outcome. The GOP lost because Democrats realized conventional wisdom was wrong and adjusted their strategy accordingly, and the GOP didn't.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]Had this been a traditional campaign, the President would have had to run on his record, and indeed, the GOP's strategy was to compel him to do this. Democrats realized quickly that a traditional campaign would surely result in defeat, and history clearly supports this conclusion (i.e. no President has ever won a second term with unemployment higher than 7.2 percent... until now). So, what do you do when your record, conventional wisdom, and history aren't on your side? Simple: you change the game. To their credit, the Democrats did this brilliantly.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]To understand why the Democrats' strategy was so effective, you have to take a look at the factors that, using conventional wisdom, would be massive liabilities to any reelection campaign.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive] - High unemployment[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive] - Massive swelling of numbers of folks on disability, food stamps, welfare rolls, student loans, medicare, and other government entitlement programs too numerous to mention here.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive] - Soaring energy costs (gasoline alone nearly doubled in cost during Obama's first term, and heating oil along with it)[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive] - Massive regulation of small business (and large business as well)[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]The list goes on and on, but you get the picture. You would think that, using conventional wisdom, it should be relatively straightforward too beat a guy with this record. Every relevant trend line on the economy depicts either stagnation or feeble growth. So what went wrong?[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]The answer is stunningly simple when you stop and think about it. The Democrats successfully messaged to more people that they would be the ones who would keep the entitlement checks rolling in for folks RIGHT NOW, and that they would keep them coming in the future... Medicare as we know it will remain intact, etc. At the same time, the Democrats' core message painted the GOP as the party that, if empowered, would be the folks who would strip those benefits away completely or at least decrease them to the point where those dependent (or those anticipating they will be dependent) on government would find themselves in financial distress. The GOP had no effective counter to this message, and all they seemed to offer was blood, sweat, and tears and an uncertain future where [i]maybe[/i] there will be more and better jobs and [i]maybe[/i] things would get better. The crucial element that the GOP's message lacked was [i]certainty[/i]. I'm here to tell you that, all things being equal, people will bet on what they think is a sure thing every time if given the choice, even if that sure thing is not the best thing. And this time, enough of them did. Enough folks were concerned with how they were going to support themselves and their families [i]today, [/i]and they clearly cared less about an uncertain future.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]Where does this leave the GOP? Honestly, I don't know, but they will have an uphill fight if the old saw, "He who borrows from Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul." is any guide. Fact is, a tremendous number of people and families are barely scraping by in this economy and most of them receive some sort of Federal assistance. Simply put, the election question for many of them wasn't about the economy, foreign policy, Benghazi, Obamacare, or any of those things... it was about [i]survival [/i]and an utter dependence of many people on Federal aid to make ends meet. Survival will trump just about any other message every single time.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]Therein lies the key to Democratic victory and their brilliance in realizing this in time and in driving this message to the extent that they were able to convince a majority of Americans, at least indirectly, that their very survival depends upon the Federal government to keep entitlement monies rolling. Any other President at any other time in history would have surely been defeated (and has been) with a record like this President's. It has been said, "It's the economy, stupid!" Clearly, issues like the economy can't hope compete with something as essential as survival. If the GOP is to have any relevance in the future, they had better take note:[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]- The game has changed[/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]- It's [u]survival[/u], stupid![/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]- Fear [b][i][u]works[/u][/i][/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#ffa500][size=4][font=comic sans ms', cursive]war[/font][/size][/color]
