I have been following politics since my teen years in the 1960s, and I thought it was crazy then. Nothing has been more crazy, weird, bizarre, and just plain stupid than this past presidential election. The Second Coming of Trump is certainly getting the attention, but there are casualties that are worth looking at.
We could start with the alphabet media (ABC, CBS, MSNBC, etc.), which are going to find that they have lost their clout.
Donald Trump was seen as fascist (e.g. rally in Madison Square Garden), while President Biden’s dementia was hidden for years, and Vice President Harris’ interviews were staged.
Back in the ancient days of the twentieth century, these media paragons of integrity at least attempted to be non-biased, even though it was obvious they leaned to the left. Numerous studies have shown that well over 90 percent of their “reporting” is biased toward Democrats.
As their integrity goes down, so will their ratings, which impacts marketing and hits their financial pockets. Money talks, so expect a change in the not-so-distant future.
Another change will be the impact of celebrities. Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Roberts, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, Matt Damon, and Morgan Freeman endorsed Kamala Harris — the cast list is endless. And at the end of the day, so what? Do these people who work in the entertainment industry have more insights into politics than the average American? Given that they did not move the needle, it would appear not.
Then there are pollsters that are so far off the mark that they don’t just miss the bullseye; they miss the whole target.
The organization Fivethirtyeight has listed 282 of these election predictors, and it is hysterical how far apart they are. They either make up numbers or have no idea at all how to use the science of mathematical probability.
Like a baseball pitcher who never gets a ball across the plate, expect to see fewer of these ‘scientific’ experts in the future.
There are other losers.
California is one of the most liberal states in the union, but even they got fed up with DEI. The California Proposition 36, which increases penalties for certain theft and drug crimes, passed 70 percent to 30 percent. This was initiated to eliminate a ballot measure ten years ago that changed nonviolent felonies to misdemeanors. That resulted in crime that became so rampant that the state has lost population for the first time in its history.
Likewise, major companies and universities that are suffering financially from these initiatives are quietly giving the boot to a liberal definition of diversity, equality, and inclusion, as even the Supreme Court has ruled against colleges that impose racial and ideological litmus tests on their students.
On the international front, don’t be surprised if we see less saber-rattling from nations that do not like the United States. A man who shouts “fight, fight, fight” after being hit by a bullet (albeit a grazed ear) is one who is not going to turn his back on countries that try to intimidate us with their military movements.
However, before those who think that the next four years are going to be sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows everywhere, we still face massive government debts and numerous problems related to our infrastructure, healthcare, education, defense, and much, much more. And there may be a November surprise as the Democratic Party might endeavor some spurious initiative or law while they still have governmental control.
As last week’s column also noted, change is on the way. After his freedom, a World War II concentration camp survivor named Viktor Frankl wrote an amazing and inspiring book, Man’s Search for Meaning. Both Republicans and Democrats should take his advice, “When we are no longer able to change a situation — we are challenged to change ourselves.”
