Post Election Blues

I purposely did not do an election post the day after Romney was defeated.  I was a little too far down.  It was a long campaign, one that I was convinced would be won by conservatism.  Tuesday evening began with hopeful expectation, and ended with deep pessimism.  Looking back, a few questions remain.

There were too many anti-Obama indicators for him to win.  Did the Chic-fil-a appreciation crowd stay home?   Obama got nearly 10 million fewer votes in 2012 than 2008.  Romney got nearly 3 million votes less than McCain.  This election was win-able.  Something isn't right.  Either conservatives stayed home, or there was widespread fraud.  Not wanting to believe a conspiracy theory, for now I'll assume the former rather than the latter.

I really think the 2012 election has three harsh lessons for conservatives.

• Conservative cannot win with hardline immigration principles in an increasingly brown country.  Any talk of defending borders or arresting illegal immigrants will lose the Hispanics and liberals in general.  We should not compromise our principles with amnesty in an attempt to win a percentage of the Hispanic vote, but how do we retain our principles and win an election?  Is it even possible anymore?
• Conservatives must realize there are now more takers than contributors.  Last Tuesday, the takers proved they rule the land.  When given the choice between a better job market or more hand outs, they chose more hand outs.  We cannot afford more hand outs.
• Once the press were the guardians of freedom.  They stood ready to call out lies and unethical behavior in government.  They are no longer on guard.  Instead, they have their own agenda and promote it in what they do and do not report.  They don't believe in conservative principles and will continue to denegrate those who do. 

Unfortunately I do not believe there is anything a conservative can do to overcome these.  If we open our borders, more and more takers enter the country.  As the entitlement class of takers grow, we go broker and broker.  The press is hopelessly corrupt. They will not change.  The country and the economy may need to completely collapse before conservatism gets another chance.

If my pessimism is correct, Atlas Shrugged has become the new reality.