It’s true that the November elections brought prominent winners in both parties, but the contrast between Democratic and Republican victors is highly revealing.
The biggest Democratic success stories involved re-elected Sens. Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid, and new California governor Jerry Brown – all age 70 or above! The GOP, meanwhile, hailed breakthrough victories for 39-year-old Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida, 43-year old Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin, 38-year old Governor Nikki Haley in South Carolina, 42-year- old Sen. Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire, 47-year-old Sen. Rand Paul in Kentucky, and many other youthful candidates bringing fresh, conservative perspectives to high office. Moreover, with Hillary Clinton ruling out a future presidential race, Joe Biden reaching age 74 by 2016, and John Edwards utterly unthinkable, what younger generation Democratic star could plausibly succeed Obama?
The Democrats, in other words, have become a party of shop-worn retreads while the GOP bench is full of next-generation leaders of potential national stature, including Governors Chris Christie of New Jersey, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Rick Perry of Texas, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Senators John Thune of South Dakota, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, and many more.
Looking toward the future, the rising stars of the GOP not only look more vibrant and dynamic than the Pelosi/Reid Democrats, they also count as increasingly diverse.
After the recent elections, skeptics can no longer deride the GOP as an all-white party of grumpy old men. Marco Rubio, 39, became the new Senator from Florida while fellow Latino Republicans Bryan Sandoval in Nevada and Susana Martinez in New Mexico became the nation’s only two Hispanic Governors. Jaime Herrera, age 31, captured a Democratic Congressional seat in Washington State, while Raul Labrador did the same in Idaho. Two more Hispanic Republicans– Bill Flores and Quico Canseco—knocked out incumbent Democrats in Texas. In South Carolina, Indian-American Nikki Haley won for Governor while black conservative Tim Scott beat Strom Thurmond’s son (among others) for a Congressional seat. Alan West, an African-American Iraq War hero, trounced an incumbent white Florida Democrat.
In the new Republican House of Representatives, eight members of the GOP majority will proudly qualify for a potential “Republican Hispanic Caucus.” Geraldo Rivera may dismiss such victories as “window dressing,” (as he did recently on Fox News) but they have changed both image and substance of the GOP.
[F[or many more people in line at the polls in Miami Gardens, fears of a possible Senator Rubio were guiding their decisions. Voters said they waited nearly an hour to cast their ballots because they wanted to stand up against Mr. Rubio’s support for an Arizona-style immigration law, his stated goal of changing Social Security and his association with the Tea Party, which struck many as a mask for ignoring the needs of black Floridians and the less fortunate.
“When I hear Rubio speak, it’s just frightening,” said Stephanie Moore, 49, a freelance consultant who said she would vote for Mr. Crist. “That whole Tea Party movement — it’s going to set black folks back by 40 years.”
I don’t understand this kind of thinking, at all. Setting black folks back? What is she basing that on? These folks seem to forget which party voted against civil rights of the ’60s.
Democrats have caused the slums in Detroit (and cities all over this country) with over 50 years of control. How many more years do you have to keep giving the power to the them before you figure out that they aren’t working FOR your betterment?
And on another related topic: Rubio has scared the besjesus out of the democrats. Prime example is this Meeks/Crist/Clinton/Obama stand off. Who asked who to quit the race, when did they ask, and why?
I think they are more afraid of Rubio than they are of Michele Bachmann. Rubio is the face of a president and they know it. Rubio is the greatest hope of many Republicans and not just in Florida. If he were running today, he’d have my vote. He is the inheritor of the great communicator.
And on just one more topic:
In Connecticut today, and as I’ve seen at all democrat rallies this year, there are signs with the Obama brand on them. He says this election is not about him but his symbol is everywhere at these rallies. It’s a loser and yet, they still flash it around. What I really think is that this is for him, this is the start of the ’12 race. We are going to see him do – for the next 2 years – what he does best: campaign. He can’t govern but he sure can campaign.
MediaMatters lives to pillory Fox News for being too conservative — at the same time, it tries to drive moderate commentators off Fox programming.
MediaMatters doesn’t want balance on Fox News. MediaMatters doesn’t want an exchange of ideas. MediaMatters wants to push Fox further to the right. Its toxic tactics are designed to widen the left-right divide in America by marginalizing not only conservatives, but anyone who associates with conservatives.
I’ve talked to people at CAIR and MediaMatters. I know folks who work for NPR. They all think they’re smart, and yet they’ve just sent a bonehead message to the American public.
Way to go, ye titans of tolerance. You’ve just broadcasted that an African-American moderate with a solid civil-rights record can lose his job and be branded as a bigot for quoting a convicted terrorist and admitting to a moment’s hesitation if he sees someone in Muslim garb on a plane. Debra J. Saunders/Rasmussen Reports
It’s very laudable what TheOne is doing to honor MLK day. He’s hosting African-American seniors and their children and grandchildren at the WH for a “conversation” on something race related and serving a meal with his children at a homeless shelter. He will also be speaking (like what else is new) at a King celebration tonight. These are very honorable things to do.
I’m just wondering… what did he do on the National Day of Prayer? Christians (and specifically white Christians) are apparently not a voting bloc that he needs to curry favor with. Or a segment of society that he needs to worry about offending.
He honored that day in the WH, according to his Spokesdummy, Robert Gibbs, privately.
How much more divisive can a president be when you have countless parents who are willing to keep their children home from school rather than listen to a speech by Obama?
Would they have done this with either Bush presidents? How about with Bill Clinton? I had school age children at those times. I wouldn’t have had an issue with my kids hearing a speech at school from any other president. I can’t imagine a time when we would’ve felt it dangerous for our children to hear a president speak, until now.
And that’s it – parents feel it’s dangerous for their children to hear from this president. This is a telling and creepy thing in American history. Americans are afraid of this man. They are afraid for their future, for their children’s future, of what he can do to ruin it.
How much more proof do we need to see the divide he has created in this nation? Can you remember a time, in your lifetime, when we were so divided? Did you ever feel that race was a serious issue in your life, until now? It’s almost daily that we hear something derogatory about “the white man” from some politician or some presidential czar. It’s become so commonplace to hear that it’s almost lost it’s impact.
“The white man stole all the land, all that was valuable, broke all the treaties with the Indians.”
“The white man is poisoning the poorer neighborhoods with pollutants.”
“The white man is spraying insecticides and toxins on illegal immigrants.”
“It’s only white, suburban kids who shoot up schools. Black kids only kill each other, they don’t shoot up the whole school.”
“White people don’t want a president who looks like me (a Black woman.)”
“White folks go to bed at night asking themselves “how did this happen?” – electing a black man to the presidency.”
White people would never get by with making these kinds of comments, especially elected white politicians.
But ‘they’ won so they are entitled to be racist. And by ‘they’ I mean any Marxist – white, black or polka dot. They believe that they have been oppressed by white America for so long that they feel entitled to be racist. It’s only fair, yes? Because they won.
Think about this: why are parents refusing to let their children hear this presidential speech on Tuesday? What is motivating American parents to protect their children from a speech by the president of the United States?
The answers to those questions should make you be more afraid.
“Brace yourselves, because the war with Muslims has just begun,” 31-year-old Faisal Shahzad told a federal judge. “Consider me the first droplet of the blood that will follow.”
Stop Sharia in America
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Obamas Wisdom and Terror in the Street
"We can absorb a terrorist attack. We'll do everything we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever...we absorbed it and we are stronger."
Diary of a Mad Conservative 