The Angry Left vs. Middle America
In past reports, I have warned that the “angry Left” is not trying to win an election, it is trying to destroy the conservative movement. Once in power, it intends to use the force of Big Government to shut down Christian and conservative talk radio with the Fairness Doctrine. Pastors will be gagged by “hate crimes” legislation. Religious liberty will be further threatened when a new liberal Supreme Court majority redefines marriage in every state of the union.
Liberal labor bosses will get sweeping new powers, including stripping the right to a secret ballot from workers. Radical leftwing groups like ACORN and Planned Parenthood will get more of your tax dollars to promote leftwing candidates and causes. And all the while, Big Media will hail the “new Great Society” as Joe the Plumber is taxed to “spread the wealth” for socialized health care and “tax cuts” to those who don’t pay income taxes.
But before any of this can become a reality, the Left must seize power at the ballot box. ACORN has been doing its part – working overtime to register new voters – real and imagined, including Mickey Mouse and a dead goldfish. Its efforts have seriously gummed up the process and are creating chaos for elections officials and poll workers in critical states. (This week, all nine Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee have signed a letter demanding an investigation into ACORN’s activities. Why aren’t any Democrats concerned?)
In recent weeks, we have received many messages from McCain/Palin supporters telling us that their yard signs have been torn down and ripped up. I have seen it in my own neighborhood in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. Today, there is a news report that the home of Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman was vandalized. His garage was spray painted with this ominous warning: “You are a criminal. Resign or else.”
Yesterday, five CodePink protestors interrupted a speech by Karl Rove and tried to handcuff him in a citizen’s arrest for “treason.” Did anyone try to arrest Harry Reid for saying the war in Iraq was “lost”? Did anyone try to arrest John Murtha for calling our Marines “cold-blooded killers”?
Now one Washington, D.C., news outlet is reporting that police departments coast-to-coast are “preparing for possible civil unrest and riots” on Election Day. According to The Hill, “Some worry that if Barack Obama loses and there is suspicion of foul play in the election, violence could ensue…Others based the need for enhanced patrols on past riots … and also on Internet rumors.”
This is America, not some banana republic. We have been holding peaceful elections and respectful transitions of power for over 200 years. Yet, why are police suddenly worried about riots on Election Day? Who will be rioting? The angry Left. The same folks who stormed the streets during the Republican National Convention; who turn out to shout obscenities at our soldiers when they are deployed overseas; who regularly shout down conservative speakers on college campuses and who protest capitalism during major economic summits.
James Carville has already warned us that “it would be very, very, very dramatic out there” if Obama loses. Carville said, “A lot of Democrats would have a great deal of angst and anger.” Is that a threat? Of course, no one worries about riots if Senator McCain loses. People like you respect the rule of law and put our country first.
Friends, I almost didn’t write this article today. I worry that it might demoralize and frighten some of you. But we cannot live in a spirit of fear. Men and women of faith should not try to intimidate or shout down our opponents, as the Left does. We should calmly, patiently and respectfully talk to them. We should not try to handcuff anyone. We should pray for them. We shouldn’t vandalize property. We should vote!
This is our country, too. We must not be intimidated. We have every right to be involved in the public process and to have our voices heard and respected. As Dr. Dobson said on his radio show today, we can decide the outcome of this election.
What’s At Stake
It’s difficult to overemphasize just how important it is for everyone to vote in this historic election, because I do believe our values are stake. Just consider these points and how John McCain and Barack Obama would respond to each one:
- Five Supreme Court justices will be 70 years old or older next year. The two most liberal justices will be 76 and 89. Think about the potential consequences for the right to life, the meaning of marriage and the Second Amendment.
- The Bush tax cuts will expire during the next president’s first term. That means income taxes will go up. The per child tax credit will be cut in half. Taxes on dividends and capital gains will go up, and like a monster in a bad movie, the confiscatory “death tax” will return in all its horror.
- The free world remains at war with Islamofascism. Earlier this week the Associated Press reported that radical Islam is on the rise in the Middle East. And Israeli press are reporting that an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is recommending a preemptive strike against Israel. Is this the crisis Biden is warning about? Obama supporter Jesse Jackson has said that in an Obama Administration, pro-Israel “Zionists” will be out.
Conservatives must vote for John McCain, Sarah Palin and conservative congressional candidates. Not voting or voting for a third-party candidate with no chance is as good as voting for Obama. And after listening to Sarah Palin’s interview with Dr. Dobson today, I’m even more excited about voting. We clearly have a lot to vote for!
And don’t forget about the ballot initiatives. Folks in Arizona, California and Florida can vote FOR traditional marriage. Folks in California, Colorado and South Dakota can vote FOR the right to life.
But we also have a lot to lose. In recent days, Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann have been excoriated in the media for their comments about patriotism. But I doubt many of you heard the following quote from a major Democrat Senate candidate, Mark Warner in Virginia. He said:
Mark Warner delivered the keynote address at the Democrat National Convention this year. Warner was recruited heavily by national Democrats to run for an open Senate seat this year. While Warner’s derogatory comment was not new, it reflects his values and those of the Angry Left.
And it’s not very different from Barack Obama’s comment about “bitter Americans clinging to their guns and religion” or the anti-American remarks of Bill Ayers or Jeremiah Wright, who screamed from the pulpit, “God D--- America.” It’s clear that in the Angry Left’s America, there won’t be much tolerance for men and women of faith.
In the remaining days of this campaign, ignore the polls and ignore the media. They told us Ronald Reagan could never win and he won in a landslide. They told us America had lost the war in Iraq, but, thanks to John McCain, we are winning. Now they say John McCain cannot win. I say Middle America hasn’t spoken yet, but its voice will be heard loud and clear on November 4th!
Gary Bauer
Campaign for Working Families