Sunday, November 17, 2024

Post Election Reactions And Reflections, Part I

For Republicans and conservatives it was a very good night.  Trump ended up with 312 electoral college votes (58%) compared to Harris' 226 (42%).  Some call that a landslide.  In terms of the popular vote, the latest numbers I saw had Trump with 76,429,164 votes, with Harris getting 73,736,923 votes.  Republicans also captured the Senate, 53 seats to 47.  As for the House, Fox says it's 218 seats (enough for control) for the Republicans, and 212 for the Democrats.  But Real Clear Politics says it's 220 for the Republicans to 213 for the Democrats.  The governors' mansions?  27 for the Republicans vs 23 for the Democrats.  A clean sweep.   

Before I get to the current reactions, let's recall for a minute the hand-wringing of the Left back in 2016, after Trump won.  The "resistance" began before Trump was even sworn in, because the world was going to end.  Of course, it didn't.  On a personal level, one colleague got in my face in court and was yelling at me.  A friend of 25 years also thought it was appropriate to yell in my face; and as he stormed off, yelled "I'm done with you."  Another friend of 40 years was not able to speak with me anymore.  And, one of my first bosses, for whom I had a great deal of affection, was done with me after 45 years.  This time around, I resolved not to put up with any of that abuse.  (More on that later.)   

Sonny Hostin, of The View, might be typical of the Left in her reaction.  She blamed Harris' defeat on "uneducated white women" and Latino men.  (She later apologized and said she meant "non-college educated white women."  These after the fact apologies are meaningless.  And less than sincere, in my opinion.)  But the significance of her comment, and why I'm discussing it, is the Leftist/elitist belief that college education makes you "smarter."  Book smarts, perhaps.  And that college gives you "wisdom."  It decidedly does not.  And. college definitely does not give anyone "common sense."  Not these days, anyway.  

Nobody needs a college education to figure out whether or not the household budget can pay for all the necessities.  Nobody needs a college education to realize that open borders, along with the attendant criminal aliens and gang members, are a danger to their communities and their families.  And, it is only a college education that will teach you that men can give birth. 

Laura Helmuth is resigning as the editor-in-chief of Scientific American.  She thought it was appropriate to refer to Trump voters as the "meanest, dumbest, most bigoted" group, and also "fascists."  (Another phony apology followed.)  But I am curious about one thing.  I wonder how  many of these "bigots" had previously voted for Obama and/or Biden.  Were they bigots when they voted Democrat, as some likely did?  Trump very wisely campaigned in areas of the country where he had no reasonable expectation of winning.  But by doing so, he won the popular vote.  On one site, it was reported that Trump won 40% of the popular vote in California, although Fox had Trump getting 38%.  Either way, it was an increase from the 31% he received in 2016, and the 34% he received in 2020.  

Trump won all the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada  and North Carolina.  Rachel Zegler is a 23 year old actress, who will be playing the role of Snow White in a Disney remake of the classic.  Here is what she posted on Instagram:  "I find myself speechless in the midst of this.  Another four years of hatred, leaning us towards a world that will will be hard to raise my daughter in.  Leaning us towards a world that will force her to have a baby she doesn't want.  Leaning us towards a world that is fearful."  She described the country has having a "deep sickness."  Then her hope:  "may Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace."  And:  "Fuck Donald Trump."  I would ask Ms. Zegler to take a look in the mirror and tell me exactly who it is that is filled with hate.   

But notice how Ms. Zegler makes things up.  Things she likely hears from MSNBC or CNN.  Why won't she be able to raise her daughter?  Maybe in a few states she might not be able to get an abortion on demand.  But why is it always the worst case scenario for the Left?  Why do they live in permanent fear?  How does she know her daughter will someday want an abortion?  Or that she will live in a state where it is difficult to get one?  And why is she worried about that now, at age 23?  Laws change all the time.  

At the mere mention of Trump's name, I have seen a look on the faces of colleagues and family members that I would not describe as mere anger.  Rather, it is best described as a look of rage.  And it can be quite frightening.  I have described it to a friend as going from zero (a normal facial expression) to sixty (outright rage) in about a half of a second.  I would seriously be worried about being around a group of such individuals if they knew I voted for Trump.  A mob is always a greater danger than a single individual.  Along the same lines, family members are unable to understand how I could possibly vote for Trump.  It never, and I mean never, occurs to them that I might wonder how they could possibly have voted for Obama, Biden and Harris.  After all, isn't that how all the smart, decent people vote?      

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