Thoughts for the Right

I am not sure how I would have reacted had the situation been reversed, but I am surprised at the reaction of many Republican leaders in the two days since the election.

Today I read Mike McConnell's less than gracious congratulatory communication to the president.  I see that Karl Rove is insisting that the Democrats suppressed votes.  Fox News yesterday posted an article which identified five reasons why the media skewed the election for the Democrats. (Never mind that Fox News is a powerful media outlet).  I see how the governor of Florida will adamantly oppose the Affordable Health Care Act despite the fact that the election has reenforced it as the law of the land.  Bill O'Reilly reduced the results to the conclusion that the majority of Americans just want things--as if the reason for the Obama victory was because all Democrats want a hand out.

I'm sure there are Republican leaders who are embarrassed by these reactions.  I have heard some speak more reasonably and I am guessing that the people we are hearing whine just may be the most vocal of those who voted for Governor Romney.

The Republicans will have to dispassionately look at what they supported and realize that to run on such a platform is to guarantee a loss.  They alienated gays, a large percentage of women,  and immigrants for whom they suggested self-deportation as a reasonable notion.  

A fellow I play tennis with commented last night that the chickens just came home to roost.  In  an  election that will be decided by two or  three percentage points you can't disparage a much larger percentage of the population and then be incredulous when you lose.

I have friends who I love and respect who believe in the Economic policies of the Republican party.  They voted for Governor Romney.  However these friends do not respect the social agenda of the Republicans nor, I am thinking, are they comfortable with the childish reaction of the vocal leaders. My recommendation to the Republican leadership is that they need to stop yielding to the reactionaries, genuinely embrace populations  they alienated, and stop acting like babies who are crabby because the bottle of milk they spilled themselves is no longer available..  Otherwise as time  goes on they will become inconsequential and a sad footnote to American political history.