The Happy Carpenter

Now that's scary

Get it?

Porph is back! Hooah!!!

One of my favorites, who I've had listed under "Not dead yet?", has resurfaced, and as usual has said what I thought so much better than I do.  Go see Porphyrogenitus and whine until he starts posting every day again, and thank him for his service to our country, for which I am deeply grateful.

Thanks, Porph, and welcome back.  Does this mean you're state-side?

This would be cool

Sadly, most of the hard sci-fi authors I read are very pessimistic about a space elevator.  I say Arthur c. Clarke is right and they're wrong -- we'll have an elevator to geo-synch orbit before I die!

But, perhaps we should think small first?

If you're trying to figure out where that is, it's on the moon!

Catch 22

Amir Taheri has a thoughtful column in the Post again.  I hope all our elected Democrats read it with an open mind.  It's not too late to avert disaster, but without our Left shoulder to the wheel we'll never get unstuck.

My Lefty Bud's opine

I doubt many of you read the comments left by other visitors, so I thought I'd put up front three I received to yesterday's post "Well, we got our butts kicked".  First from my favorite Lefty, Rob of Emphasis Added (great blog name!) who showed his genius by agreeing with me:

"voters perceive Democrats as spending big money on them, the voters, whereas Republicans are seen as spending on themselves and on Big Business."

That is a really good observation. Also, on moral turpitude and sexual scandal, Dems can survive better than R's because Dems don't make sexual morality part of their politics. They may be perverts, but at least they're not hypocrites and perverts.

You might also take comfort in the fact that the Dem majority this year was made possible by socially-moderate, fiscally-responsible candidates like Casey, Webb, Tester, Schuler, etc. The old liberals may be in charge of the committees in the House, but they owe their seats to a new crop whose ideology is actually a little closer to old-line conservatism than many in the current day GOP. If they want to keep the big offices and the new drapes, they'll do well to remember that. Otherwise this will be a real short ride.

Here's wishing you a pleasant two years of bitter and resentful opposition. It's not so bad after a while, and it's fun to complain about stuff without having to take any responsibility.

Posted by: Rob Salkowitz | November 08, 2006 at 03:37 PM   (Emphasis added - hah!)

This is going to be a really interesting inside-baseball struggle for the Democrats.  Their leadership would really love to go off the deep left end, and will lean hard on their new conservative members to hew the line.  Maybe the conservative Democrat freshmen were sincere about their conservative policies, maybe not.  We'll see.  If what we saw Tuesday was a return of the Conservative Democrat then that's great for Conservatism, for the Country, and even for the Republicans.  It would be even more interesting if we had a really conservative President, but we have a Compassionate Conservative so the waters are bound to be muddied.  Stay tuned...

Then Dear Sister Brandy commented:

OK, I came here to gloat, but I feel for you. I really do. I remember what it is like to wake up after this big a loss. (Only there isn't a hint of election fraud this time to add salt to the wound.)

I love how all the exit polls, actually every poll for the last 6 months say that the Republicans are out of touch with the war, yet you choose fiscal responsibility and corruption as your two big planks.

OK, corruption was also high in the exit polls, but the war was number 1.

This isn't about Republicans working together, it's about Republicans working well with others.

Love you!!! Brandy

Posted by: Brandy | November 08, 2006 at 01:40 PM

I respond thus:

1. Thanks for the sympathy.  I appreciate the thought, but I don't really feel that bad because of the conservative Democrat factor at play here. 
2. The election fraud was mostly a ginned up issue -- a matter of sour grapes from the left, although its hard to blame folks for being bitter about losing by less than the margin of error.  There has always been a certain level of election fraud and cheating (ask MC about the old KC Pendergrast machine) but until the votes got so close it didn't much matter.
3. Fiscal responsibility and morality are the core of the Republican Party; without them who needs Republicans?  The War is a policy issue, and there are a heck of a lot of people angry about waging it too pussyfootedly; plenty enough to have lost.
4. For Republicans to come back to majorities they will have to work together.  Working well with others is good, too, as long as you don't betray your principles doing so.
5. Love you, too!

And finally, Walt wrote (under his natural nom de plum for a change):

Gosh, wouldn't it be fun if you could polish off that blog entry of about two years ago today when you smugly wrote about the permanent demise of the democratic party and the unstoppable superiority of the GOP? Hmmm? :-)

Posted by: Walt | November 08, 2006 at 09:57 AM

The one thing I NEVER expected the Democrats to do was to run as conservatives.  Enough of them did this year to make the difference.  As I said to Rob, if conservative Democrats are back, then that's a great thing for Conservatism.  If it's just a trick, then it will be a short ride, to quote Rob.  Either way I win.  To be honest, I also didn't expect so many Republicans to lose sight of conservative principles so fast.  I thought there were enough of them with enough energy to reform the culture of Washington.  I was wrong about that.  So sue me.

Two days after the election, I feel fine.  The Republic will muddle through. Conservative principles have been strengthened in a way I never anticipated.  The next Supreme Court Justice will probably suck from my point of view, but for the rest, no problemo.

Besides, there's always Sports Talk Radio!

Post mortem

I've found surprisingly little good writing about the Republican loss.  This is as good as any:  John Hawkins' An Autopsy of Remains of GOP Majority.

Something a little light hearted for after the election

An Open Letter From the Troops (for those who know the history of certain Purple Heart Awards in Vietnam):

SENATOR JOHN KERRY
304 RUSSELL
SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510

DEAR SENATOR KERRY:

WE ARE STILL LAUGHING OVER HERE IN IRAQ AT YOUR JOKE ABOUT THE TROOPS BEING DUMB. WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT YOU ARE A LOT SMARTER THAN WE ARE BECAUSE YOU WERE ABLE TO GET OUT OF COMBAT IN THREE MONTHS.  THIS IS WHY WE ARE SEEKING YOUR ADVICE. PLEASE GIVE US GUIDANCE.

1.)   WHERE IS THE LEAST PAINFUL AREA ON THE BODY TO INFLICT A WOUND?

2.)   DOES IT HAVE TO BLEED OR WILL A SCRATCH DO?

3.)   WHERE DO YOU GET THE FORMS TO FILL OUT RECOMMENDING YOURSELF FOR A PURPLE HEART?

4.)   DO YOU NEED A WITNESS?   IF SO, HOW MUCH DOES THAT COST?

5.)   ARE THREE PURPLE HEARTS STILL GOOD FOR A TRIP HOME?

6.)   WHAT IS A REALISTIC PERIOD OF TIME IN WHICH TO ACQUIRE THESE WOUNDS?    LESS THAN THREE MONTHS SOUNDS A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS EVEN TO US.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND KEEP THE JOKES COMING.

JUST A DUMB G.I.

Well, we got our butts kicked.

No two ways about it -- we lost big.

The next two years will be painful, regardless of the Virginia Senate recount.  I'm very disappointed in my party and my people.  For now, I'm practically speechless.

Keep the faith.

My $0.02's worth:

Republicans cannot survive when perceived (rightly) as big spenders.  The same is not true for Democrats because voters perceive Democrats as spending big money on them, the voters, whereas Republicans are seen as spending on themselves and on Big Business.  Fiscal responsibility is central to the Republican identity; without it, they cannot survive.

Likewise corruption and moral turpitude.  Lots of right-leaners will not vote for bad people, and will in fact vote for people they disagree with on policy to punish morally weak Republicans.

Republicans must work together.  We cannot win when we are divided.  Agreements and compromises, such as on immigration, must be reached behind closed doors and then a united front must be presented by charismatic articulate leaders.  This will be the hardest thing to do.

OUT.

Might little vote

I live in a very conservative district, and this morning I had to wait in line longer than I ever had to wait before, including presidential elections.  Turn-out here is very good.  Keep your fingers crossed...

Eject! Eject! Eject!

Bill Whittle has a nice long essay up that will make you feel very good, if you're a conservative, and just might give you a little food for thought if not.  Either way, well worth the read.