WHY THE DEMOCRATS LOST

After reviewing the many thoughtful posts and vicious rants of those on the left reacting to the GOP victory this week I've come to the conclusion that the Republican majority is safe for years to come. The reason? THEY STILL DON'T GET IT!!!!

Just read Tom Friedman or Maureen Dowd in the NY Times. Just go to Instapundit and follow the links to many of the left-wing bloggers. Read the reactions from Hollywood in this morning's Washington Times. After all the polls, the focus groups, the research and now an election, they still can't face the fact that this is a country where the majority care deeply about moral values. What is worse, those on the left not only can't believe the majority care more deeply about moral values than economic or other concerns, they don't respect those beliefs or the people that hold them.

The majority of left-wing America (the dominant bloc in the Democratic Party) simply oozes disdain for Red State Americans. They believe that the people who hold traditional Christian values are a bunch of ignorant, NASCAR watching, beer-swilling, racist, homophobic rednecks who shouldn't even be allowed to participate in the decision-making in this country. As long as they continue to hold that view they, and the Democratic Party, will continue to lose national elections.

Consider this simple fact. The only two Democrats to win presidential elections since this realignment began in 1968 (when bible believing people, primarily in the South, began voting more for Republicans than Democrats) were Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. They won not only because they were Sons of the South, but because they held traditional Christian beliefs. Therefore, even though they were both liberals (Carter more so than Clinton), they did not look down on those who shared their religious belief system. Both men understood that you can believe in God and the divinity of Jesus Christ and still be an intelligent, decent, cultured person.

There is also a final irony. Many of the leadership elite of the GOP, in terms of their fundamental personal beliefs, are not all that different from the leadership elite of the Democratic Party. Atheists and agnostics are very well represented in the upper echelons of the GOP. They continue to steal a march on the Democrats because they do not exude disrespect and disdain for people of faith. It's not just that they understand they can't show that disdain to those folks for fear of losing their votes, it's because they really do respect people who hold those beliefs. Atheistic and agnostic Republican elites have easily and enthusiastically followed the leadership of bible-believing Christians like Ronald Reagan (whose faith was more artfully hidden) and George W. Bush precisely because they respect (and, perhaps, even envy) their faith.

The bottom line is that the Democrat elites just can't get passed their disdain for Red State Americans, and it shows. As long as that is the case, they'll continue to lose.