Election 2004

November 3, 2004

At long last the election is over. It was a "knock-down-drag out flight", but I was so proud of how involved the American people were in unity and in working for their candidates. It was democracy at its best. I am also proud of rural and small town America, which elected George W. Bush.

John Kerry throughout the campaign struggled to bridge a huge cultural divide; rural America never related to him. Whether it was his windsurfing, his conduct after the Viet Nam War, his phony goose hunting escapade, support for gay marriage, or his liberal voting records ---- he just wasn't saleable to rural America. In many respects his campaign and party seemed to look down on country people and seemed to mock the church going families, whether rural or urban.

While Bush was also born a "blue blood", having graduated form Yale and Harvard, he escaped from the liberal NE and has never looked back. He is at home on his ranch in Midland, Texas and likes nothing better than to drive around in his dusty pick-up truck with his dog at his side and country music playing. We can all relate to that. The National Press Corps didn' t like it too much in Midland, but that's their problem.

Republicans also made huge gains in Congress. It's clear that if the Democratic Party wants to be competitive, they need to rethink their image and policy. Bill Clinton was correct in trying to govern more from the center. The nation's voters are centered right --- not left.

By winning more than half the popular vote, the President has what might be called a mandate. He also has a Congress to help him more ahead.

Next week I will talk about some of the priorities I expect the President to act on. (Until next week, I am JB from Washington).