As an occupant of the basket that contains the deplorables, I breathe easier today. We got really lucky. Donald Trump won by less than 100,000 votes in three states that do not traditionally vote Republican, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. We had an unusual candidate on our side, and the Democrats chose the worst possible candidate they could have chosen, and we barely squeaked by.
Yes, California delivered 2.6 million votes to Clinton, and Trump never came here and asked people like me for my vote. We are in trouble here in California. As a state, we are retrograde. We are out of step with the country. Californians are leaving this state, and leaving it to the folks who screwed up the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (based on their philosophy). As a country, however, we were barely saved from a Clinton presidency. We will be rid of the Clinton crime syndicate…finally, but we were saved by a few votes in a few states, states Republicans have lost every single time since 1992. It was a wonder of wonder, a miracle of miracles.
If you are a person of faith, this win can only be attributed to divine intervention. As political activists, however, we cannot fool ourselves. We cannot rely on this good fortune as a long term strategy. We have a long road ahead, and that road has to be built on a solid set of conservative principles.
Trump was not my first choice for President, but I voted for him in the general elections. I voted for him because he said he was going to fight illegal immigration, he was going to repeal Obamacare, and he was going to appoint Supreme Court Justices who will return this country to Constitutional principles. I expect him to do those things, if he does nothing else. I breathe easier, because I think he will do those things, and I know Clinton would not have. I also know however the battle for the hearts and minds of the people of this country is not over. Our job is greater given how close this election really was.
I also believe now that no candidate other than Trump would have won this election for Republicans, and no other candidate other than Clinton would have lost this election for Democrats. That is also not a long term strategy for conservatives, we cannot expect the Democrats to be this stupid in every election. We have 8 years to persuade a country, much like Reagan persuaded the country, that our principles are what are best for this country, and their individual lives. Small government, less taxes, strong families, and founding principles need to be “sold” to the American people. People don’t get this without activists like you and me helping them see how good they are.
And, the state that requires the most work is California.
Yes, it was a wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles. We have reason to celebrate, in the short term. The long term health of this state and this country, however, requires us to take our swords and shields, and fight for the principles in which we believe. This victory is a temporary victory, and one which we may not have deserved. We need to earn now the opportunity the victory has given us.