Awakened Wolves

The Republican Party kicked ass all over the electoral map yesterday. Members of the GOP are in firm control of the Presidency, US Senate, US House of Representatives, and large numbers (if not outright majorities) of governorships and state legislatures. George W. Bush broke the record Ronald Reagan held for the largest popular vote in US history. Florida's vote, while close, was a far cry from the vote in 2000. The Senate Minority Leader, Tom Daschle, has been booted from office and replaced with a Republican. In every state that had a proposition to ban gay marriage (or something along those lines), the measures succeeded. Dick Cheney quite clearly said the nation's voters had given President Bush a mandate to govern.

I fear any government, but I especially fear government in the hands of one particular ideology. While I certainly look forward to the stronger emphasis on gun rights, economic freedom, and personal responsibility issues that conservatives generally bring with them, I suspect the next four years (assuming nothing wild happens in the mid-term elections) will bring about a scary emphasis on all the illiberal issues that conservatives love, such as the Wars on Terrorism, Drugs, and UnChristian Behavior.

Note that I'd be saying essentially the same thing about the Democrats if they had experienced a similar expansion of power. Regulators, legislatures, public administrators, law enforcement officers; they are all wolves-in-waiting for the public's call to devour the next segment of society.

Posted by Drizzten at November 03, 2004 05:14 PM