Contributed by Bruce Walden
On Election Eve, I had a lot of friends and family going into panic mode concerning the election. Many kept telling me, almost with sweat running off their foreheads, “I’ve gotta tell ya Bruce, I’m scared about this election. How come you are not worried?”
In each case, I assured them, “Don’t sweat it. My Rust Belt Boys will not let me down.” You see, I was born in a steel town, Kokomo, Indiana, and my Dad retired from Continental Steel the same day I graduated Airborne School in 1981. Since that time, that mill which I watched them build when I was a tiny child has been removed. You can’t tell it was ever there. All those steel mill jobs were lost to foreign countries. And places like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana gave up on those jobs ever coming back.
On Election Eve, I told my friends and family, “When you see Pennsylvania go for Trump, go to bed. We’ve won, and the election is over.” When I heard them saying that Hillary was running slightly ahead in Florida, I told the wife, “It’s over. We’ve won.” Because you see, the Panhandle of Florida is heavily conservative and if Hillary was barely leading in the rest of the state, she was going to lose the whole state when the Panhandle voted because you see, it is in a different time zone. I was right. In fact, I called 310 electoral votes and DJ Trump won 306. I remember going to bed earlier on the 2016 election night than I have on any other election night in recent years. I was that comfortable with the win.
Now, I’m not always 100%. So, don’t think I’m trying to set myself up as some kind of sooth-sayer. However, I have watched elections, literally since I was six. This is my Super Bowl. Although I missed at least one in the primaries, I didn’t miss it by much this year. And I’m sorry I missed that one. But in a month, we shoot for all the marbles. And make no mistake. This is the most important off-year election of your life. Seldom does a sitting president’s party gain seats in the off-year. I think we will gain seats this time around.
Here is why I am not concerned about the upcoming off-year election:
I was sickened by the display of hatred and childishness displayed by the Left in the presidential election and the movements of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. But some good has come of it. In fact, the same thing has resulted from both. The pathetic and childish nature of the spoiled brats on the left has never been so perfectly displayed as we’ve seen it in these last couple of years. I lost half of you who just thought to yoursel, “There goes Bruce name-calling.” Grow up.
Okay… Those of us on the Right will always vote for the person on the Right. Those on the Left will always vote for their guy or gal. I get that. But something that a lot of folks in politics do not seem to get is that the middle ground is getting bigger all the time. Those are the ones that need convincing. You can count on a certain percentage voting Republican or Democrat. It’s that ever-growing portion in the middle that folks have to win.
Fellow Republicans, I’m going to hurt some of your feelings now, but just scratch your mad spot and get glad. You have got to stop cowering. When the press and the Left comes after you, you’re going to have to learn to stand up like adults. They are never going to like you or say nice things about you and if you think they will, you are fooling yourself. Stop expecting them to somehow like you. Wear their hatred as a badge of honor. As I always say, I don’t mind if people hate me, as long as it is the right people hating me for the right reasons.
Sun Tsu wrote, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is doing something wrong.” When I see these crybabies on the Left throwing tantrums, I say, “Awesome. Let them show their true nature because we see the walk away movement growing by leaps and bounds as a direct result of it.”
Republicans, accept their hatred for you with dignity. It becomes you. When they say you can’t win, what they are saying is, “I’m afraid you are about to win.”
The yelling and pounding on the doors of the Supreme Court, or the outbursts of banshee-like howling in the Senate chamber? Yeah, I’m digging it. What it says very clearly is, “My side is populated by little spoiled children.” I lost some of you with that. That’s fine.
The pendulum is swinging folks. It has swung about as far to the Left as it can swing. Now it’s coming back. Stand by because we’ve only just begun to fix things in this country. I’m thankful every day that we have a pragmatist at the helm. What did they say during the Reagan Years? It’s morning in America… Again.