For generations now, the Right, be it political or religious, has sought to label any opposition to their increasingly narrow views, as evil.
By and large, they have had a great deal of success, but, just maybe, a watershed was reached on the 4th November 2008. That could be the day that we stopped the rot. It's not a given .... yet.
I generally don't do lists. It's too easy and I prefer my Diaries to at least try to provoke thought.
Right now though, I am in full gloat mood. I came to live here from the Socialist Republic of the United Kingdom, and landed on my ass in Oklahoma. This State is truly in the grip of evil influences. One would expect that, even here, the trend on Tuesday would have been towards the Democratic Party. Not enough to win, that would have been a foolish expectation. Nonetheless, a trend should have shown.
And indeed it did. In the Statewide Senate race, Inhofe's majority was cut and even though he occupies a very safe seat, Andrew Rice got to within 15 points. Good job Andrew.
But that is where the good news pretty much starts and finishes. In 2004, Oklahoma finished third, behind Utah and Wyoming on the list of Reddest States. On Tuesday Oklahoma jumped ingloriously to first place by shifting to the Right in the Presidential race. 66% to 34% if you want the grim figures.
So why? Why did the Presidential race buck the trend? Both the Senate and Presidential campaigns were broadly similar. A single theme was used candidate X is too Liberal for Oklahoma mixed with a healthy amount of negativity.
All of this is unremarkable, and doesn't explain the contrast in the voting patterns of the two races. So maybe we need to look at the candidates themselves.
Andrew Rice is a State Rep. He is married with kids and is articulate and obviously caring. He is Christian, and has done Missionary work.
Barack Obama is a US Senator. He is married with kids and is articulate and obviously caring. He is a Christian, who has worked with the underprivileged.
So .... it would seem that the trend in Oklahoma ought to be similar, right? Well no, as out lined above.
I wonder what it is about Barack Obama that sent the voters to dye the State an even deeper shade of Red?
I'm stretching here, grabbing at straws, grasping for a possible explanation and find myself jumping, or moving towards a nasty, indeed evil and deeply un-Christian, conclusion.
Could it possibly be that Barack Obama is Black? Surely not. The good folk around these here parts are charitable, caring and only want the best man for the job. I spank myself for even going there.
My problem is that when I discussed this very point with a small, non-scientific group of McCain voters yesterday, they kinda confimred it. To be fair to this group, they were actually people who would have always voted Republican. But they were a bit surprised that I would ever think that most around here would ever consider voting for a black man, and had the GOP picked a Black candidate instead, they ventured that Oklahoma would have turned Blue.
So ... Bad words.
The following is a list of Bad Words in Oklahoma, words that are used to paint scary pictures, and turn the State redder. My kids are encouraged to speak them. It is not inclusive and y'all feel free to add your owm:
Gay
Lesbian
Liberal
Obama
Clinton (with or without either first name)
Contraception
Abortion
Massachusetts
Athiest (Agnostic is bad but most Oklahomas don't understand it)
Single-Payer
Inter-racial (anything)
Gun Control
Democracy
DailyKos
MSNBC
Keith (as a first name)
Harry Potter
Rosie O'Donnell
Ellen (as any name)
Muslim
Constitution
Top of the list of Good words is Jesus. However, in our house we think he was a Liberal or, at the very least, a Community Organisor (which is really, really bad)