Midterm Election 2014 Recap: What does it mean to you?
STEVEN GORANSKY, THE VISION STAFF WRITER
What happened? Who is who? What does it mean to me?
Photo courtesy of The Cory Truax Show.
In my pre midterm election article we talked about how crucial this election would be. Example: Hundreds of dollars important to your pocket in one form or another, and many freedoms on the line just for starters. I also suggested following two local radio shows, Christian Worldview Today by Vice-President for Student Services, Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University, Radio Personality Dr. Tony Beam and ( the creatively titled ), The Cory Truax show. For the pre midterm commentary we heard from Tony Beam. For the post midterm election I spoke with Cory Truax. Here is what Truax had to say:
�After the 2008 election, ABC�s headline included a portion about a permanent Democrat majority. That lasted until one year later when the GOP picked up governorships in Virginia and deep-blue New Jersey. An unforeseen Senate victory in improbable Massachusetts soon followed. Then 2010�s midterm elections came, and Republicans swept into power in a history wave, winning 66 House seats, five Senate seats and taking away Nancy Pelosi�s Speaker�s gavel.�
And the country�s thinkers immediately predicted dark days for Democrats in 2012. That was until President Obama squeaked out a close re-election victory, and “Newsweek�s” following cover story was titled, �GOP: You�re old! You�re white! You�re history!�
I will add to this list; �too Christian.” The Liberals really believed that mainstream American values have changed dramatically, and that conservatism is just for an old fashioned by-gone era, but lets double check that notion. Truax recaps the main points for us:
�Last Tuesday night when Republicans broke election records everywhere. The GOP now controls both houses of Congress, 24 State governments (to the Democrat�s six), over 30 governor�s chairs, and extended their House majority�.
Now, Howard Fineman is on liberal bastion MSNBC saying, ‘The Obama era is over,’ and leftist commentators are saying Democrats have to �re-invent themselves.�
So how did these divergent, see-saw election results come to pass? The answer to that question is the key to understanding Tuesday�s election results and where you fit in the political world�.
Truax breaks this down for us and paints the picture:
�Elections are not decided by a majority of people. Elections are decided by a majority of the voters who happened to show up on Election Day. That is the explanation for these wildly different election results every two years�.
In 2008 and 2012, the voter profiles show that the typical voter was just as likely to hear about the election on “Inside Edition”, “Buzzfeed,” “E!,” or Bravo as they were to hear about it on traditional news sources. The voter profile for 2010 and 2014 were not likely to see a viral Jimmy Fallon video or know what an emoji is.�
�In short, genuinely, with no exaggeration, millions of voters who came out for the 2008 and 2012 election found no interest in showing up to vote in 2010 and 2014.�
These are good points, many people only vote during the presidential elections and ignore the midterms, but it takes all of the elections to make the whole team.
�While it is true your one vote will likely never change an election result, these last four election cycles are some of the clearest evidence that the folks who get what they want in the political world are the folks who get engaged and stay engaged,” said Truax.
�Now looking forward, it is hard to see any change in Washington over the next two years. Within six months, several candidates for the 2016 Presidential Election will have declared their intentions, and attentions will run to that election�.
Back out here in the real world, the factor that will determine that race and all the races to come is us. Will we be a cynical and apathetic people, waiting for a personality to motivate us? Or will we engage this culture through political action?�
The only thing not in question: the ideas that win will be the ideas people actually propose, support and push through.�
Being engaged, being there, it matters. Many people of faith seem to feel that politics is some dirty work that is too negative to contemplate, for fear of losing your serenity, but I feel that patriotism is directly charged as duty as an extension of faith. If you witnessed a crime against helpless elderly person, you would feel a call of duty to intervene. Well, in American politics you have been witnessing a crime against freedoms and you should feel a call to duty.
If you enjoy team sports, yet you do not follow politics you are missing some dynamic action. At the end of the season, who wins the Super-bowl can only leave you entertained or disappointed, but at the end of an election you are left with people to directly affect your life, liberty and pocket book. Politics is very stimulating after you know who is who and what it what.
What does it mean to me? Begin to follow the game, the score matters.
I encourage college students to begin following more political media outlets. Again, I will recommend by starting local.
Tony Beam hosts Christian Worldview Today weekday mornings on Christian Talk 660, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., For a Christ-centered look at our national and local news, and Cory Truax delivers a hard-hitting and direct political run down on the Cory Truax Show Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. Both shows are on AM660 in Upstate South Carolina, or listen live online at christiantalk660.com
