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| Decatur, Ala. | Wednesday, May 22, 2013 |
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1/22/13
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1210 views
Editorial
Buck up, folks: Every election has a minority
The inauguration of President Barack Obama that took place Sunday — the ceremonial event was Monday — was not greeted with many cheers in Alabama.
Only 38 percent of the state's voters chose Obama, with 61 percent going for Republican challenger Mitt Romney. In Morgan and Limestone counties, Obama snagged only 27 percent of the vote.
Some Alabamians are taking it hard. Within days of the election, they began calling for secession. They are predicting a socialist nation. Obama will take our guns, impose gay marriage, bankrupt the nation and make abortions routine.
Obama, some say, is a tyrant.
We hope the inauguration prompts some introspection.
Being in the minority is no fun, but in a democracy there always is a minority. Most Americans concluded Obama was the best candidate. Alabamians were part of the majority in the presidential elections when former President George W. Bush served two terms; now they are not. That's how democracies work. In order for a democratic republic to function, the minority has to be able to accept it cannot call all the shots.
Also worth remembering is Obama's power is limited. While most Alabamians voted in the national minority on the presidential election, they voted with the majority in selecting House members. The GOP-controlled House is extremely conservative and its members oppose Obama on almost every issue. No law or budget can pass without House approval.
The importance of this fact is apparent in the debate of the day, gun control. To the horror of many Alabamians, Obama announced 23 executive actions designed to reduce mass shootings. Anyone who bothered to read them, though, realized they were anemic. Obama believes there should be more controls on guns, but he has almost no ability to implement them. Significant changes require legislation, and that requires an affirmative House vote.
Even if liberal thought is contagious and a majority of House members catch it, another branch of government has a check. Any limitation on gun access must survive a Second Amendment analysis by the U.S. Supreme Court, a governmental branch that tends to reflect Alabama views.
If none of that provides comfort, keep in mind Obama is a long way from the extreme left of his party. As a columnist in The American Conservative magazine put it last week, "Obama, in short, is not a socialist or even a social-democrat, just a good old centrist Republican." Many liberals agree.
Obama's most controversial ideas — from health reform to environmental regulation to foreign policy to gun control — represented mainstream Republican thought a dozen years ago.
If the celebration of America's constitutional democracy cannot survive among those who occasionally find themselves in the minority, it is disturbingly shallow. Most Alabamians are not rejoicing over the inauguration this week, but we hope they can find time to acknowledge the wisdom of the constitution that made it possible.
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It took Fox News ,Hannity less than 2 minutes to slam Obama's Inauguration.
The country could do great things,If Congress would work to gather for the People Instead trying to get reelected.This Congress has Failed the American People..
The president has as well He should have been the mediator but has failed miserably. Party over country in every respect.
A column published on Slate.com over the weekend urged President Obama to "pulverize" and destroy his Republican opponents -- even "go for the throat" -- in order to "cement his legacy."
Republicans were in the minority voting for the House as well. Districts were drawn to give them the advantage.
Woe is me. White people in the minority on something. Woe is me.
We're all a minority in one way or another. Everyone wants to move towards equality and then turn right around and play a race card because they didn't get their way. Until we're all Americans, there will always be racism in one form or another.
There has been many times in the past where the majority was wrong and the minority was right. The following of the majority out weighed and out shadowed the minority who were serving the just. Just because the majority follows a certain trend or leader, doesn't make them right or the leader the best person for the position.
Why can we all not be Americans first? Why must we tie ourselves to being American Indians, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican Americans or any ethnic minority. The real issue here is that the people that live in this country need to be proud of being American fist and foremost. Other countries that our forbearers came from do nothing for our well being or our protection and should be a best secondary to being citizens of this great nation. I do not waste my time on calling myself a German American. I am not ashamed of my families background but it is of no importance compared to my American heritage. Why cannot we all simply embrace being a fortunate citizen of what might be the greatest country in the history of the world?
In reference to the "mainstream Republican thought" of a dozen years ago, most don't look back to remember, but I KNOW that the mainstream thought of Republicans in 2001 was NOT to give up our guns, turn our back on Israel, have government-approved marriages of two people of the same sex, borrow 46 cents on every dollar of government spending, never even have a budget for the 4th year in a row; I could go on and on. People, please don't fall victim to the media belief that if you say a lie long enough and loud enough, soon people will begin to believe it as truth. This editorial seeks to cause the Republican leaning person to "take comfort" about the circumstances of today. We must not let this editor or any other media fog our knowledge of truth, and our belief that this administration is the very most liberal to ever darken the doors of the White House. Not even Obama's most conventional thoughts line up with the mainstream ideas of Republicans 12 years ago or today. DECAUTR DAILY - SAYING IT DOESN'T MAKE IT SO!!!!