Transformation of America: America chooses a dangerous, possibly irreversible, course

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There’s no denying it.  Things are looking bleak.

With the 2012 election in the books, it’s time to take a look at what won and what lost as America went to the polls. The candidates and incumbents whose hopes were dashed in the GOP bloodbath are part of the equation, but they don’t tell the real story.

The real winners and losers all had to do with ideology, and there’s no way to sugarcoat it.

Won: Dependence

The idea that we’re a nation of autonomous, free thinking people looks positively archaic in light of last night’s results.  A little under half of us still seem to appreciate the concept, but it’s now clear that a majority feel dependence on government is a better option.

That the same government is universally ridiculed in its handling of just about everything is completely irrelevant. Give a man a free phone, promise him a cradle-to-grave nanny state, and he’s a Democrat for life.

Lost: Rugged individualism

The flip side of dependence is the death of individualism.  Over half the country apparently values group-think and collectivism over the simple fact that they could choose to be capable, self-sustaining, individuals.

Unlike the rest of us, they have no interest in living a life unfettered by government interference.  Quite to the contrary, they actively seek a world where their decisions – from the size of their sodas to the health care they’re given – are made for them.

Won: Class Warfare

This may be the biggest winner of the night.  Almost the entirety of Obama’s campaign was a shrill “us vs. them” screed designed to appeal to the worst in his supporters. Never in modern history has a President so successfully leveraged envy against a challenger.

Mitt Romney was portrayed as a wealthy plantation owner who would “put y’all back in chains” and for a segment of the population, the meme stuck.  Never mind that Obama’s a millionaire who enjoys all the perks of the ultra-rich.  Mitt was a monster who must be slain.

The message played better than most would have believed possible.  We now live in a country where success is no longer something to be admired, it’s something to be jealously mocked, ridiculed, and destroyed.  Damn the self-destructive consequences, Obama voters are out for revenge.

Lost: The Melting Pot

It’s easy to see that our society is degenerating. An off shoot of class warfare, the cultural entropy that the United States has undergone cannot be overstated.  Previously, many feared that immigrants were unwilling to assimilate into the American mosaic, but the truth is far worse.

Roughly half of our citizens – immigrant or otherwise – have no interest in doing so either. Instead, the fabric of the country is being shredded, divided into easily categorized segments, mostly along racial lines.  An out of control federal government then corrals these groups with the promise of handouts, or the threat of penalty.  Last night, we watched it in action and it was frighteningly effective.

Won: Barack Obama

The boy king didn’t just win because he achieved a second term.  Certainly, he’s happy that he gets to stay in office, but that’s not really his crowning glory. In fact, that may be the least of his victories.

Obama’s real achievement is that the death of the melting pot, the expansion of class warfare, an end to individualism, and widespread dependence were his goals from day one.  Not only has he managed to implement policy that would affect these changes, he’s sold his most ardent supporters on the outcome.

This, despite the fact that they’re the ones who will bear the brunt of the bleak future he’s creating.

Lost: The United States of America

In every category, from our standing throughout the world to our economic power at home, Obama’s policies have made the nation weaker.  There’s simply no way to deny it.  Right now, America is at the weakest it’s been since it fought for its independence from Great Britain.

We’re headed for financial ruin, are neither feared nor respected by our enemies, and are broken and bleeding due to possibly insurmountable internal divisions.  Yet last night, we doubled down on the policies that brought us to this point.

As we drive over the cliff, half the electorate has dropped its lead foot on the accelerator.

Conservatives will fight on, but with half the country rejecting the basic ideological underpinnings of America’s founding, it’s time to start wondering if there’s actually a way to win the war.

This is new territory, and we – as a nation – are on a very dangerous path.

By ROBERT LAURIE