Election 2023: How The MSN Narrative Misses The Mark
Election 2023: How The MSN Narratives Misses The Mark
The Mainstream Media, with help from the Biden Administration, is trying to portray Tuesday’s election as a return to the issues of the 1980s, primarily touting women’s right to an abortion. It’s a puzzling move, especially at a time when the literal survival of our nation is at stake.
Perhaps no one in Washington has bothered to shop at a local market or fill up at a gas station. They may have missed the skyrocketing cost of living in the country, as inflation peaks at a level not seen in 40 years.
Or they may not have noticed that America is currently profoundly embroiled in not one but two significant wars. Both of which threaten to turn nuclear at any moment. Somehow, our leadership in Washington has confronted both of the other two nuclear superpowers, China and Russia, while alienating the entire Middle East (less Israel). We are closer to a nuclear conflagration today than at any time in the past.
Or perhaps Washington has not read our country’s latest life expectancy data. Although the CDC tells us that the COVID-19 Pandemic is finished, people are still dying at a record rate. So much so that Americans can expect to live shorter lives for the first time in 100 years; it’s a significant indictment of our Public Health Systems.
I see what’s happening here. If I were defending these recent policies from Washington, I’d also like to talk about anything else: “Let’s talk about the 80s…”
Fortunately, that was not what I saw from my fellow citizens in Pennsylvania. What follows are my observations, recorded during Election Day 2023.
Election 2023
I live in an area known as Philadelphia Collar County, a collection of suburbs surrounding the country’s sixth most populous city, Philadelphia. It’s a generally affluent area. It is an area of many contrasts, from the new high-rise apartments in Exton, the multi-million dollar horse farms in upper Chester County, and the back-woods rural settings nestled near the Great Woods Conservation Region.
This area also has one of the nation’s critical electorates. The Collar Counties are a renowned “swing” group, often supporting the winning presidential candidate. In 2016, we went solidly for President Trump. We helped offset the solidly democratic block in Philadelphia, while in 2020, we swung to President Biden and helped give him the margin of victory.
On Tuesday, the Collar Counties joined the rest of the country in trudging to the polls to cast our vote. It was a local election for us, with candidates for school boards, judgeships, and townships filing the ballot. Although he did not appear on our ballots, one figure’s presence hung over the election like a pall: Joe Biden. As President, Biden’s policies have been instrumental in guiding the nation through the significant issues of War, Economic Growth, and Inflation.
Pennsylvania may differ from other states. We allow campaigning on election day. The political parties can set up tables with fliers and other campaign literature at a respectful distance from the actual “poll.” And it was here that the first surprise of the day appeared.
As noted, this is a “swing” county with an uncanny ability to vote for the victor in Presidential Elections. Consequently, there is almost always an equal number of poll workers and supporters at the two party’s campaign tables. Everything was expected at the R’s table: three or four workers and half a dozen supporters. All “shooting the breeze” and catching up on all the neighborhood news.
I expected to see the same at the “D’s” table, but instead, one lonely young lady sat by herself with no one to talk to. As I walked by and said, “Good morning,” it was as if she saw a long-lost relative. I may have been one of the first to greet her.
Now, she appeared to be someone other than the local landed gentry nor a partner of one of the significant Investment Firms that dot the area (Vanguard Funds is right down the street). Instead, I thought that she was likely at that table in support of one of the many Democrat Social stances, perhaps women’s rights and social and racial equality, or she was for or against one of the current wars: Ukraine or Gaza.
No matter her motivation for being there, it was obvious that she had become the election outcast. No one wished to talk to her or read her literature. And that was a first in all my time voting at this poll; this was the only time I have ever seen either party, R or D, without at least some supporters dropping by.
At the polls were the “hell or high water” citizens who took their civic responsibility seriously and would vote no matter what. It was mid-morning, as expected at that hour, and most in line were my fellow boomers. The usual discussions were in line: who died and who was in the rest home. Unfortunately, at this age, mortality is topic number one.
It’s also a generation that leaves a legacy that falls not too kindly on their progeny. The unseen issue on the ballot was war, peace, prosperity, and the American “Dream.” Will the boomers children have all of the opportunities that we had? It doesn’t seem so. And that’s a heavy burden.
To think that we boomers are endowing the next generation with “less” is almost unthinkable. Yet, there’s the reality. It is reflected in some of the long-term data that is now emerging. The number of workers who are permanently disabled is skyrocketing. For the first time in over 100 years, the life expectancy of the average American is declining.
Unimaginable.
Yes, the GDP is higher, and the stock market is also higher. But we seem just one crash away from all that tumbling to the ground.
Some dark shadows swirl around this President’s policies. Just why is the Administration allowing millions to come over our southern border? It’s much more than mere “social justice.” Are they trying to replace an aging and ill population?
Rumors are circulating that the “prophylactic” (I cannot use the common term for risk of censorship) may not have been as “safe and effective” as advertised. Did the FDA or manufacturers perform a thorough and complete safety test of these products?
The United States has spent well over $100 Billion in supporting Ukraine in its war effort. However, it is now reported that there have been no audits or controls of the monies and supplies sent. Rumors abound that US arms are ending up in the hands of terrorists around the world and that Ukrainian officials have become wealthy on the American largess. Does President Zelensky have a multi-million dollar Villa in Miami?
These are all the things that were gnawing at the stomachs of voters this week. Much of it was below the surface, and as far as I know, few of these accusations have been confirmed with documented published proof. Yet there is a growing sense that this Administration plays fast and loose with the normal rules and standards. Regulations and standards that helped build this country have been cast aside.
Although his name was not on the ballot, the specter of Joe Biden hung over this election. The next time we meet at our local polls, Joe Biden will be on the ballot. And if this election is any indication, he may be as unwelcome as that young lady with the “D” name tag.
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