Editor:
I was out of town having enjoyed the Bruce Springsteen concert in Denver on Monday. We all thanked Bruce (at least mentally) for his support of President Obama during the campaign. Barack had Bruce, Mitt had Kid Rock. So traveling back on Tuesday caused me to miss James Kellogg’s take on the election. I found it Saturday, as I enjoyed reading the lamentations of the right after the Romney victory was ripped from their grasp.
According to Mr. Kellogg, the country is being held under a Svengali-like trance by President Obama and the Democrats. Never mind the fact that Obama won the election by the highest percentage since Ronald Reagan. Forget that the Electoral College margin exceeded all the Republican pundits predictions. It was the “gifts” that the president promised that carried the day. So here is a brief note about Mr. Kellogg and Mr. Romney’s delusion: Starting with the 2000 election, the states that have benefited the most from federal spending have voted Republican. Those that pay the most in taxes per dollar received in spending vote Democratic. This paradox occurs even considering a state’s per-capita income, total population, racial composition, education level and defense spending. Red states also have more auto fatalities, higher divorce rates, higher obesity, and lower education levels. Surveys also show that Fox News viewers are the most uninformed about issues, but hey, that’s just rubbing it in.
What actually prompted this letter was the following paragraph from Mr. Kellogg: “The coup d’etat was team Obama’s characterization of Mitt Romney as a corporate felon with disdain for the 47 percent of Americans who are beneficiaries of a vast array of government programs.” I love it when the right tries to go intellectual on us. Definition of coup d’etat: A sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force. I’m sure Mr. Kellogg meant coup de grâce, a finishing stroke or decisive event, which in reality, this election was. Final insult for the ironically challenged GOP: 47 percent, the percentage of the vote for Romney. And we did “keep the change.”
Craig S. Chisesi
Rifle