"Moral values." By near universal agreement the morning after, these two words tell the entire story of the election: it's the culture, stupid. There's only one problem with the storyline proclaiming that the country swung to the right on cultural issues in 2004. Like so many other narratives that immediately calcify into our 24/7 media's conventional wisdom, it is fiction. If anyone is laughing all the way to the bank this election year, it must be Rupert Murdoch. The Murdoch cultural stable includes recent books like Jenna Jameson's "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star" and the Vivid Girls' "How to Have a XXX Sex Life," which have both been synergistically, even joyously, promoted on Fox News. One sure-fire way for a Blue pundit to reach the heart of a Red voter is to accuse him of hypocrisy. However, this strategy is unlikely to endear the voter to the Blue Man and his group. Once again, the blue misunderstand the red, and they put their words into print, simultaneously putting themselves on national display and enshrining their confusion for posterity. For a little Blue boy exposed as a hypocrit, the charade has ended, and he knows it. He can no longer pretend to be what he is not. But he is unlikely to apologize or mend his ways. The Blue version of mea culpa has more in common with Paul Harvey's catchphrase: "And Now You Know ... the Rest of the Story." If the opportunity presents itself, he might even bask in the publicity. But for a Red man caught red-handed, it's all about Shame and Guilt. While some lashing out is likely, much of the pain is internalized. Instead of tearing down unrealistic expectations of himself, the brightness of the spotlight leads him into hiding. Alone with his thoughts, he sees these events as part of a life challenge ... a struggle. He seeks Guidance, and with his convictions reinforced, he emerges to the world, often acknowledging his faults, but more than ever, supremely confident in the righteousness of his Path. He is a Sinner, yes. But he knows the Way, and seeks the Light. In the mind of the Red man, the fact that he may succumb to Blue temptations in no way makes Right the behavior of the temptress. She is Evil through and through. And so the battle rages on. On 'Moral Values,' It's Blue in a Landslide |