They have a front-page editorial saying they’ve established a “post-WWII consensus on terorrism,” of course. But look what the actual commentators are saying:
http://www.nationalreview.com/kudlow/kudlow200411031343.asp
Who would have thought that lying exit polls, socially conservative Democrats, and Evangelical Christians would have dwarfed traditional issues like national security and economic prosperity on Election Day 2004. But — at the margin and in important ways — the exit polls and the Evangelicals may have pushed President George W. Bush over the victory line.
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/bennett200411031109.asp
On this last point, one veteran political reporter told me, “I heard again and again from people connected to, and members of, black churches who did not look kindly on gay marriage, and were very motivated against it. They, more than anyone else, did not see it as a civil right — and were angered by those who claimed it was.”
Oh, and the smoking gun exit poll I was looking for:
The national exit polling conducted by the Los Angeles Times confirms all these findings, showing that “[M]ore than half of Bush’s voters cited moral issues as a principal reason for their support — more than any other issue, including even terrorism.” In fact, morals trumped terrorism by seven percentage points in the Los Angeles Times poll.
In related news, oh fuck, here it comes:
Having restored decency to the White House, President Bush now has a mandate to affect policy that will promote a more decent society, through both politics and law. His supporters want that, and have given him a mandate in their popular and electoral votes to see to it. Now is the time to begin our long, national cultural renewal (“The Great Relearning,” as novelist Tom Wolfe calls it) — no less in legislation than in federal court appointments. It is, after all, the main reason George W. Bush was reelected.
Democrats, I hope you’re ready for some serious hardball.