Wednesday, November 24 2004
TERRORISM & SECURITY TRUMPED MORAL VALUES: These poll numbers from Mason-Dixon's final round of polling in battleground states (Oct 26-29) contradict the widely held belief from the exit polling that "moral values" were the number one issues for voters - particularly Bush voters.

Question: Which ONE of the following issues will be MOST important in determining your vote for president this year: (ORDER ROTATED)

BUSH VOTERS	OH	MO	PA	MI	IA	WV	WI	AR	OR	NH	FL
Terrorism/Security	43	39	44	42	41	41	41	39	40	40	40
Moral/Family	22	26	23	24	24	24	23	27	24	20	22
Economy/Jobs	12	10	12	17	8	13	11	9	13	12	4
Health Care	9	9	10	6	9	8	8	10	6	9	7
Iraq	7	8	5	6	10	6	8	6	11	8	15
Others	7	8	6	5	8	8	9	9	6	11	12

Question: Which ONE of the following candidate qualities will be MOST IMPORTANT in determining your vote for president this year: (ORDER ROTATED)

BUSH VOTERS	OH	MO	PA	MI	IA	WV	WI	AR	OR	NH	FL
Strong Leader	45	44	41	44	47	50	44	40	46	47	N/A
Honest/Trustworthy	21	19	20	17	18	17	22	22	19	21	N/A
Religious Faith	16	17	18	15	16	14	13	17	16	11	N/A
Stand on Issues	13	15	19	18	14	14	16	14	15	17	N/A
Others	5	5	2	6	5	5	5	7	4	4	N/A

I have more confidence in these pre-election numbers from Brad Coker and Mason-Dixon than from any of the exit polls. While moral and family issues were obviously important to Bush voters, the number one issue was clearly terrorism/security and President Bush's leadership.

If there is one reason the Democrats lost this election, it is 9/11 and the War on Terror. Period. To acknowledge this reality, however, liberals would be forced to confront their left-wing opposition to the President's War on Terror and their attitudes toward the application of American military force. So instead they prattle on about moral values, gay marriage and James Dobson.

Democrats will continue to be at a profound disadvantage in national elections as long as so many in their party cling to the post-Vietnam baby-boomer mentality towards the American military, American power and continue to be conflicted over whether America is a force for good or evil in this world.

RICHARD COHEN: While we're on the subject of liberals being conflicted about America's role in the world, this paragraph from Richard Cohen's column yesterday is a perfect example of the type of attitude I'm talking about:

Iran is an Islamic (Shiite) theocracy, and it is engaged in a struggle with Israel that makes as much sense from Iran's point of view as did, say, the American effort to rid the world of the Nicaraguan Sandinistas. In its own way, every country is a bit nuts.

So the mullahs decreeing that Israel has to be destroyed is the same as Ronald Reagan's nutty idea that the U.S. had a moral and strategic obligation to fight communism in Central America?

This type of wrongheaded moral equivalency is standard fare in the modern Democratic Party. As long as it remains, its members are going to have a very tough time convincing a majority of Americans that they (and their Presidential candidates) are up to the task of dealing with the serious challenges presented in a post 9/11 world. J. McIntyre 9:00 am Link | Email | Send to a Friend