Rules to live by

Among the many columns resulting from the recent election were a number from Red Staters attempting to explain to Blue Staters why John Kerry lost the election. Included in these explanations were tips for Blue Staters to use in future elections.

However most of these tips assume people buy the GOP’s view of history. Any Blue Stater who know the facts behind the issues like the Swift Boats Veterans for Truth and Kerry’s alleged flip-flopping, will surely question the motives of these “helpful” people.

However, in a rush to figure out why they lost, some Blue Staters may take their “advice.” But before doing so, here are 10 things Blue Staters must understand.

1.) The Media is NOT the Democrats friend. Red Staters who complain about the CBS National Guard story forget that it was the New York Times, Washington Post and other “lefty” media that promoted the GOP’s agenda in pursuing the “War Against Gore,” the Whitewater investigation, and campaign against Kerry.
2.) The media is clueless. The media makes mistakes because they (i.e. CBS) won’t do the work to fully investigate political stories.
3.) Facts don’t matter. A University of Maryland study, The Separate Realities of Bush and Kerry Supporters, found that Bush supporters believed Iraq had WMD’s or a major program, that WMD’s had been found and that experts also share these views. Few Kerry supporters held these fictitious beliefs.
4.) The media is uncomfortable going after the GOP. Mark Hertsgaard’s “On Bended Knee” showed how the Reagan administration tamed the media and transformed it into its willing mouthpiece. With Bill Clinton in the White House, the media attacked, shown by Joe Conason in “The Hunting of the President.” With the GOP back, expect a sequel from Hertsgaard.
5.) Fight fire with fire. In Elliott Ness, Sean Connery’s character said the way to fight Al Capone was if "they pull a knife, you pull a gun. They send one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue."
6.) Strong and Wrong beats Weak and Right. George Bush is weaker but his obstinance was portrayed as determination.
7.) Honesty and integrity apparently are not GOP values. Jeb Bush helped steal an election; Neil Bush, as member of the Board of Silverado, was part of one of the largest savings and loans scandals; and George W. Bush ran one of the most dishonest campaigns in recent history.
8.) Democratic values are America’s values. For all the celebratory talk about Bush’s victory, the GOP is ditching his values to change the constitution so in 2008 they can nominate Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a pro-choice, pro-stem cell research, and domestic partnership supporter.
9.) It's not who votes that counts - it's who counts the votes. Joseph Stalin said it but Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris figured it out in 2000.
10.) You can’t fool all of the people all of the time. This may be the Blue Stater’s last, best hope.