header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
September 18
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital


Out of Left Field | Commentary by Charlie Vignola
| Monday, Dec 10, 2012

It’s been a month since Barack Obama was re-elected president, despite how utterly convinced all of my Republican friends were that it would never happen.  In retrospect, I really should have made more bets on the outcome, as I’d be on easy street right now.

In the post-mortem, lots of different reasons have been proffered: Romney wasn’t conservative enough (because Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich would have stood a better chance of being elected?); Hurricane Sandy blunted Romney’s momentum from the first debate (which was statistically gone by the time the hurricane hit). The biggest consensus among conservatives for why Obama won was basically a re-run of Romney’s infamous “47 percent” argument: People just wanted “gifts,” so they voted for the guy offering more of them.

But what this excuse always conveniently leaves out is that Romney was offering plenty of “gifts” to the people who voted for him, as well.  It’s just that Romney’s gifts were much more extravagant.

If you voted for Romney, oil and gas companies would have looked forward to gifts such as tens of billions in subsidies that they don’t need and didn’t deserve, as well as Romney killing subsidies for their biggest competition – clean energy companies – thus slanting the markets even further in their favor.

Not only that, but with Romney taking the teeth out of the Environmental Protection Agency, energy companies would have made even more money since they’d no longer have to worry about cleaning up their pollution – which, as we all know, doesn’t contribute to global warming, since that’s just a hoax anyway.

Wealthy people who voted for Romney would have received gifts in the form of another generous income tax cut that would have been the equivalent of giving them an annual 20-percent raise without having to grow their businesses or create even one new job.

That’s not all.  If you were a millionaire or billionaire, you would have been able to leave your entire fortune tax-free to your heirs, since Romney intended to get rid of the estate tax.  Oh, and that dividend money that rich folks like Romney live on?  They’d make even more money, since dividend taxes would be slashed, as well.

Christmas would have come early for religious extremists, as Romney would have done everything possible to ensure that women lost their reproductive freedoms.  So, all you teenagers who accidentally got pregnant?  Under Romney, you’d be on the hook for the $300,000 it costs to raise a child until age 17, and don’t expect any extra help from government social programs because we’d be be slashing those, too, to pay for all those goodies for the “makers.”

Social conservatives would also look forward to having the Constitution rewritten to enshrine bigotry by depriving gay Americans of marriage equality, thus relegating an entire class of people to second-class status and guaranteeing that they were legally perceived as abnormal.

Finally, Romney would grant conservatives one of the biggest gifts of all by appointing a few more hard-right justices to the Supreme Court, shifting the balance of power for a generation and allowing the GOP to roll back affirmative action, voters’ rights laws, protections for working Americans, and rendering democracy even more vulnerable to corporate takeover with further decisions like Citizens United.

You have to admit that those are some pretty good gifts, right?  A little more epic in scope than food stamps and unemployment insurance.

Fortunately for the majority of Americans, none of that shall come to pass.  On Nov. 6, 2012, 4.5 million more voters chose Obama than Romney.  Conservatives insist that’s not that big of a victory.  Oh, really?  That’s 45 Super Bowl stadiums full of people more.  Sounds pretty big to me.

Obama doesn’t have a mandate, say disgruntled conservatives.  Oh, really?  He won by 332 electoral votes. That’s 126 more electoral votes than Romney.  In 2004, Bush claimed he had a mandate after winning by just one state.  Sorry, but Republicans don’t get to redefine “mandate” just because they’ve lost the popular vote five out of the last six presidential election cycles.

My best advice to the GOP: Stop coming up with excuses for why your guy lost. More people rejected him and his policies; that’s why he lost. Give up on trying to brand Obama as a socialist. It’s a losing strategy and nobody cares. Start getting used to real political compromise, or it’s going to be a long four years.

 

Charlie Vignola describes himself as a former College Republican turned Liberal Democrat.  A resident of the Santa Clarita Valley since 1999, he works in the motion picture industry and loves his wife and kids.

 

 

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


Opinion Section Policy
All opinions and ideas are welcome. Factually inaccurate, libelous, defamatory, profane or hateful statements are not. Your words must be your own. All commentary is subject to editing for legibility. There is no length limit, but the shorter, the better the odds of people reading it. "Local" SCV-related topics are preferred. Send commentary to: LETTERS (at) SCVNEWS.COM. Author's full name, community name, phone number and e-mail address are required. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are not published except at author's request. Acknowledgment of submission does not guarantee publication.
Read More From...
RECENT COMMENTARY
Friday, Sep 13, 2024
As a father of three, I understand firsthand the importance of guiding our children through open communication and keeping them engaged in extracurricular activities and sports to foster their growth.
Thursday, Sep 12, 2024
You may have noticed that things look a little different around our city. Maybe you noticed the motion sensor lights at our parks, or the solar panels being installed in city parking lots.
Wednesday, Sep 11, 2024
California State  Sen. Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) is urging residents to prepare an emergency evacuation plan as the Line Fire, Bridge Fire and several other wildfires continue to pose a serious threat to High Desert and foothill communities.
Wednesday, Sep 11, 2024
As we approach the November 2024 elections, the importance of informed voting cannot be overstated. The choices we make at the ballot box will shape the future of our city, state and nation. Yet, in an era where soundbites often substitute for substantive discussion, how can voters truly grasp the complexities of the issues at hand?
Friday, Sep 6, 2024
As scorching triple-digit temperatures engulf Los Angeles County throughout the weekend and excessive heat warnings have been issued for many communities in Los Angeles County’s Fifth District, I urge residents to do their part to lessen the threat of wildfires.
Thursday, Sep 5, 2024
After being part of the Parks and Recreation Commission in the early 90s and spending nearly 30 years on the City Council, my life has been dedicated to creating a community where residents and businesses feel welcomed and safe here in Santa Clarita.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
California Institute of the Arts alum and visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (Film/Video 1979) was honored with the 2,788th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
CalArts Alum Tim Burton Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center welcomes back Jim Curry for an evening concert celebrating the music of John Denver on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at Bella Vida.
Oct. 5: SCV Senior Center Welcomes Jim Curry ‘Take Me Home’
As part of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency's ongoing commitment to ensuring local groundwater quality and reliability, the SCV Water recently began construction on a new treatment facility to remove perchlorate and volatile organic compounds at Well 205 in Valencia.
SCV Water Begins New Water Treatment Project in Valencia
Get ready to set sail at the Pirates SENSES Block Party, presented by the city of Santa Clarita, Thursday, Sept 19 from 7-10 p.m. on main street in Old Town Newhall.
Sept. 19: SENSES Pirate Block Party
No. 21 College of the Canyons football team knocked off No. 5 Fullerton College 29-13 on Saturday night behind a stifling defensive effort and five field goals from Luis Rodriguez.
No. 21 Canyons Knocks Off No. 5 Fullerton 29-13
Six of the seven Foothill League Varsity football teams begin league play Friday night, Sept. 20.
Foothill League Football Begins for SCV Teams
The California Institute of the Arts will present the "NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball", Friday, Oct. 4, 7-11 p.m. at 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355.
Oct. 4: NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball at Cal Arts
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating two human cases of a rare parasitic infection, Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as raccoon roundworm.
Public Health Investigating Disease Spread from Animals to Humans
1879 - First official Newhall School building erected near Walnut & Ninth streets [story]
First Newhall School
The city of Santa Clarita is hosting Make A Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 26 and is looking for enthusiastic residents to volunteer for various projects that benefit local nonprofits, as well as the city.
Oct. 26: Volunteers Needed for Make a Difference Day
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and PathPoint announced the graduation of Aiden Land and Andrew Mendence from the Project SEARCH internship program.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, PathPoint Celebrate Grad Interns
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced upcoming community information meetings about Learning Post Academy Independent Study School, Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday, Sept. 19.
Sept. 18-19: Learning Post Academy Online Information Meetings
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18, 5 p.m. in open session to interview and appoint a new trustee for Area 5.
Sept. 18: COC Board to Interview, Appoint Area 5 Trustee
The city of Santa Clarita wants to remind residents that volunteer registration is open for the 29th Annual River Rally Cleanup and Environmental Expo scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the William S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball Complex, 23780 Auto Center Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Sept. 20: Last Chance to Register for the River Rally
The California Highway Patrol is dedicating Sept. 15-21 to promoting child passenger safety across California, focusing on the protection of the state’s youngest road users.
CHP Emphasizes Child Safety for National Child Passenger Safety Week
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board will take place Tuesday, Sept. 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17: SUSD Regular Board Meeting
West Ranch High School’s Studio A Jazz Band will be the opening act for the Huntertones, a Brooklyn-based sextet, who are coming to the Santa Clarita Valley for a one-night performance.
Sept 30: West Ranch Jazz Band to Open for Huntertones
An exclusive Ransomeware webinar "Ransomeware, Don't Be the Next Victim!" will be hosted Wednesday, Sept. 25, 11 a.m.- noon by Shield IT Networks, in partnership with Lucas Insurance Services. It will be free for VIA members.
Sept. 25: Free Ransomeware Webinar for VIA Members
As part of the Third Annual Business for Artists Conference on Saturday, Oct. 19, Judith Modrak will lead the Imaginary Fossils Sculpture Making Workshop.
Oct.19: Business for Artists Fossils Sculpture Making Workshop
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Sept. 16 to Friday, Sept. 20.
Six Productions Filming in Santa Clarita
1872 - Mitchell adobe home in Soledad Canyon area first used as schoolhouse; genesis of 1879 Sulphur Springs School District [story]
Mitchell adobe
1970 - SCV voters recall two Hart School Board members who didn't let Canyon students protest the Vietnam War [story]
voting
1924 - SCV Deputy Ed Brown killed in shootout with Gus Le Brun [story]
Deputy Ed Brown
SCVNews.com