Liberal "Victory"

While not a Senate race, the special election in Ohio's second congressional district is worthy of some attention because of the dramatic shift that it shows in American politics. Liberals have actually redefined victory by claiming that every near-miss is a win. First it was the Scream, er, Dean campaign when People Powered Howard claimed victory by mobilizing a tremendous youth movement that just had one minor detail go wrong: they didn't show up at the polls. Then MoveOn.org called the last win a victory because of their grassroots mobilization. Now, over at Swing State, liberals are giddy over yet another near miss. Ohio 2 is a Republican stronghold. Last year's reelection of Rob Portman was a cake walk. Today's race was closer, but again, Democrats lost.

This is a dramatic shift in American politics. Just over a decade ago, Democrats controlled both the White House and Congress. Republicans were a permanent minority. Then came 1994 when the nation writ large rejected the leftwing extremism promoted by the establishment, including the first First Lady who actually thought that she was an elected official. While we have not yet completed our revolution, as Sen. Frist's betrayal illustrates, it is clear from the 2004 election that Americans want to continue to elect officials who believe in personal responsibility, family values, economic liberty, and a strong national defense. So dramatic is this shift that liberals no longer define "victory" as actually winning seats, but rather define it as not getting blown out. While Senator Frist's comments were discouraging, conservatives can take heart in just how dire the straights of modern day liberals are. With liberals willing to accept the election of conservatives as "victory", we can rest assured that we will be able to continue the restoration of values that brought about the revolution of 1994 in the first place.