OP-ED; 2004 ELECTION (HIGH SCHOOL)

America has spoken to the World: We are Religious Idiots!

On November 2nd, America spoke to the world by reelecting George W. Bush. We said, “We love God, Guns, and Country. We hate the world, reason, and rational thought.” This assertion is proven in a myriad of ways. The NBC News exit polling said that 22 percent of the country’s vote was concerned with “moral values.” Churchgoers overwhelmingly voted for George Bush. People with only a high school education voted devastatingly for Bush.
The result of the 2004 election was a victory via electoral and popular majority for incumbent President George W. Bush. The official electoral count was 286-252. He won 51 percent the popular vote and a clear majority of counties in the United States. Six new Senators and four more GOP House members rode his coattails.
Exit polling taken by NBC News says many things about the attitudes of voters in this election. The polls said that 22 percent of voters voted on the issue of “moral values,” making it the most pressing issue facing the electorate. 78 percent of these voters chose Bush on their ballots. Karl Rove is spinning this number to say it was the third concern behind national security and the economy. Do not buy a word of it.
The level of religiosity was asked on the exit polls as well. The section of the electorate that said that they attend church at least once a week voted in favor of Bush by 64 percent. The voters that said that they attend church less than once a month voted in favor of John Kerry by 62 percent. It was a battle between religious versus secular. Religion won out.
The level of education was a factor in voting. Those with only a high school degree voted Bush over Kerry by 53-47 percent. The college graduate voted for Bush as well by a similar margin. The voters with a postgraduate degree, or with the highest degree of their field, voted for Kerry 55-44 percent. Amongst all voters with a degree in higher education, the margin was exactly even at 49-49.
As once can see, a distinct group of people voted for Bush in this election. The typical voter for Bush was religious, uneducated, and moralistic. They believed that their America was being taken away from them by a “liberal élite.” They have faith in this president, and have a disdain for openness to new ideas. They want their traditional lifestyle to remain the same, not improve. They made their opinions known, and the nation will suffer because of it.