ALEXANDRIA, VA – The re-election of President George W. Bush, a significant increase in the Senate's Republican majority, and the approval of state marriage protection ballot measures amounts to a triple-win for the conservative movement. More importantly, these results reflect America's growing conservative majority, said American Conservative Union Chairman David A. Keene.
"This President, by recognizing and mobilizing his conservative base, was able to do what Bill Clinton could not: win the presidency with more than 50 percent of the vote," said Keene. "Combining this fact with yesterday's large turnout means that this President does in fact have a solid base of public support, directly contradicting media spin that the President ‘has no mandate' to lead America.
"Further reflecting this fact is the dramatic increase of conservative Republicans in the Senate. Not only did voters reject the threadbare liberal policies of the soon-to-be-former Minority Leader Tom Daschle, but they elected Richard Burr, Tom Coburn, Jim DeMint, Johnny Isakson, and John Thune. In the U.S. House these five Senators-elect proved themselves to be solidly conservative Members of Congress. ACU is hopeful that the days of the Senate's willingness to show more conservative backbone are approaching.
"Finally, a number of states approved ballot measures protecting marriage, a clear repudiation of activist judges who are intent on unilaterally redefining this social institution. Liberals undoubtedly will continue to push this radical idea by opposing the appointment of judges who rightly enforce the law instead of creating it.
"Yesterday's resoundingly conservative results should make the uber-liberal organizations on the Left pause and reconsider their intentions to quash the appointment of any and all conservative judges to the federal bench.
"This election clearly gives President Bush a mandate to pursue the war on terrorism, reform the tax code and Social Security, nominate constitutionalist judges to the federal bench, and restrain the growth in government and spending."
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