"A Victory for People Like Us"

If you want a glimpse into the mind-set of some of the "values voters" who've coronated El Presidente for another run at immortality, take a look at this profile piece in the Washington Post. A perfectly nice couple in Ohio, with three adorable kids, barely scraping by in the Bush economy, religious to a fault, who don't care about anything much beyond the horror of gay marriage ...self-described as "the working poor," folks who will continue to carry water for their masters because their masters have convinced them that they will preserve certain sacred illusions for the sake of those adorable kids.

Says the wife, "I think it's so important to have a society of moral absolutes." (Yes, we've had those societies before. Salem, Mass., in 1690 comes to mind.)

Says the husband, "It's really good to know our country had a decision to make, and there are so many people who feel this way. It's a victory for people like us."

Well, yes it is. A huge bone-crushing victory. For people like you. And El Presidente fully intends to exploit it, as he made clear in his press conference yesterday. But while we used to say with a shrug that at least ignorance didn't ever kill anyone, we're beginning to amend that assessment.

ADDENDUM: Quote of the day: "The error that progressives have consistently committed over the years is to underestimate the vitality of ignorance in America." -- Jane Smiley, in Slate.