Back in 2002, Garrison Keillor smeared newly-elected Norm Coleman of Minnesota. In mid-2004, he released a book called Homegrown Democrat: a Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America , which demonstrated the warm feelings he plainly thought about the people who make up the heart of America.

The day after the elections this month, Keillor again demonstrates his superior tolerance and willingness to accept a diversity of ideas and opinion.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International, which once ran TV ads featuring celebrities toasting freedom, demonstrates their new-found contempt for the idea. (Note the poster in that above link. I read it as moving beyond believing the idea that "Bush=Hitler". That poster is implying that America=Nazi Germany. Gee, nice, Amnesty.)

Paul Mirengoff of Power Line places these sorts of temper-tantrum-like actions into context:

Liberals don't want to give the public much credit even when it elects Democrats, and this fact reinforces my thesis. The liberals attributed Clinton's win in 1992 to "the economy, stupid" coupled with "Bubba's" ability to connect with rednecks. If they viewed Clinton's win in 1996 as the result of anything more uplifting, I guess I missed it. Compare this to the way Republicans talk about Reagan's victories or Bush's recent triumph. All of this suggests that leading Democrats don't hold the public in contempt because they are now the minority party; rather they are now the minority party because they hold the public in contempt.

I think there's much truth there. And in a way, they have only themselves to blame: their actions, all year, but especially in the weeks before Election Tuesday, were not a signal to middle-America that these were sophisticated grown-ups you wanted to let run the country. Despite Garrison's opinion, Red Staters aren't stupid--and can smell contempt and condescension for their ideals and beliefs a mile away.

Update: David Limbaugh agrees, writing:

Voters can usually detect counterfeit peddlers of faith and morality. For candidates to resonate in this area they have to do more than talk. They must show they truly believe in what they're selling. But it's more than that. In the end, it ultimately turns on what they're selling.

For presidential candidates to garner the conservative Christian vote — which is the block of voters we're mostly talking about here — they can't get too far by just promoting any issue and wrapping it in the language of morality.

It will be very interesting to see where--and how--the left goes from here.

Update: Charles Eklund has some advice for Keillor:

Keep talking.

Keep pushing the Democratic Party further away from the life experiences of the average American. Keep demonizing group after group. Gun owners, small business people, the professional middle class and now Christians. Run 'em off, tell 'em the Democrats can get by without their sorry arses.

See if that's the way to win elections.

I dare ya.