Take for instance Minnesota. As of this writing, they are on the verge of electing a tax-evading troglodyte to the U.S. Senate over a man of integrity and thoughtfulness. Pennsylvania reelected Mertha, a man who called his own constituents racists. Then Pennsylvania did themselves one better by supporting a presidential candidate who is on record as calling them back-water “bitter-clingers.”

The heads of mining companies supported a presidential candidate who promised to cap-and-trade them out of existence. Christians, who claim a pro-life stance, trended toward supporting a president who has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and simultaneously believed he would reduce the number of abortions. The poor, who will suffer disproportionately under the president-elect’s taxing of oil companies, supported him in droves. Supporters of Israel supported a candidate whose actual record of association (it’s the only record he has) is anti-Israel. Pundits who complained about Bush’s experience and political pedigree glossed over a candidate’s complete lack of experience. People who crucified McCain by associating him with Bush cried foul when Obama was associated with anyone. Investigative journalists didn’t seem phased by known and uncovered systemic voter registration fraud. Individuals making over $200,000 a year voted in greater numbers than usual for a man and a party that wants to take more of their money and give it to people who won’t work.

The list could go on, and it all points to one direction—we lost our minds today.

Why? Well, that is the question conservatives have to answer over the next two years if they are going to bring our nation back to its senses. Bush’s last four years were no real help and McCain did not run a very good campaign. We suffered under a lack of brave and principled leadership in the House and Senate during a time when conservatives could have reclaimed fiscal and social policy from the cultural pressures of liberalism.

But we didn’t do it, and today we suffered the consequences. It is unlikely our populace has actually moved hard-left toward serious socialism, but they did react against the less-than-stellar showing by conservatives in just enough numbers for this to be a wake-up call.

Unfortunately, the result is the election of a man whose only known beliefs are hard-left. Let’s hope and work for a near future where conservatism finds its soul and its legs again and proposes some serious ideas to a nation that, if the numbers are to be believed, agrees with them anyway.