Everyone saw what four years under an extreme liberal president looked like. Yet, American chose to keep him for four more years. What does this mean? I believe there are only two possibilities.

1. We are witnessing the Decline of America . . . and the world. Melodramatic? Maybe . . . but it is naive to forget that all great civilizations have collapsed at some point in human history. Unfortunately, the chain of events for our collapse are all in place. This election cemented what is likely the permanent government control of healthcare. It is guaranteed to grow to be more expensive than advertised, sucking almost all the money being spent for defense (as it did in Europe) and forcing the raising of taxes to economic-suppression levels. Previously the world’s unofficial sheriff, we will then be forced to retreat to within our own borders.

As the saying goes, the rats come out to play when the cat goes away. China will have no check against their expansionist ambitions, seizing resources off the coasts of all surrounding, weaker countries. Sensing America’s weakness, China has already threatened the Philippines with war. Iran will fear no retaliation if/when they decide to wipe Israel off the map, as they’ve repeatedly promised to do. Out of necessity, a global arms race will commence. After all, if the Americans aren’t around, who will fight to keep them safe, except themselves? Because despite what is taught on college campuses, America has been the most benevolent super-power in human history, spreading freedom and keeping the peace around the world.

Europe, already on the edge of bankruptcy, will be forced to boost military spending in America’s absence, sucking money out of their own already failing welfare states. This house of cards will collapse, probably sooner rather than later, resulting in mass social unrest and riots in the streets, as demonstrated by Greece. Chaos naturally results in dictatorship, as citizens desperately will follow anyone who promises order. What happens next is anyone’s guess. Dictators range from the semi-tolerable (like President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt) to more ideological and ruthless (like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin). One thing for sure: the freedom that America has championed and defended around the world would die.

While most readers would shun such a bleak outlook of our near future, it is wise to recall that this exact scenario happened before around the 5th century. The Roman Empire achieved incredible technology, military strength and an economic prosperity that was unmatched in history. Although many factors play into a civilization’s collapse, as Rome declined, it was noted for the breakdown of its families, a free sex culture, and a powerful welfare state that was demanded by its citizens. Sound familiar? What came next is what some call the Dark Ages where all this technological progress and freedom achieved by Rome was lost for 1000 years.

2. Fortunately, I believe there is one more possibility. There is a small chance that the American citizen hasn’t yet completely reached the level of the Roman citizen when free bread and free entertainment is more important than having pride in your hard work and the future of their country. Maybe they were simply duped. Never before has America’s news reporters and entertainment industry worked in almost complete unity to make sure a particular candidate they favored won the election. They defended Obama’s socialist comments ridiculing business owners (“If you’ve got a business – you didn’t build that.”) while continually blasting Romney’s (accurate) comments that 47% of the country wouldn’t vote for him. Media “fact-checkers” consistently labeled Romney’s comments and ads false or lies, even after admitting they were technically correct. These same “fact-checkers” meanwhile never bothered looking into Obama’s ridiculous claims about “firing Big Bird”, women losing birth control, the false narrative that the Ledbetter law was about “pay equality”, just to name a few. Examples of the media shamelessly spinning stories in Obama’s favor are endless.

Duped or not, this election has crumbled conservative’s beliefs that America’s right-of-center “silent majority” is a sleeping giant that just needed to be woken up. If anything, it has been reduced to a flock of sheep, led by silly sound-bites that “Romney looks out of touch” rather than seriously debating each candidate’s economic policies.

If this country has a hope to turn our downward spiral around, it would mean that conservatives learn how to communicate to the disengaged masses. Forget trying to explain that raising tax rates never produce as much revenue as politicians claim. Dumb down the message and sell it with emotional and cultural messages, not intellectual. Never again can conservatives overestimate the intelligence of the American people.

I previously believed that removing Obama from office was America’s last hope. I’m going to now be working my butt off to prove myself wrong.