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Would the Republican party be able to pick up enough young voters to offset the loss of the religious right?
Today's GOP needs the religious right to win. Evangelicals however vote on principal concerning social issues so if the Republicans ran a candidate that endorsed gay marriage, evangelicals would either stay home or run their own candidate. Millennials however have a fiscally conservative lean and would be open to the Republican party if the GOP was more in line with their views on homosexuality and the role of religion in the public square. Could this work for Republicans, or if not could there ever be a serious third party candidate who was an economic conservative but championed young Americans' pro-gay values?
They need to do something to stay competitive nationally. It will be interesting to watch the power struggle as different fractions of the republican party fight to control the GOP narrative. Ron Paul got robbed in Iowa, had he been declared the winner earlier in the primary this election may have looked a lot different. The GOP has run the exact same type of candidate the last 2 election cycles and it has been an epic failure both times. As the countries demographics continue to become more diverse the Republicans have to attract a broader voting block.
Bear in mind that they just ran the closest thing to a pro-gay candidate we've ever seen the GOP run. Romney just didn't have the utter contempt and hate for gays that you expect from the GOP. Quite the opposite really.
Evangelicals from the south are not all bad, but they are the subset containing a lot of bad things that are bad for the GOP. Racism and religious intolerance within the evangelicals marks the GOP as racist, patriarchal, anti-immigration and a Christian only club. That isn't helping the GOP and the party ought to just wash their hands of the whole thing. Let the evangelicals vote for whatever they believe in, but no more letting them set policy within the GOP.
I think the GOP can either move towards Libertarianism or stay where they are and die the slow death that we saw with the Whigs. The Libertarian movement may need to change a few details here or there. It isn't perfect in every aspect. No party is. But the overall message of the Libertarians resonates, with young people in particular. The reason it resonates is that it's just filled with common sense.
For Millennials, it’s not about not about being pro-gay. It’s that gay rights are self-evident and a non-issue, like miscegenation laws. Thus supporting gay marriage wouldn’t gain Republicans many supporters in and of itself.
In legal terms there are only four issues: (1) anti-sodomy laws, which were struck down by SCOTUS; (2) Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which as been repealed, (3) same-sex marriage and DOMA, which exists in some states and is on its way to being implemented nationally; and (3) general discrimination policies, like adoption.
Of these issues, two are moot, one is working its way through the courts, legislatures and ballot boxes, and the others are very vulnerable to court challenges.
Once these are achieved, which won’t be long now, there’s not much else to do in legal terms. There will be no need for specifically pro-gay rights politicians.
Evangelicals on the other hand, have an entire litany of issues (abortion, prayer in schools, evolution, and many more) that will never be resolved.
If Republicans stopped paying lip service to all of that, they probably would attract a different base. Whether it would be large enough to make up for Evangelicals I don’t know.
For Millennials, it’s not about not about being pro-gay. It’s that gay rights are self-evident and a non-issue, like miscegenation laws. Thus supporting gay marriage wouldn’t gain Republicans many supporters in and of itself.
In legal terms there are only four issues: (1) anti-sodomy laws, which were struck down by SCOTUS; (2) Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which as been repealed, (3) same-sex marriage and DOMA, which exists in some states and is on its way to being implemented nationally; and (3) general discrimination policies, like adoption.
Of these issues, two are moot, one is working its way through the courts, legislatures and ballot boxes, and the others are very vulnerable to court challenges.
Once these are achieved, which won’t be long now, there’s not much else to do in legal terms. There will be no need for specifically pro-gay rights politicians.
Evangelicals on the other hand, have an entire litany of issues (abortion, prayer in schools, evolution, and many more) that will never be resolved.
If Republicans stopped paying lip service to all of that, they probably would attract a different base. Whether it would be large enough to make up for Evangelicals I don’t know.
The GOP will come around. They'll eventually realize that there's no more water to be drawn from the well of anti-gay bigotry. And then the evengelicals will grudgingly hold their noses and go along with it. Just like Billy Graham decided, once Romney was the nominee, to scrub his website of all "Mormonism is a cult!" references.
The GOP will come around. They'll eventually realize that there's no more water to be drawn from the well of anti-gay bigotry. And then the evengelicals will grudgingly hold their noses and go along with it. Just like Billy Graham decided, once Romney was the nominee, to scrub his website of all "Mormonism is a cult!" references.
The bolded part I find to be absolutely hilarious ... and a little tragic in a way too. Billy Graham took Mormonism off of the "evil cult" thought control list right at the 11th hour. Most other prominent Christian figures have yet to follow suit.
A vote that close is a game of inches. How many percentage points were conservative Christian folks who had been taught to hate Mormons all their lives? How many of that sort voted against Romney or didn't vote at all purely because they're still convinced that Romney was an evil Satanic cult member? Romney was the only candidate the GOP actually took seriously that could have actually beaten Obama, but I think bigotry just bit the GOP in the butt once again. I'd love to see numbers to either refute or prove out that point.
The bolded part I find to be absolutely hilarious ... and a little tragic in a way too. Billy Graham took Mormonism off of the "evil cult" thought control list right at the 11th hour. Most other prominent Christian figures have yet to follow suit.
A vote that close is a game of inches. How many percentage points were conservative Christian folks who had been taught to hate Mormons all their lives? How many of that sort voted against Romney or didn't vote at all purely because they're still convinced that Romney was an evil Satanic cult member? Romney was the only candidate the GOP actually took seriously that could have actually beaten Obama, but I think bigotry just bit the GOP in the butt once again. I'd love to see numbers to either refute or prove out that point.
Does it remind you of something from 2008?
Early in 2008, James Dobson declared that he wouldn't even vote for McCain if the GOP nominated him. A few months later, he announced that he was not only voting for McCain, he was endorsing him.
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