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So now one LT Governor, in one state says something stupid and an entire party is saddled with responsibility for the comment? There have been many, many stupid things said by Democrats over the years, but I generally limited credit for individual comments to those making them, not making the quantum leap in logic required to then assume that the comments of one person were intended to be the voice of the party.
The main point here is liberals are always speaking about inclusion, tolerance, and acceptance, yet they are very quick to paint an entire party with remarks from one person.
My definition of socially liberal is limited to my personal views, I do not speak for a party. I am fine with marriage equality, no issues at all. I am conflicted on abortion, and both sides of the argument are pretty repulsive in the lengths they will go in the defense of their respective positions. I am no more supportive of pro-lifers accosting young women outside abortion clinics than I am of the more virulent pro-choice crowd that clouds the issue with reproductive health concerns. Liveable wage is a great sound bite, but what does it really mean, and what are the full ramifications of imposing some poorly defined slogan on the real world? A liveable wage in New York City would be quite different from a liveable wage in Wooster, Ohio. We have minimum wage, and while I will agree that it is less than sufficient to live on, I would contend that it wasn't targeted at career minded adults, but more towards teen aged workers through college age.
The example I gave is very representative of a mindset that is pervasive in the GOP regarding the people who receive government assistance. Here's another one from this thread:
" Their mommies told them the Democrats were their best friends and would continue to bring them gifts, like food, housing vouchers, medical care and welfare checks." Nmita sez.
The pervasive use of the label "illegals" when talking about human beings regarding immigration; it's dehumanizing.
I would gather you're a man with your conflicted feelings regarding abortion and reproductive health issues "clouding" (really? Really??) the issues surrounding abortion. Good god, man, have you no idea the cold hard statistics of availability of birth control and rates of abortion? Lookitup!!! It was the legal access to birth control that created women's ability to CONTROL THEIR OWN REPRODUCTION. Which political party supports a woman's right over her own body?
Re: live able wage: do a little math: if your starting salary at a new job out of college was $12,000 thirtyfive years ago and you received a 2% (thereabouts) raise annually, how much would you be making per year by the time you retired at age 65? Please do a little research on how salaries for the average worker have absolutely stagnated and gone downward, rarely keeping up with the COL.
There are many career types of jobs whose workers are sorely underpaid and then there are progressive minded folks like the CEO of Costco who has a unionized workforce and the starting salary of a full time employee is $45,000/year. How's Costco doing on the stock exchange vs. Walmart? Walmart, being the country's largest private employer, by paying its employees a pittance, is also contributing to the proliferation of government assistance because a significant segment of employees require it. Lookitup. Which political party supports union labor more?
You never answered my question regarding just *who* in the GOP supports marriage equality, is pro choice,
(or, at least isn't supporting invasive pregnancy testing like vaginal probes at six weeks if a woman wants to exercise her constitutional right to control her own body and have an abortion), is open to sensible immigration reform and would be able to be NOMINATED in the GOP to run for president?
Those questions aside in the immediate paragraph above, who in any political party, GOP, Dems, Green, Libertarian, whatever party, most closely represents your views?
For heaven's sake, you can't, nor can I say, with any certainty any state is this or that and will never change. " (quote]
Baloney. Contrary to popular belief, science matters..demographics matter. As a fiscally conservative leaning Republican most of the time,the "stick your head in the sand , ignore all problems" types are why the party cannot compete for POTUS. We MUST stop dismissing stats simply because the storyline is not to our liking. That is ignorant. It is also accepting defeat as unchangeable.
Ceding 19 states with 90% of the required 270, and 2 more due to demographics that pushes the 90% past 95% is a certain losing proposition.The solution rests with winning back some of the 19, and that means a NEW more moderate platform and candidates who actually espouse moderation during the years leading up to elections, as well as election season.
What is going on in the country also matters when the country decides we are on the wrong course it will change
The example I gave is very representative of a mindset that is pervasive in the GOP regarding the people who receive government assistance. Here's another one from this thread:
" Their mommies told them the Democrats were their best friends and would continue to bring them gifts, like food, housing vouchers, medical care and welfare checks." Nmita sez.
The pervasive use of the label "illegals" when talking about human beings regarding immigration; it's dehumanizing.
I would gather you're a man with your conflicted feelings regarding abortion and reproductive health issues "clouding" (really? Really??) the issues surrounding abortion. Good god, man, have you no idea the cold hard statistics of availability of birth control and rates of abortion? Lookitup!!! It was the legal access to birth control that created women's ability to CONTROL THEIR OWN REPRODUCTION. Which political party supports a woman's right over her own body?
Re: live able wage: do a little math: if your starting salary at a new job out of college was $12,000 thirtyfive years ago and you received a 2% (thereabouts) raise annually, how much would you be making per year by the time you retired at age 65? Please do a little research on how salaries for the average worker have absolutely stagnated and gone downward, rarely keeping up with the COL.
There are many career types of jobs whose workers are sorely underpaid and then there are progressive minded folks like the CEO of Costco who has a unionized workforce and the starting salary of a full time employee is $45,000/year. How's Costco doing on the stock exchange vs. Walmart? Walmart, being the country's largest private employer, by paying its employees a pittance, is also contributing to the proliferation of government assistance because a significant segment of employees require it. Lookitup. Which political party supports union labor more?
You never answered my question regarding just *who* in the GOP supports marriage equality, is pro choice,
(or, at least isn't supporting invasive pregnancy testing like vaginal probes at six weeks if a woman wants to exercise her constitutional right to control her own body and have an abortion), is open to sensible immigration reform and would be able to be NOMINATED in the GOP to run for president?
Those questions aside in the immediate paragraph above, who in any political party, GOP, Dems, Green, Libertarian, whatever party, most closely represents your views?
Fully understand the access to contraception and impact on reproduction rates, got it. That was not my point. I was more aiming at the false arguments made by liberals about things like Planned Parenthood doing breast cancer screening. By their own admission, Planned Parenthood has categorically stated that they have never offered breast cancer screenings. That's one example, there are more. Again, by my own admission, I am conflicted on the issue. To me, a fetal heartbeat indicates life has started, but following Roe v. Wade, abortion is the law of the land, so access should not be restricted. I do oppose late term abortions, and do think that if there is a live birth, the doctor should have a legal, in addition to the existing moral imperative, to make every effort to save the life. The trans-vaginal ultrasound talking point has largely been discredited at this stage.
To answer your question about supporting gay marriage and being pro-choice, I would answer that there are many. I am for one, and though I am not a politician, I do engage in political discussions and know that there are many fellow Republicans that are fiscally conservative, while being socially liberal.
Re: living wage, again, it is a sound bite. I understand that income levels have stagnated. I am directly impacted by that very fact at the moment. The problem being who in government is going to solve this? There is enough cautionary evidence in our national history to provide evidence that when government meddles with private sector, things tend to go pear shaped. Say, for the sake of argument, government does pass legislation mandating a liveable wage. What impact do think that will have on domestic employment? You honestly think companies will continue to deal with layer after layer of additional regulatory burdens and fiscal constraints and maintain brick and mortar operations inside the U.S? No, they will move offshore to seek cheaper labor.
To answer your final question, no single party matches my personal views. I vote for candidates based on their ability to represent those things I believe in. I am less concerned about their party affiliation than I am about their beliefs and character. I have voted for Democrats and Republicans. I think, in reality, most people hold similar views, and the very visible tilt to the fringes by both parties is what is really causing the public to sour on government.
Fully understand the access to contraception and impact on reproduction rates, got it. That was not my point. I was more aiming at the false arguments made by liberals about things like Planned Parenthood doing breast cancer screening. By their own admission, Planned Parenthood has categorically stated that they have never offered breast cancer screenings. That's one example, there are more. Again, by my own admission, I am conflicted on the issue. To me, a fetal heartbeat indicates life has started, but following Roe v. Wade, abortion is the law of the land, so access should not be restricted. I do oppose late term abortions, and do think that if there is a live birth, the doctor should have a legal, in addition to the existing moral imperative, to make every effort to save the life. The trans-vaginal ultrasound talking point has largely been discredited at this stage.
To answer your question about supporting gay marriage and being pro-choice, I would answer that there are many. I am for one, and though I am not a politician, I do engage in political discussions and know that there are many fellow Republicans that are fiscally conservative, while being socially liberal.
Re: living wage, again, it is a sound bite. I understand that income levels have stagnated. I am directly impacted by that very fact at the moment. The problem being who in government is going to solve this? There is enough cautionary evidence in our national history to provide evidence that when government meddles with private sector, things tend to go pear shaped. Say, for the sake of argument, government does pass legislation mandating a liveable wage. What impact do think that will have on domestic employment? You honestly think companies will continue to deal with layer after layer of additional regulatory burdens and fiscal constraints and maintain brick and mortar operations inside the U.S? No, they will move offshore to seek cheaper labor.
To answer your final question, no single party matches my personal views. I vote for candidates based on their ability to represent those things I believe in. I am less concerned about their party affiliation than I am about their beliefs and character. I have voted for Democrats and Republicans. I think, in reality, most people hold similar views, and the very visible tilt to the fringes by both parties is what is really causing the public to sour on government.
The Planned Parenthood kerfuffle is minor compared to the outright war on women that the GOP is waging in state legislature after state legislature and is a huge reason why more women vote Democratic than Republican. Period. States Enact Record Number of Abortion Restrictions in 2011
Re: living wage: I disgusted about Clinton's NAFTA deal. Businesses have already moved offshore. That has contributed a great deal to wage stagnation along with the tax cuts to corporations and the top percentage of wage earners getting away with historically low taxes.
Re: marriage equality: there are Republicans who are pro marriage equality. Problem is they'll never get elected to a high profile office with the TP'ers running the looney bin. Same for pro choicers.
Sure, everyone anecdotally knows some socially progressive self identified Republicans, but what's your point? Those people aren't in the running for the presidency. The subject of this thread is "Can a Republican Win 270 Electoral Votes in 2016..... Or Ever?" What I am pointing out is the absolute, total lurch to the far right of the political spectrum the Republican party has turned in reaction to the Obama presidency and general social progress of mainstream society. This turn to the right does not bode a bright future for the GOP.
It would be fascinating to poll women voters with this question: "Would you consider voting for a GOP presidential candidate who is pro choice?" I'll bet if there was a true pro choice GOP candidate the Republican party would have a significant chance of winning the White House again.
For your consideration:
"Today, American women are taking advantage of voting rights in greater numbers than men, according to the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University. Granted, women make up more than half of the U.S. population. But they also have cast 4 million to 7 million more votes than men in recent elections. Population counts aside, the proportion of women who voted has exceeded the proportion of men who voted in every presidential election since 1980. And the number of women voting has beat that of men in every presidential election since 1964, the Rutgers center notes." Nation's Women Voting in Droves
The main thing the GOP needs to do is court the non-white vote. Romney won the white vote by 60%, which is a landslide number. He lost the black vote by 90%, Hispanic by 70%, and Asian by 73%, which together made up about a quarter of the electorate.
I believe the party is capable of doing this. There are already quite a few non-white GOP rising stars out there, but it is probably going to be at least a 2 decade process for the GOP to do it.
I'm not sure how appealing the GOP's economic policies are to many/most minorities.
It would be fascinating to poll women voters with this question: "Would you consider voting for a GOP presidential candidate who is pro choice?" I'll bet if there was a true pro choice GOP candidate the Republican party would have a significant chance of winning the White House again.
Unlikely. The GOP would alienate many of its current voters with such a move, and I'm not sure that the increased female vote for the GOP will fully compensate for this.
Fully understand the access to contraception and impact on reproduction rates, got it. That was not my point. I was more aiming at the false arguments made by liberals about things like Planned Parenthood doing breast cancer screening. By their own admission, Planned Parenthood has categorically stated that they have never offered breast cancer screenings. That's one example, there are more. Again, by my own admission, I am conflicted on the issue. To me, a fetal heartbeat indicates life has started, but following Roe v. Wade, abortion is the law of the land, so access should not be restricted. I do oppose late term abortions, and do think that if there is a live birth, the doctor should have a legal, in addition to the existing moral imperative, to make every effort to save the life. The trans-vaginal ultrasound talking point has largely been discredited at this stage.
To answer your question about supporting gay marriage and being pro-choice, I would answer that there are many. I am for one, and though I am not a politician, I do engage in political discussions and know that there are many fellow Republicans that are fiscally conservative, while being socially liberal.
Actually, a new human life begins at conception/fertilization. As for Roe v. Wade, you are aware that the U.S. Supreme Court can repeal/overturn its previous decisions, correct?
Also, the Republican Party is not fiscally conservative. Look at the massive deficit and debt increases under Reagan, Bush Sr., and Bush Jr.
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