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The demographic trends are ominous for Republicans. If Democrats nominate Sanders or Warren, an obvious move for Republicans to take advantage of this is to adopt more moderate positions that appeal to less-ideological voters, while still staying on the right. Then they can paint Sanders or Warren as extremists. Very conservative voters might not completely like the changes but they will still turn out if Sanders or Warren are nominated.
Some ideas:
-introduce additional income and capital gains taxes on top 0.1% (70% support in favor of raising taxes on $10 million+ incomes)
-support Federal minimum wage increase (82% support)
-expand the earned income tax credit (high support for additional state EITCs)
-increase the estate tax rate for estates worth more than $50 million
-further reduce small business tax rates and especially very small business tax rates (67% supported reducing small business tax rates to 15%)
-close the gun show loophole (private sale background check exemption) (92% support), support universal background checks (96% support), 30-day waiting period for guns (75% support), red-flag laws (86% support)
-legalize weed (67% support). End incarceration for drug possession.
-fund drug treatment programs (55% for vs 27% against in IL)
-acknowledge the climate change (56% say it needs to be addressed now, 13% in the next few years). Create tax subsidies and encourage research in new technologies like carbon sequestration
-college tuition help for students at public universities and community colleges based on their grades and SAT/ACT scores, partially adjusted for high school quality and parents' income (58% support for making them completely free)
-Reform college financial aid, gradually reducing the total amount of loans given out in order to reduce tuition costs. The loan amounts should depend on the major.
-increase the child care tax deduction (80% support for increasing funding)
-increase/create maternity and paternity leave periods (82% and 69% support)
-allow abortions when the woman's life is endangered (83% support in the first trimester) and possibly for pregnancies with fetal abnormalities (49%-63% support depending on the abnormality)
-support a low rate of the carbon tax that would gradually increase (44% support the tax, 29% oppose)
-support stronger privacy laws (68%+ support)
-allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada (72% support, 64% support online buying) and the EU
-lower Medicare age by two years (very favorable views of Medicare)
-do not increase the defense budget (64% think it's about right or too high) but push for allocating more funds to soldiers
-reduce wait times for immigration decisions. Streamline the process of legal immigration (84% think legal immigration is a good thing)
-create a network of cameras, sensors, and drones on the border instead of pushing for the wall (83% support for tightening border security). Hire more border patrol agents (75% support)
-support a more restrictive version of DACA with additional requirements before and after the status is granted (83% support for some version of DACA)
-encourage local governments to address housing costs by making zoning less restrictive and getting rid of rent control (probably not popular now but that's what experts recommend and if this proposal has a name suggesting that it will reduce costs, nobody can credibly argue against it)
-increase mental health funding, especially when it leads to reducing homelessness (70% support increasing funding, 11% oppose)
These proposals should reduce the number of people who would never vote Republican because of a single issue. They would not blow up the budget nearly as much as Sanders' or Warren's proposals. (BTW, these are not necessarily my own positions on the issues).
If such bills are introduced without irrelevant riders, the only arguments for Democrats who don't support most of them would be that they don't go far enough. A few Republicans might worry about supporting them out of fear of a primary challenge from the right. Even if the bills are not passed, they should help Republicans.
I'm not sure that Republicans will already need to moderate their views to win in 2020. But looking at the preferences of younger voters and the polling on issues, they WILL need to be flexible quite soon. But if Trump is re-elected, the Republicans won't feel the need to change much, even if they lose the Congress. In the years before the 2022 and 2024 elections, many of their positions will become even more out-of-line with most Americans, leading to certain future losses.
The Republicans voters are not used to losing for too long and this might result in a tumultuous period when the party as it is collapses and reorganizes. The Democrats won't need to do anything besides waiting for this to happen and enjoying the control of the Congress and the Presidency (and later of the Supreme Court). Sanders' or Warren's nominations or elections can be a big opportunity for Republicans to adjust their positions and widen their support.
An independent candidate might also emerge with some of these positions and might be a spoiler for both parties. It was 28 years ago but Ross Perot was at one point leading in the polls and the issues were not very different than today. I think people underestimate the likelihood of this possibility if the candidates are Sanders/Warren and Trump.
Think look at Cains' tax ideas from his previous Election run
Lower income tax or lay the ground work to do away with income tax
Legalize marijuana and place excise tax on marijuana
Increase funding to mental health and addiction services across the U.S.
Do away with private own prisons
Support decriminalization of some illegal substances or all
Pro Life but in politics Pro Choice
For abolishing the death penalty
Reducing the size of the Federal Government and giving more power back to the States
VAT or Sales tax
Do away with tax rebates replace with a tax prebate/dividend
Tax prebate/dividend replace TANF/SSI
Opitional contribution to own Social Security fund and raise max income eligibility for SS to $200K
Public opition healthcare
Election reform
Support nuclear energy. Work toward thorium reactor and fusion reactors.
Protect more open land and species.
Reduce FSA regulations with regards to pharmaceuticals
Encourage States to work on lowering healthcare cost and public University cost
Allow States to regulate and make decisions in regards to Government regulation with farming. With minor exception have to keep goods sold to public to set Government standards.
Ban oil pipelines across the U.S.
Support research in finding new energy sources
Make undocumented immigrantion a civil issue not a criminal issue
Work more with NATO/Allies. Less policing works more defense at home and humanitarian work across the Globe approach.
With tax prebates/dividends in place do away with Federal wage standards.
Sorry, but "God, gays, and guns" won't win elections in 2050, provided free elections are still held in this country then (I have my doubts based off what we are seeing happen right now).
Some issues, like marijuana legalization, are extremely popular with the voters on both sides and eventually the GOP is going to have to stop stomping their feet and wringing their hands about it.
OP's post is racist, and assumes that melanin causes people to vote democrat. Things are true in politics until they are not. Did you not learn the lesson of the fictional "blue wall."
Demographics will not hurt Republicans over time. Dems have been trying to tell us that demographics will overtake us for 25 years, and we just came off of a level of power at federal, state, and local level that we have not seen since the civil war.
This is because our system is dialectical. It is a conversation, and they vote for the other guys when things are bad. This is how how white working class voters, Irish, Italians, etc. became Republican voters.
At best, you will get a cycle or two of democrat ascendancy, and then the people will realize that they have higher taxes, no growth, and vote Republican.
You see, people are smart enough to understand and vote their best interests, and as soon as you get a Warren or a Sanders in there, and people lose their jobs, they will be looking forward to the good old days of Trump.
In any event, we are not going to switch sides to doing the wrong thing just because your party is flooding the country with dependent voters. We will hopefully introduce them to the infinite possibilities of life in this country. If not, we will go down with the ship and watch this became the next Zimbabwe, Venezuela, etc. We will watch, but certainly not aid it in happening.
Good luck to you on your fantasies. We will keep holding, and winning, elections, because of the superiority of our ideas.
Last edited by cachibatches; 01-05-2020 at 11:03 AM..
They have no real agenda other than shifting more of America's resources away from working families and into the accounts of the already wealthy.
They've taken the position of stirring up irrational fear and resentment among the "religious right" as their way of keeping some semblamce of support outside the top 1%.
It's their idea of a "strategy" and the future looks grim for them.
Read more carefully next time. I provided poll numbers showing very high support for most of these issues and several of them reduce taxes.
1st of all Lech, thx for C-D Forum, I love it.
"Popular interest" is what you are advocating...that is leadership by mob rule, and potentially, the average kid in the class, and not the brightest, or most successful.
I'm guessing that most American's today, pay no net Federal income taxes. Data lag factored in.
The Founding Fathers wanted only land owners to have the right to vote. There was a reason for that, albeit a bit too extreme for my liking. Today, I'd use the net federal income tax payer as the benchmark.
We must entrust the future of our Country to those who pay the way for the collective.
If the current trend continues, where people who do not pay net Federal income taxes, can vote to seize cash from those of us who do, its all over.
Read more carefully next time. I provided poll numbers showing very high support for most of these issues and several of them reduce taxes.
Governing by public approval, is leadership by the masses, no matter how informed they might be.
Are we ready to turn America over to become a popularity contest, potentially devoid of; achievement, accomplishment, and a highy informed electorate?
You are obviously a smart guy, but are you wise?
There are 3 levels of human thought:
-memory
-problem solving
-wisdom
None of your solutions address reduced spending. Attacking a problem from just 1 side, is unwise.
The Robin Hood solution is suspect at best. Eventually, the rich will avoid being robbed (see France 2012).
I respectfully ask you for some re-assessment, and self-introspection.
If the takers can overwhelm the makers, why wouldn't they?
Lastly ..why do you not stick to your own format, and Tweet instead? C-D crushes Twitter for thinking people.
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