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Hopefully is finished for good. The article reflects what I have said for years- the Republican Party has went from being the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower, Rockefeller and Ford to the party of angry southern white males. That is what it is and that is why it will be a minor player in American politics going forward. There simply are not enough white southern angry religious nutcase males to given them national traction anymore. They might even be a 3rd party someday.
KevK, agree. I've said for years that the GOP and the evango-fascist far right appeal to a racist demographic in southern and rural America. I've also said they speak a code-word language to discuss issues and I was glad to see Krugman expound on it, in terms much more eloquent that I ever could. Many fiscal conservative GOP types have left for the Dems or Libs and the GOP is shrinking back to the evango-fascist / racist subset, as Krugman ably points out. Our loyal opposition on here will deny it fully.
The identification of the 'angry white male' voter goes back at least to the mid 1990's and the stereotype usually includes a pickup truck with various stickers on the back window. These guys are angry but half of them don't know why they are angry, who they are angry at, and cannot articulate a rationale for their anger. The GOP has divided and conquered them, pitting angry white male voters against black voters, and BOTH sets of voters lose; most southerners get low non-union wages and pizz-poor benefits, if any. Big business wins again. Jesse Helms did his job for the wealthy class, got one half of the working class to hate the other half, all to the benefit of those pulling the strings. Our pals on here will deny it, claim Helms and his ilk were great men for "speaking their mind" and claim we're all wet.
I wonder in what form the Republican Party will return. Where will the fiscal conservatives go? Where will the Palinites go?
Do any right-wingers have a rebuttal to the points Krugman makes?
While we wait for our right wing friends to speak up, my two cents is that:
- Evangelical types will stay in the GOP, though some may go to the American Independent Party http://www.aipca.org/ . This is the base that Rove played to in 2000, 2004 and McCain tried to win in 2008 by adding Palin to his ticket. Palin will stay in this wing of the GOP, and this wing will become dominant as other GOP'ers leave rather than stay in a party that is increasing religion based, even as other mainstream religious voters go elsewhere as well.
- Fiscal conservatives have gone or will go Libertarian, though the Libs may be too ideological for some GOP'ers who will stay and hope the GOP returns to it's senses, and it's roots.
- GOP returning. I don't see it for at least a generation, and if the party truly falls apart there is no telling what will become of it.
While we wait for our right wing friends to speak up, my two cents is that:
- Evangelical types will stay in the GOP, though some may go to the American Independent Party http://www.aipca.org/ . This is the base that Rove played to in 2000, 2004 and McCain tried to win in 2008 by adding Palin to his ticket. Palin will stay in this wing of the GOP, and this wing will become dominant as other GOP'ers leave rather than stay in a party that is increasing religion based, even as other mainstream religious voters go elsewhere as well.
- Fiscal conservatives have gone or will go Libertarian, though the Libs may be too ideological for some GOP'ers who will stay and hope the GOP returns to it's senses, and it's roots.
- GOP returning. I don't see it for at least a generation, and if the party truly falls apart there is no telling what will become of it.
The next 4 years are going to be very interesting.
s/Mike
Thanks, Mike. I had never heard of the American Independent Party, or most of the rest of the smorgasbord. I agree, it'll be fun to watch this all shape up.
It seems to me that this gentleman has simply replaced the word "Democrats" with the word "Republicans" in an exact replica of a similar article from 2000. It sure does sound familiar.
[Mod edited]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike from back east
KevK, agree. I've said for years that the GOP and the evango-fascist far right appeal to a racist demographic in southern and rural America. I've also said they speak a code-word language to discuss issues and I was glad to see Krugman expound on it, in terms much more eloquent that I ever could. Many fiscal conservative GOP types have left for the Dems or Libs and the GOP is shrinking back to the evango-fascist / racist subset, as Krugman ably points out. Our loyal opposition on here will deny it fully.
The identification of the 'angry white male' voter goes back at least to the mid 1990's and the stereotype usually includes a pickup truck with various stickers on the back window. These guys are angry but half of them don't know why they are angry, who they are angry at, and cannot articulate a rationale for their anger. The GOP has divided and conquered them, pitting angry white male voters against black voters, and BOTH sets of voters lose; most southerners get low non-union wages and pizz-poor benefits, if any. Big business wins again. Jesse Helms did his job for the wealthy class, got one half of the working class to hate the other half, all to the benefit of those pulling the strings. Our pals on here will deny it, claim Helms and his ilk were great men for "speaking their mind" and claim we're all wet.
If you really believe a word you have just posted, I feel sorry for you and anyone who might share a label with you. This is the EXACT reason why Liberals are given such a bad rep.
First of all, if the Republican party was the party that catered to the religious right, John McCain would NOT have clinched the nomination. Romney or Huckabee would have won the primaries in a LANDSLIDE if what you said were true. However, McCain easily won, being the Moderate he is, with Huckabee reaching the point where it was MATHEMATICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for him to win the nomination. At what point did John McCain EVER come across as a crazy religious nutjob. The ONLY reason religion made it into the political field this year was because of McCain's biggest mistake: Sarah Palin.
You ever heard of being so blinded by an ideology or belief that you lose track of reality? Well you my friend, have reached that point. Either your party, or your favorite news outlet has you so wrapped around their fingers that you hang on their every word. I guess I am now one of those "angry white males" - I am angry at people like you who spread nothing but hate and lies!
I like Obama, I really do. I hope whatever plan for this country he is conjuring up works out for the better. What I don't like is the fact that some of his supporters are terribly misinformed. And I am truly sorry that he belongs to a party that condones such horrid behavior.
And I am also sorry if my post comes across as a personal attack, but your lies have got to stop.
As a final word, no sane Democrat wants a third party to prevail. They don't deserve the kind of BS that the Democrats would conjure up about them. The only reason a Democrat would want third parties to rise is so they can smack them down with $$$ like they always do.
Last edited by TnHilltopper; 01-03-2009 at 12:09 PM..
Reason: Personal attacks.
Krugman rightly articulates the bottom line condensed version that is the current GOP. Basically selfish people collaborating with ignorant people who have a grudge against the world & you have Republicans. Bush fully represented this abhorrent combination.
Nixon sold the soul of the GOP to Southerns still hating Lincoln. And now a son of Lincoln is about to be our president
Those of us old enough to remember hear echoes in this thread of the despair that swept through the Democrat party not so long ago, when the GOP had won suuccessive Presidential elections, controlled Congress, and had left-wing folks wringing their hands and asking if they had anything to fall back on besides the New Deal.
The two recent GOP defeats were largely the fault of a tone-deaf, incurious president, and a reliance on voting blocs forged in the 1970s. McCain did surpriingly well, with the millstone of Bush around his nedck and the economy collapsing around his ears in the middle of the campaign. An Obama defeat would have been one of the most amazing political upsets of all time.
Those Democrats crowing loudest may -- nay, will -- need to develop a taste for crow someday soon.
All politicians are basically egotistical and obscenely ambitious scoundrels. Cases in point: William Jefferson, Eliot Spitzer, Jim McGreevy, Tony Rezko, and Rudy Blagojovich, among others. All slime; all Democrats. These failings have nothing to do with party labels.
Rumors of the GOP's demise are vastly exaggerated.
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