Quote:
Originally Posted by legalsea
I disagree that the GOP is growing stronger as a party. Certainly, recent elections have proved otherwise (I'm not talking about primaries).
I will not burden readers with links. So, my opinion only.
The Republican party is certainly not 'inclusive'. Indeed, of late, they seem to be trying to drive away voters.
Examples: At the recent Texas Republican Convention, the party did not allow the Log Cabin Republicans to set up a booth (gay Republicans). Said gay Republicans were outraged. I do not know why. After all, the party has been against gays since the 1970s.
Women: The Dodd decision has turned many Republican women voters against the party. See: Kansas. I discuss this more in another thread.
Veterans: The 'burn pit' bill. Now, I understood that those Republican Senators that voted for the bill, then against it, would again vote for it. However, it was very bad optics. Jon Stewart made hay out of it, and many Vets are obviously wondering if Republicans actually support them.
Medicare and Social Security: Why Republicans think this is a good time to touch that 'third rail' is beyond me. For those in Rio Linda, quite a few Republican leaders are calling for a 'review' of such benefits every few years, including cutting such benefits. Since much of the Republican base is made up of senior citizens, this has me puzzled. Yes, the budget deficit must be addressed, but the Democrats are making hay out of the fact that Republicans are opposed to taxes on the wealthy, yet want to cut entitlement benefits.
Minorities: I do think that the Republicans are making good inroad in some of the Hispanic voters, especially Cuban and south Texas. Yet, the Hispanic population is large, and I think some of the talk about how Hispanics will 'soon overtake whites' as the majority population turns them off (since it implies disaster). As for the black community? Mr. Trump may always have some black guy in camera for his rallies, but that does not indicate a movement towards him, or the Republican party.
Professionals: The Republicans are losing teachers, doctors and other health care professionals. Teachers? In Florida, Governor DeSantis has mandated that teachers undergo a three day seminar concerning forbidden subjects in school. Yet, people wonder why Florida (and Texas) have a massive teacher shortage. As for health care: they are sick and tired of Republicans denying the pandemic is a problem, while thousands of them are dead or have long term Covid.
The Republicans have cast their lot with white supremist and racists. That is their base, sadly. Watch the CPAC going on now, or any of Mr. Trump's 'rallies'. Yet, that will not build a consensus among Americans.
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Spot on.
I can’t see how even the most rabid Republicans think that they are winning long term. In fact, their actions suggest strongly that they will not.
Younger voters as a group despise them. The demographic that most strongly supports the GOP (white non-college whites) are losing on average 3% of eligible voters with every 4 year POTUS cycle, not because they are being replaced by some kind of nefarious conspiracy, but because they’re the oldest demographic group. As they age out of the labor market, they are creating a demand for young, replacement workers, which spurs immigration, legal and illegal.
Within that white non-college base, a large portion are white Christian evangelicals, but they are shrinking also.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...lical-america/
Despite all of the talk about the Republican Party diversifying, 85% of the vote that Trump received in 2020 came from white non-Hispanics. The Democratic Party was more diverse in 1996 than the GOP is today.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...arty-is-today/
A party that is confident of its future wouldn’t advocate eliminating the popular vote and replacing it with a “statewide electoral vote”, which is what the Republican Party of Tejas did in its 2022 Platform, or call for a referendum on secession from the United States. Secession is for losers who fear that they can no longer can compete in legitimate elections. That was true in 1861 when the South seceded to protect their “peculiar institution” of slavery, and its just as true today.
https://texasgop.org/wp-content/uplo...-6-16-2022.pdf
The modern GOP is a party based upon fear. That’s apparent by looking at the headlines chosen in conservative media. It’s all about the barbarians at the gate. They see demographic change and they fear the future.
Back in Reagan’s day, he described the Republican Party as a 3 legged stool; comprised of
economic conservatives, social conservatives and national defense conservatives (neo-cons).
Now it’s more about primal fear.
Here’s an admittedly liberal source that makes the case that the primary issues that the GOP pushes are based upon their fears that “their” America, a white-dominated America is disappearing. In trying to prevent that decline they push 3 issues, which have become the new 3 legs of the Trump Republican stool.
1.
STOP Immigration: not just legal immigration, but ALL immigration, because immigration has been a prime factor in the browning of America.
2.
STOP Abortion: because it would force the birth of more white children.
3.
RESIST Any Gun Control Measures: because they want as many weapons in the hands of white conservatives to keep minorities in their place and maintain white control for as long as possible.
https://www.alternet.org/2022/05/thr...ublican-party/
These aren’t the actions of a Party that is confident about its future.
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