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As I see it both parties will be needing to become more moderate. The republicans will need to become more moderate because they can no longer rely on conservative white southerners to get them elected because America's demographics are changing in favor of the democrats. Look for republicans to be more open to affirmative action. The democrats will have to become more moderate because the retiring tax-paying baby boomers will affect the taxes needed to fund much of the expansion of government that liberal democrats tend to want. So for these reasons I see both parties needing to move towards the center in the comming future.
I would like to see the parties actually become conservative and liberal again.
As in most elections, both Republicans and Democrats play to their respected bases during the primaries, be they left or right, but in the general election, they play to the middle, nothing new here. Thing is, in this election there wasn't that great of difference in the two major candidates. The notion of Obama being a socialist was drivel for fools, as even the tax rate under Repubilcan Dwight D Eisenhower was three times as much as Obama proposed. In fact, the Bush tax cuts that McCain voted against initially are due to roll back anyway and Obama was merely going to allow them to do so without renewing them. Great big fat red herring.
Neither candidate provided a comprehensive detailed list on how they propose to cut spending, because like it or not, we have to. McCain wanted to merely borrow it from the unborn, Obama wishes to move the pointer of who is getting taxed, while at the same time, both want to expand military. McCain desired the US to stay in Iraq for basically ever and Obama wants to change the front of the war, but the US will remain in the Middle East and probably will for as long as I am alive and even at the expense of the US going flat arse broke to do it.
Neither Obama or McCain offered any radical changes in health care, while there were certainly differences but they were hardly dramatic.
While many see the Republican Party on its face being saturated with the more extreme religious right, they were merely tools used in a voting booth. The policies of the Republican Party have been very liberal, very progressive and very very expansionist to the point that FDR would have been proud. Hardly conservative by any measure.
On the other hand, Obama I believe will surprise many people and probably tick off a lot of the left for his more conservative streak. I see Obama as continuing a progressive and expansionist foreign policy, and I also see him far more centrist than the ditto heads calling him a socialist do. Dennis Kucinich is a liberal, John Edwards was a liberal, Obama is what I would call a left coast hawk with a gift of a ministers calling.
Looking at the people he is considering for cabinet positions should be a clue as to how the guy plans to run his administration. Some of the choices I have seen are hardly liberal in the classic sense.
As for the future of the Republican Party, we shall see in the next six months whether or not a further purging of the more extremist elements takes place and the more traditional conservatives prevail or if there is a rally for more scorched earth Rovian fundamentalist brand of Repubilcan.
Looking at the people he is considering for cabinet positions should be a clue as to how the guy plans to run his administration. Some of the choices I have seen are hardly liberal in the classic sense.
Interesting isn't it. I suspect only a handful of us have predicted this and are, or will; therefore, be vindicated in watching it come to fruition. The President-elect is going to be very interesting to watch.....
Last edited by walidm; 11-06-2008 at 06:06 AM..
Reason: clarity
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Motion
As I see it both parties will be needing to become more moderate. The republicans will need to become more moderate because they can no longer rely on conservative white southerners to get them elected because America's demographics are changing in favor of the democrats. Look for republicans to be more open to affirmative action. The democrats will have to become more moderate because the retiring tax-paying baby boomers will affect the taxes needed to fund much of the expansion of government that liberal democrats tend to want. So for these reasons I see both parties needing to move towards the center in the comming future.
The "center" has moved itself more to the left. The Democrats were not elected to "move to the right". They were elected to move the country more to the left. Until yesterday America was a "center right" country. Now we are a "center left" country and in coming years our policies and programs will more closely match other "center left" countries in Europe and even Canada. We will have LESS- (not none but less) military interventions and we will have more domestic programs.
Interesting isn't it. I suspect only a handful of us have predicted this and are, or will; therefore, be vindicated in watching it come to fruition. The President-elect is going to be very interesting to watch.....
It is no more than a hunch and a feeling but there was an article in ACM what went into depth about Obama's not so liberal tendencies. I'm willing to bet folks might be a little surprised by this time next year, if Obama isn't the big L liberal that so many believes him to be.
Notice, that if he does really wish to address some of the big issues of our day, he will almost have to go to center in order to keep the support of those moderate Republicans who defected this election, as to the left... well they aren't going anywhere and I doubt they are going to rally against Obama after seven years of Bush.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevK
The "center" has moved itself more to the left. The Democrats were not elected to "move to the right". They were elected to move the country more to the left. Until yesterday America was a "center right" country. Now we are a "center left" country and in coming years our policies and programs will more closely match other "center left" countries in Europe and even Canada. We will have LESS- (not none but less) military interventions and we will have more domestic programs.
I'll go along with that KevK, at least in part. As to less military interventions, I suspect a good part of this reason is due to our treasury being, well, empty.
Lets get our mind around this idea, Obama, the supposed liberal Democrat ran on the issues of fiscal responsibility and a desire to expand the war on terror into Pakistan through military intervention. Has hell frozen over here? Aren't those supposed to be contemporary Republican fronts?
I'll go out on a limb here and make a prediction. One year from today, I bet there will be more upset coastal Big L liberals than moderate Republicans, as far as Obama's administration is concerned. Based on nothing more than a hunch.
The "center" has moved itself more to the left. The Democrats were not elected to "move to the right". They were elected to move the country more to the left. Until yesterday America was a "center right" country. Now we are a "center left" country and in coming years our policies and programs will more closely match other "center left" countries in Europe and even Canada. We will have LESS- (not none but less) military interventions and we will have more domestic programs.
It was pointed out on CNN that in order for the democrats to hold on to the traditional red states that Obama won the democrats will have to focus on more centrist policies. America will probably be moving more left as far as certain regulations for the financial industry but even here they will need to avoid over regulation.
As for America becomming like those European countries and Canada. Those countries have been moving more towards the center themselves. They've had a number of centrist presidents getting elected in countries like Sweden and France and their large ageing populations have caused them to cut and reform their welfare systems.
It was pointed out on CNN that in order for the democrats to hold on to the traditional red states that Obama won the democrats will have to focus on more centrist policies. America will probably be moving more left as far as certain regulations for the financial industry but even here they will need to avoid over regulation.
As for America becomming like those European countries and Canada. Those countries have been moving more towards the center themselves. They've had a number of centrist presidents getting elected in countries like Sweden and France and their large ageing populations have caused them to cut and reform their welfare systems.
Makes sense to me, especially if Obama is going to need to make any dramatic changes in our national policy, he will still need support from at least several Republican Senators. Also, I suspect he will make the boldest of moves right out of the box and up front while his numbers are high and folks are still elated and the grind of the actual nuts and bolts daily business sets in.
With Obama moving towards traditional Republican issues such as national security and fiscal responsibility (regardless of his future actions) I am wondering what issues will the now fractured GOP tend to focus upon.
We're seeing both parties falling apart, chasing voters that only weaken them and fracture them. If you fill both parties with the uneducated,the poor, the weird, the extremist kooks, the militant, the racist, the foreign language only speaking, you have a party that even if it wins can do nothing to help America.
One mainstream american party, one neither liberal nor ultra conservative, could get 50% of the vote while leaving the democrats and the republicans fighting over the other 50%.
Talk about your elitist bovine fecal matter!
As a Democrat, the "uneducated, the poor, the foreign language speakers, the weird and "extremist kooks" have always had a home in the Party and I hope they remain for as long as the Democratic Party exist. The Republicans can keep the racist. We'll keep ours as long as they continue to vote for the anti-racist principles of the Party.
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