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Loading ...Social conservatives ponder future role in GOP
11.21.2008 11:05am EST
(Washington) In the aftermath of Democrat Barack Obama’s commanding election win two weeks ago, the Republican party and its usual cheerleaders are in the throes of an identity crisis.
Those on the far right of the party insist Americans remain essentially conservative and will eventually return to the Republican fold, blaming the Nov. 4 loss on eight years of blunders by George W. Bush and a weak campaign by John McCain.Others see a situation far more dire and far-reaching.
David Frum, the transplanted Canadian who’s become a respected conservative pundit in Washington, fled the National Review this week after angering some fellow right-wingers for his anti-Sarah Palin stance during the campaign.
He departs as the longtime conservative magazine remains mired in ideological feuding that prompted Christopher Buckley, the son of its revered founder, William F. Buckley, to bolt weeks earlier.
“I am really and truly frightened by the collapse of support for the Republican Party by the young and the educated,” Frum said in a recent interview.
Frum was unavailable for comment this week, but in a post on his blog on Tuesday, he reiterated his concerns about the future of the Republican party.
“It’s my belief that conservatism as we have known it - and the Republican party as an institution - are in very great trouble. Conservatives and Republicans need a new kind of conversation about how we can adapt to new realities.”
Frum has called on the Republicans to implement “changes of style and tone: toward a future that is less overtly religious, and less polarizing on social issues.”
Other prominent voices on the right scoff at the suggestion that the party should abandon its socially conservative principles, even as numerous studies and polls indicate Americans are becoming increasingly progressive on issues that include same-sex marriage, immigration and race.
In his typically abrasive fashion, talk radio star Rush Limbaugh - an influential figure on the far right of the party - recently dissected the Republicans’ failed campaign strategy.
“We start going after groups of Americans, the middle class, Wal-Mart people and then the Kmart people and let’s go get the Starbucks crowd and let’s go get this group, Hispanics. Loser - we just did that. We just did it. The architects of this should be disqualified from running another Republican campaign.”
Instead, Limbaugh said, the party should focus even more on its socially conservative values.
“We can get women, we can get everybody with a set of core principles.”
The argument dominated the Republican Governors Association meeting last week in Florida.
Some said the party can’t go wrong by sticking to its core values, while others said the Republicans are facing some profound problems, including the fact that the party is seen as a haven for white men over 50.
Indeed, Palin, who is governor of Alaska, and Louisiana’s Indian-American Bobby Jindal are among the few prominent Republican officeholders under 50 who are not white men.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said the party needs to be “freshened up” to overcome the notion that it’s “stuck in a 30-year-old feel in tone and image” that prevents it from becoming a “more forward-looking, newer, younger, more diverse party.”
“There is a lot that has happened in terms of our country since Ronald Reagan was president,” Pawlenty said.
“We’re going to need more than just a political comb-over. We’re going to need a more dramatic approach to things.”
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist urged his peers to shift to the center in order to appeal to minority voters.
“This party can no longer hope to reach Hispanics, African-Americans and other minority groups _ we need to just do it,” Crist said. “Embracing cultures and lifestyles will make us a better party and better leaders.”
Party traditionalists, meanwhile, resisted the notion of moving to the center.
“John Deere has great engineering capacity, but when they get into trouble they don’t say: `Let’s build airplanes,”’ said South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. “They go back to the core.”
Other prominent Republicans are wary of writing the party’s obituary.
“I’ve been through this,” Newt Gingrich said. “I’ve been through the ‘64 collapse when the Republican Party was going to disappear, and the ‘74 Watergate collapse when the Republican Party was going to disappear, and the ‘92 defeat of President (George H.W.) Bush.”
“And in each case, I watched us, within a short time, focus on new ideas and new solutions and, within a very short time, come back as a stronger and healthier party.”
Wow! The republicans still don’t get it. Their social conservatism has branded them as theocrats (with good reason). Social conservatism is anti freedom and that does not play well with many. I think if they drop their social conservatism and follow through with fiscal conservatism which the Republicans preach but don’t practice they will fair better.
To quote David Jay (or was it Jay David? ) ” I don’t vote for Democrats because I like to spend the money I earn…and I don’t vote for Republicans because I like to spend the money I earn on drugs and prostitutes.”
Try http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx if you dare; less then 10% of the people that have taken this quiz passed with a C or better (on a 10 pt grading scale).
The libs still do not get it. Put the LGBT Republicans and Democrats in one party and let’s realistically have a liberal and conservative party system. We’ll leave it to the LGBT R&D’s to to find common ground. It’s no longer necessary to undermined by histrionic and passive-aggressive Republicans and Democrats. You can have the closet cases, David Brooks and George Will.
RJ… I am not sure what suggesting so I will ask to clarify. Are you suggesting a “Non-Heterosexual party” containing both stonewall dems and log cabin rep?
I got 33 out of 35 right on the test. I missed the question on Aquinas (!), and something about taxation equaling bend over and kiss your money goodbye .
Rethuglicans: disband, or at the very least, repudiate the Konservative Kristianist Krazies (KKK), Dobson, Quackers Wild-man, Lou Sheldon, Robertson and the rest of the vampires of the Religious REICH who go on TV and weep and moan and jiggle and prey on frightened old women (of BOTH sexes) who them promptly give them their life’s savings so they can be chauffeured and dine on lobster thermidor.
Every blog, every site, left, right, center, says the same thing:
DUMP THE RELIGIOUS WING-NUTS AND THE RACE, IMMIGRANT, AND GAY-BAITING.
The Party is dominated by wealthy white men over 50. When they DIE, *WHO* will be the Republican Party?
Answer: nobody.
Deo dicamus gratias, even if I DID miss the Aquinas question
BUD BURGOON-CLARK
SAN DIEGO CA USA
A 2nd CLASS CITIZEN, NO THANKS TO
A BUNCH OF BALL-LESS, BRAIN-DEAD RELIGIOUS BIGOTS TOO *STOOPID* TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Neither Republicans NOR Democrats get anything, when it comes to the core issues in America.
First off, very few people fit into the categories of a Liberal Democrat or Conservative Republican. There are plenty of Conservative Democrats, Progressive Independents, Libertarian leaning Independents, Liberal Republicans and of course even people who transcend the Lib-Con,,Rep-Dem paradigm. Many many many people who are often falsely classified as middle of the road moderates are often FAR from moderate on anything. You have people in the cities and suburbs who are to the right of Republicans on fiscal issues, to the left of Democrats on social ones who oppose foreign intervention completely, be it foreign aid or military intervention. These were the young people who were GUNG-ho behind the likes of Ron Paul. In the rural areas, the outer suburbs, and in ethnic urban areas, there those who identify as Democrats, but who oppose “gay marriage” in all its facets (be it domestic partnership, civil union and marriage equality) but who don’t care much about abortion, who support the death penalty, the military, many are blue collar to the core and harbor class resentment, but often vote for GOP for President. These folks are often known as Reagan Democrats, and these folks were HUGELY behind John McCain in his GOP bid in 2000, especially in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
NOW. If Democrats want to keep getting elected, by both white liberals and progressives(prominent in the coastal and college towns) plus those socially conservative blue collar Democrats. Then Democrats need to move to the LEFT on economics AND on social issues. As we have seen in California, black and ethnic conservative Dems will vote for a Liberal or Progressive candidate, if they feel they have an economic interest in doing so. Likewise, a Socially Liberal Republican, will vote for a Liberal Democrat on social issues, while opposing “big government spending” and taxes. Obama, despite the fact I am NOT a fan, was able to appeal to Socially Conservative Dems, as well as moderate to socially Liberal Republicans, run of the mill Progressives and those hard to pin down elusive “moderate” voters.
Now,, if our friends in the not-so-loyal opposition would like to have a winning formula they would need to do the following. Social conservatives will never be happy until they turn America into Jesus fun park land, yet no matter how unhappy they might be, they have two choices, stay home or vote GOP. So pleasing social conservatives should be the last thing on the minds of post-2008 Republicans. Old time Republican strongholds such as New England, California, New York state are socially liberal regions now, and even educated white elites, who normally seek to protect their social position, are socially liberal even if fiscally very right of center. If the GOP wants to win, they will have to progress on social issues and follow the path of Schwarzenegger and other socially liberal Republicans. In places like Boston, New York City, Los Angeles and even San Francisco, if a GOP member was pro-choice and pro-marriage equality, they could run on a platform of flat tax and eliminating social security and win easily.
My boss is a Redneck Texas Republican who lives in the mountains of Middle Tennessee. He voted for Obama, because he thought Palin was an idiot and couldn’t run the country. When he’s not railing against unions or bailing out GM, he’s railing that the religious right needs to keep their religion to themselves and that “who the hell cares if gay people marry”. This guy is a GOP card carrying member, he’s a REAL redneck who lives on a ranch and he is, as he describes himself “pro-choice on all personal issues, be it abortion, gun control or marriage”. Social conservatives believe that people who live in rural areas all share their views on issues, but there are plenty of small government types who at the least don’t care about gay marriage or abortion, as long as you keep their taxes low and leave them alone.
For years I was a Repugnantkin for no better reason than my father (who went Independent after Richard Nixon) and my grandfather were. My grandfather was a polite, soft-spoken gentleman with never a mean word to say about anyone. As were the other men his age he knew and sssociated with. He played golf and belonged to a philosophy club. He dearly loved his wife and was always very considerate of her. He was very gracious to the African American woman who helped my grandnother keep up the house. Those days of polite, soft-spoken, mild-mannered, gentlemmenly men we knew who were living in the Midwest in the GOP are a thing of the long ago past. In a another bygone era. We did the dishes by hand, and used a scrub board in the concrete sink, clothes washer with wrinnger arm, hung clothes on the line to dry, kept potatoes and onions in a storage room in the basement.
A long time ago dated in my life from 1955 to 1966 when I came to Maryland from Shaker Heights, Ohio at age 12+.
the GOP party and I grew apart about 20 some years ago starting with Patrick Buchanan and the nasty, nasty televized GOP presidential convention featuring that awful antigay Patrick Buchanan pledging cultural war.
Eventually I switched to the Democrat party after Trent Lott compared homosexuality to alcoholism and kleptomania, that was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” for me.
I had enough of Jesse Helms, Newt Gingrich, Trent Lott, Patrick Buchanan, Pat Robertson, Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition, Jerry Falwell, Rick Santorum etc and wondered how I could continue to remain in a party filled with these awful tyrants.
My chance to switch to Democrat party came at Montgomery County, Maryland’s Gay Pride Day which was being held back then at Montgomery College.
There was an official from the local Democrat party who could help me to switch parties by having me fill out a form to change political parties, so I decided right there and then to take the plunge and flee the GOP for good. That happened in 1997, 11 years ago I believe.
A good decision, not a perfect one, but one I do not regret making.
Morgan said: “I decided right there and then to take the plunge and flee the GOP for good. … A good decision, not a perfect one, but one I do not regret making.”
I’ve known many others like you who eventually became ex-Republican gays. My own family was 100% Republican and vilified Democrats. But, as soon as I reached voting age, I knew which party supported my economic and social interests. I registered as a Democrat.
I made 94% on the test, called Our Fading Heritage. The average score was 49%, a fairly low F. I’m guessing that gay people get better scores than straight people. Other studies have shown that gay people excel on intelligence tests, are more likely than heterosexuals to go on to college, and are much more likely to vote. I think poor civics knowledge is probably part of the reason why we in the US have let our country slide into its current economic and social mess.
If the Republican party continues to embrace intolerant, socially conservative values, maybe Democratic influence will keep growing and we as a nation will finally catch up to the rest of the Western world on LGBT rights.
I scored a 90.91% on the civics quiz-what does that say about me?
From Candace Gingrich: A Letter to My Brother Newt Gingrich
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/candace-gingrich/a-letter-to-my-brother-ne_b_145739.html
Exactly. It’s readily apparent that this nation is exclusively interested in social liberalism or social conservatism. Better the social liberals find common ground regarding fiscal and personal responsibility, national security, and limited government with like minded social liberals than for conservatives to continually monitor social liberals undermining core principles regarding conservativism. I hire social liberals and social conservatives because I am federally mandated to do so and because I want the best workforce. Politically speaking, I’m not required to join your party if I disagree with your political positions nor do I want individuals who cannot provide constructive debate.
Actually, the GOP got trashed in this election not because of their conservative social values, but because they lost credibility as custodians of the economy. Traditionally the GOP has touted the Dems as fiscally irresponsible and themselves as careful accountants. The Bush Administration sank that idea completely. Even many social conservatives voted Democrat this time around because they felt that the GOP was incapable of arresting the economy’s downward spiral that had begun on their watch. But as we saw with three more bans on same-sex marriage winning at the polls, a Democrat victory does not automatically mean that America has swung far to the Left. We should be wary of getting cocky. Especially because now the GOP will be looking for any angle they can attack the Dems on, and gays and abortion are already at the top of the list.
Let them go back to their social conservatives. The ignorant, religious christian taliban, etc.
It will be their demise. GOOD RIDDANCE.
Maybe the war against religious terrorism needs to be fought her at home.
.” I’m guessing that gay people get better scores than straight people. Other studies have shown that gay people excel on intelligence tests, are more likely than heterosexuals to go on to college, and are much more likely to vote”. Quote.
The repubs appear to be dominated by right wing religious people who in afghanistan would be called the taliban. Of course these people, blinded by religion, are victims of the super-wealthy of the republican party, whose real goal is the defined by their God of Greed. And they use religion to blind the repub lesser educated people, while they steal them blind. And under Bush republicanism, they stole the whole country.
If you recognize how the repubs made ‘liberal’ a dirty word to some people, we need to make the repubs “Bushites” - and you can guess what profanities it needs to mean in peoples minds.
Hah. I gots 89% and I’m a Canadian of European extraction.
Although I had to bite the bullet and give the obvious answers even if I disagreed, multiple choice tests being what they are.