I am sorry for the break in posts. Between family obligations and campaigning, I have been distracted. Just now, I came across the following quote from an interesting article in Salon about the fallout of the Foley scandal. It was attributed to an anonymous gay Republican Hill staffer. It explains the problem facing the Republicans in the long term.
"Most Christian conservative groups are looking for ideological purity," he explains. "You build a political party by expanding it, not by contracting it, and [Republicans'] continued appeals to conservative Christians and that element of the party are only going to last and only going to work for so long.
"Ultimately you're going to push so many people away that that's all you have left, a theocratic party. And if I sound like I'm being pretty critical of the Republican Party, I am, because it's something that they're going to have to realize. They're going to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century one way or another."
2 comments:
The reverse of this- is the Democratic Party.
They were in power for a long time, until they started to drift to far to the left. They eventually lost the White House and Capitol Hill.
Bill Clinton, changed this when he ran as a centrist candidate. Unfortuanately they Dems did not follow through.
The Dems will probably capture the White House next time around-and it will be with a candidate who expouses a more midle of the road platform.
As for the elections next month=with the economy doing so well, I beleieve the Reps, will keep the House by a very slim majority, and they will keep the Senate.
I've always contended that the Dems lost power for two reasons: corruption and lack of party discipline. Had they rallied behind Clinton in his first two years instead of sniping at him from both the left and right, the stage might not have been so well set for the 1994 debacle.
The GOP has been able to maintain TOTAL power in a time of a near 50/50 national split because they have ignored their differences and exhibit complete party discipline. They never compromise and force their will through the Congress.
I find it funny that the theory goes that Dems must be centrist while the GOP can be as extreme as they want. People might be more attracted to the Dems if they actually show they believe in something. The mushy middle shows a belief in nothing but getting to 50+1.
And that usually doesn't happen, either.
rfustero may be right about the midterms, although I don't believe that most people really think the economy is so great. Once again, it's party dicipline. These days, supporters of the GOP brand won't buy Dem no matter how awful and corrupt the GOP becomes.
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