The GOP...a WASP nest

[Bfgrn]

Pew Poll: Dems Making Massive Gains As GOP Deteriorates

In seven short years, the American electorate has radically changed, as voters' priorities have shifted to the economy and away from such wedge issues as abortion and gay rights, as well as away from the threat of terrorism and from the war in Iraq, according to a comprehensive survey released Thursday morning by the Pew Research Center.

From 2002 to 2009, voters' partisan identification has moved from virtual parity -- 43 percent Republican and 43 percent Democratic at the height of George W. Bush's popularity in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 -- to a massive Democratic advantage today of 53 to 36, a 17 percentage point split, by far the largest difference in the past two decades.

The GOP is currently 88 percent non-Hispanic white; it has grown steadily older, from an average of 45.5 years in 2000 to 48.3 years in 2009; it is increasingly dependent on self-identified white evangelicals (35 percent of today's GOP, on Southerners (39 percent of today's GOP), and on voters who describe themselves as conservative (66 percent of today's Republican electorate). Those who espouse conservative views on the family, homosexuality and civil liberties -- a population which was in the majority in 1987 -- have fallen to the 50 percent level or below, the Pew survey found.

"The Republican Party is facing formidable demographic challenges," Kohut wrote in a report describing the new Pew findings. "Its constituents are aging and do not reflect the growing ethnic and racial diversity of the general public. As was the case at the beginning of this decade, Republicans are predominantly non-Hispanic whites (88%). Among Democrats, the proportion of non-Hispanic whites has declined from 64% in 2000 to 56%, as Latinos and people from other racial backgrounds have joined the ranks of the Democrats."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/21/obamas-new-electorate-pol_n_206249.html

[Socrtease]

The rumor of it's death has been greatly over exaggerated.

[Minister of Truth]

I was at work the last couple of days doing some Annual Training for the Guard, and thus I managed to catch a few hours of Fox News in the break room. According to Beck, both parties are going into freefall with regard to membership, and the Dems have fallen to where the GOP was some months ago before much of the most severe fallout.

Some guy wrote a book called "Independent America" or some such title about the concurrent rise of Independents to record high levels.

[Whomever]

Sad that we have virtually no truely independent candidates to vote for.

[belme1201]

The rumor of it's death has been greatly over exaggerated.

However, the illness has been diagnosed correctly.

[Whomever]

More like pissants than wasps though.

[Mott the Hoople]

The rumor of it's death has been greatly over exaggerated.

I don't know. On the surface I would agree with you but what's odd about the present situation is how conservative Republicans, those whom control the party apparatus at present, are reacting.

Politics is first and foremost a transactional busines, you know? Quid Pro Quo, you scratch my back and I scratch yours, and all that. Conservative Republicans have moved strongly away from that. They identify to heavily with ideology and being conservative then to practical political objectives.

Now most political parties when faced with the reality of a rapidly declining constituency understand that reform is in order for that party unless they wish to face electoral irrelevence but that's not happening with Republicans. Faced with the facts that this and other polls are showing, you would think the Republican party would be shitting it self and have a high priority of changing their message and adjusting their coalition so at to be competative in obtaining a ruling majority.

Insteady, they are reacting as if the life of the party is under attack. That if the party changes or shift ideology and/or it's identity that it would all together cease to represent their values and so the powers that be in the Republican party are shifting farther and farther to the reactionary right which, to state the obvious, is not politically tenable.

So will losing enough seats in the legislative branch to give Dems a super majority while we have a sitting Democratic President be enough of a warning shot for Republicans to reform their party if they don't wish to become completely irrelevant?

I would think it would but hell I though that would have happened sooner and not later so I"m not so sure now that it will happen.

So maybe the demise of the Republican party isn't being exagerated.

[Blackwater Lunchbreak]

I don't know. On the surface I would agree with you but what's odd about the present situation is how conservative Republicans, those whom control the party apparatus at present, are reacting.

Politics is first and foremost a transactional busines, you know? Quid Pro Quo, you scratch my back and I scratch yours, and all that. Conservative Republicans have moved strongly away from that. They identify to heavily with ideology and being conservative then to practical political objectives.

Now most political parties when faced with the reality of a rapidly declining constituency understand that reform is in order for that party unless they wish to face electoral irrelevence but that's not happening with Republicans. Faced with the facts that this and other polls are showing, you would think the Republican party would be shitting it self and have a high priority of changing their message and adjusting their coalition so at to be competative in obtaining a ruling majority.

Insteady, they are reacting as if the life of the party is under attack. That if the party changes or shift ideology and/or it's identity that it would all together cease to represent their values and so the powers that be in the Republican party are shifting farther and farther to the reactionary right which, to state the obvious, is not politically tenable.

So will losing enough seats in the legislative branch to give Dems a super majority while we have a sitting Democratic President be enough of a warning shot for Republicans to reform their party if they don't wish to become completely irrelevant?

I would think it would but hell I though that would have happened sooner and not later so I"m not so sure now that it will happen.

So maybe the demise of the Republican party isn't being exagerated.

Some people don't view politics as merely a quid pro quo business. your framing of politics as something expected to be corrupt and acceptable as corrupted is what's wrong with politics.

[Mott the Hoople]

Some people don't view politics as merely a quid pro quo business. your framing of politics as something expected to be corrupt and acceptable as corrupted is what's wrong with politics.

Those people are niave and don't understand politics. Politics has alway.....let me repeat that "ALWAYS" been a transactional business. If you do not know when and how and where to compromise you cannot possibly succeed in politics.

[Blackwater Lunchbreak]

Those people are niave and don't understand politics. Politics has alway.....let me repeat that "ALWAYS" been a transactional business. If you do not know when and how and where to compromise you cannot possibly succeed in politics.

You advocate criminality. How sad for you.

[Mott the Hoople]

You advocate criminality. How sad for you.

Weren't you supposed to be eating pudding with your plastic spoon?

You're a fool and you don't understand politics.

[Blackwater Lunchbreak]

Weren't you supposed to be eating pudding with your plastic spoon?

You're a fool and you don't understand politics.

Yet I continually make you look foolish.

[Bfgrn]

Those people are niave and don't understand politics. Politics has alway.....let me repeat that "ALWAYS" been a transactional business. If you do not know when and how and where to compromise you cannot possibly succeed in politics.

You advocate criminality. How sad for you.

Criminality? Maybe Barry Goldwater can kill two birds with one stone, explain politics AND what has derailed the Republican Party...


"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the Republican party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."
Barry Goldwater (R) – Late Senator & Father of the Conservative movement

[Blackwater Lunchbreak]

Criminality? Maybe Barry Goldwater can kill two birds with one stone, explain politics AND what has derailed the Republican Party...


"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the Republican party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."
Barry Goldwater (R) – Late Senator & Father of the Conservative movement

The major stone that kills all the birds is the commitment to internationalist fascism both parties display.

Conservatives like it cuz it's pro "business", liberals like it because destructive to american workers, whom they all are trained to hate in their ivory towers.

[Bfgrn]

The major stone that kills all the birds is the commitment to internationalist fascism both parties display.

Conservatives like it cuz it's pro "business", liberals like it because destructive to american workers, whom they all are trained to hate in their ivory towers.

What is internationalist fascism?