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Joined: Apr 2006
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5,687 |
I disagree with every single cell of my body.
Identity politics is the reason behind the decline of the Republican party. There have been a couple of books devoted to the subject of how this strategy/philosophy gained traction in the Democratic party. The changeover came in the 70s. The Republican party had used something of this sort in its grand 'southern strategy'. Get whites still pissed off about the Civil Rights fight of the 60s and then chip off a few other states and walk away with a win.
The democrats took a look at the immigration reform act and said "Hell we can beat that!" They turned their backs on the labor movement, too many white males there, and started building a philosophy that encouraged people not to think in terms of job or function or like interests. Think of yourself as some disenfranchised or discriminated group.
You're no longer a blue collar Joe building faucets you are a black male who is a member of a group that has been treated terribly over our nation's history. You are no longer a working mom you are a WOMAN with a history of disenfranchisement to make up for. You are no longer a brand new American citizen you are hispanic, or African, or whatever. You are no longer an entrepreneur with a vibrant new business you are a gay man and we are on your side. And so on and so forth.
And guess what group wasn't invited?
The same group that was thrown overboard to allow this sea change in philosophy. What I am saying is that this game is rigged. Demographically it is a dead end. Destined to fail. It is a loser and it will only be a bigger loser in 10 or 20 years. The Republican party has to change. They are going to have to move beyond identity politics. And that means that a few of the groups that insist on playing that game are going to have to be thrown overboard.
Will
Smellin' a lot of 'if' coming off this plan.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 37,897
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 37,897 |
Obama garnered 39% of that vote,down from 43% in 2008. Let's start there. OK, twelve million fewer voters in 2012 than 2008 (Obama down 10 million). How many of that proven willing to vote twelve million were women who did NOT vote for Romney on account of his stance on abortion? Or, to cut to the chase, are you saying that pro-choice is NOT the majority stance of American women? Birdwatcher
"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 18,667
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 18,667 |
I disagree with every single cell of my body.
Identity politics is the reason behind the decline of the Republican party. There have been a couple of books devoted to the subject of how this strategy/philosophy gained traction in the Democratic party. The changeover came in the 70s. The Republican party had used something of this sort in its grand 'southern strategy'. Get whites still pissed off about the Civil Rights fight of the 60s and then chip off a few other states and walk away with a win.
The democrats took a look at the immigration reform act and said "Hell we can beat that!" They turned their backs on the labor movement, too many white males there, and started building a philosophy that encouraged people not to think in terms of job or function or like interests. Think of yourself as some disenfranchised or discriminated group.
You're no longer a blue collar Joe building faucets you are a black male who is a member of a group that has been treated terribly over our nation's history. You are no longer a working mom you are a WOMAN with a history of disenfranchisement to make up for. You are no longer a brand new American citizen you are hispanic, or African, or whatever. You are no longer an entrepreneur with a vibrant new business you are a gay man and we are on your side. And so on and so forth.
And guess what group wasn't invited?
The same group that was thrown overboard to allow this sea change in philosophy. What I am saying is that this game is rigged. Demographically it is a dead end. Destined to fail. It is a loser and it will only be a bigger loser in 10 or 20 years. The Republican party has to change. They are going to have to move beyond identity politics. And that means that a few of the groups that insist on playing that game are going to have to be thrown overboard.
Will You are in the same fantasy world as the people on cable news from whom you garnered your opinion, never desiring to look back and see how the pendulum swings, but declare gloom and doom. Understandable, but flawed. The same BS was put out there after Clinton won a second term and Bush won a second term. This election cycle gave Obama narrow popular vote victory. This was not a 'mandate', nor does it single some great shift from the 50/50 split seen in the country this time and in recent elections. All other elections had no major surprises and the GOP did quite well and as expected, except for some peculiarities to a given race. If the economy stays stagnant, the GOP will get the Whitehouse back in four years, but only if the candidates match up right. This time there was a weak incumbent, who was perceived as a cool, hip dude who many single women would like to get into bed with. He was up against a nerd, which along with Romney's moderate/liberal positions, were a few reasons I hoped he would not be the GOP nominee. A better, more savvy communicator would have knocked Obama off, contrary to all the 'analysis' of the condition conservativism. With a few tweaks to strategy and no hurricane, Romney could have done it, and if he had, it would likewise not have been a sign to nay-say the future of liberalism. The only legitimate aspect of the claim that the GOP must 'change', is that over the coming decades with the immigration, etc., declining ratio of white people versus other groups, as time goes on this will overwhelm conservative politics. That will be a long time in coming, and also assumes that the new demographic will remain a monolith of liberalism. I doubt it.
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/m0zk1a7.jpg)
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 17,289
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 17,289 |
The discussion that's been brought up and fought over is right and wrong on many points. In the simplest of terms and dealing with basic human nature it can boiled down to a few key points.
Hussein delivered a consistent message and told people what they wanted to hear. He used a no holds barred campaign, lied his azz off to accomplish this and swayed enough people who feel rather than think to win reelection.
There's a lot more I could write on the subject but the psychology of human nature trumps logical persuasions.
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5,687
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5,687 |
Well I don't watch cable TV news much. This is just an idea that has been running around in my head for a decade or so as I have seen the electorate change.
But you guys are the Republicans. I really don't have a say in how you choose to run your party.
If I had to take a guess I'd say that the leaders of the party will choose instead to double down on identity politics and try to see if a high profile latino will help to cut off a slice of their repective vote. If successful this would allow them to go full speed ahead without having to change much.
I'm not sure that this won't have a moderate level of success in the short term but will be hemlock in the long term.
In the end though there is a very large and growing share of the electorate that, like myself, considers the two parties nothing more than criminal enterprises. Good folks in both but the parties themselves are bought and paid for. Worse yet they are bought and paid for by the very people who have prospered by helping the strip mine our industrial base and allow Wall Street to become the worst sort of haven for the American criminal element. We've watched helplessly as the nation's power brokers turned their backs on productive industry and instead have fallen in with a bunch of parasites and vultures.
Eventually one party or the other will turn to these people and offer them a home. I don't see the Democratic party doing so any time soon because they have a philosophy now that will carry them to victory for a long, long time. All they have to do is keep the resentment flowing and watch as the demographic clock winds down on the Republicans.
Will
Smellin' a lot of 'if' coming off this plan.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,652
Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,652 |
In the end though there is a very large and growing share of the electorate that, like myself, considers the two parties nothing more than criminal enterprises. Good folks in both but the parties themselves are bought and paid for. +1
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