Posted on 07/31/2005 1:19:25 PM PDT by KMB
For the past 20 years, there's been a discussion in political circles and the media about the "fault lines" in the Republican party over the hot-button social issues such as the death penalty, abortion, affirmative action and gay rights.
The presumption has always been that these issues would ultimately cause a rift between conservatives and moderates that would split the Republican coalition. The pundits and the MSM have been expecting and predicting this split for as long as I've been watching politics and they've been puzzled by the fact that it has never occurred.
I believe that the reason that it hasn't occurred is that the underlying assumptions are wrong. There are no "moderate" Republicans. I think Republicans are almost all conservative. Today, there are no Republicans left who are philosophically in line with Nelson Rockefeller, John Anderson, Lowell Weicker or Mark Hatfield. I know that this line of reasoning may be challenged by the Maine & Rhode Island Republican senators but the Republicans in those states (who vote Republican in presidential elections) are conservatives. The New England Republican Senators get elected by appealing to Democrats in overwhelmingly Democratic states.
There were approximately 62 million people who voted for GW Bush in 2004. I believe that probably 61.5 million of those people (1) support the death penalty (2) oppose affirmative action and (3) oppose gay marriage. I also believe that an equally high percentage of Bush voters (even those who are pro-choice) believe that the Roe v. Wade case was a hideous decision.
Pro-choice Republicans also are aware of the dirty little secret of the abortion debate -- which is that even if Roe v. Wade were overturned tomorrow, there would probably be no effect... There are probably no more than 7 - 9 states where abortion would actually be outlawed and there are currently few (or no) abortion doctors practicing in those states today anyway. Overall, the number of abortions occurring in the next ten years would only be affected by 1% or less if Roe v. Wade were reversed.
So this is, I believe, why the Republican coalition never cracked or splintered. It has confounded and infuriated the opposition but the Republican coalition really never had the fault lines that so many people thought it had.
However, I now think that one may be developing. The impending divisions in the Republican party won't be "moderate" vs. "conservative". It will be "evangelical conservative" vs. "non evangelical conservative". The issues that cause the breach won't be abortion, the death penalty, gay marriage or affirmative action. Instead the divisions will be caused over: (1) stem cell research, (2) evolution and (3) the Terri Schiavo case.
I think that 25 years from now, we'll all look back on the Terri Schiavo case as a cataclysmic event in American politics. There were tens of millions of people who looked at the pictures of Terri Schiavo and thought just one thing: "My god, if that ever happens to me, pull the plug, stop the feeding or do whatever it takes to finish me off."
At the time many Republican leaders spoke of the fact that this was a unique case but the tone of the debate both in and out of the media was that this was essentially a first step.
I remember that pro-Brady Bill and pro-Assault weapons ban politicians repeatedly assured the public that this wouldn't mean banning guns while activists and media pundits indicated that this was a first step towards doing so.
With the Terri Schiavo case, activists -- evangelicals --similarly didn't view this as a unique case but as a first step towards preventing feeding tube or life support removal in any case regardless of living wills or not.
This had an effect on non-evangelical Republicans or "secular Republicans" . . . By itself, I don't think that it would be enough to cause a breach but this isn't just one issue. The other issues that are occurring at the same time are an inexplicable renewed debate over evolution and the stem cell research debate.
With regard to the former, there's no polite or nice way to put it so I'll just be direct. People who believe in evolution think that people who don't believe in evolution are idiots -- pure and simple. The perception that an evolution believer has of a non-evolution believer is of a person saying, "Duh, my grandfather wasn't no ape."
Secular Republicans look at people who publicly discuss their doubts about evolution and who don't want it taught in public schools with utter disgust.
With regard to stem cell research, secular Republicans are excited at the prospects and supportive of practically any scientific research and they simmer at the thought of obstruction of research on religious grounds.
These three issues: evolution, Terri Schiavo and stem cell research are close to causing (or may have already caused) an irrepairable breach in the Republican coalition.
I'm a conservative. I believed in a 2nd war against in Iraq to remove the regime of Saddam Hussein as early as 1998. I also believe in making the '01 & '03 tax cuts permanent; drilling in anwar; that members of al Qaeda who are captured are illegal soldiers and not entitled to due process. I believe in progressive indexing of SS benefits, support the confirmation of John Roberts, think Antonin Scalia is the ideal justice and favor ballistic missile defense.
I also support the death penalty, oppose affirmative action, oppose gay marriage and think that the Roe v. Wade decision was a farce. I could go on but the point is made -- I'm a conservative....
But, I also accept the truth that the human species has a pre-history and I support stem cell research and I think that keeping Terri Schiavo's existance without life going was cruel and sadistic. That feeding tube should've never been inserted 14 years ago.
As a result of all of this, I now find myself in a position that I would have never dreamed of 5 or 10 years ago which is that I object to Hillary Clinton far, far less than I object to Tom Delay. Or Rick Santorum. Or Sam Brownback. Or Tom Tancredi.
Hopefully, Rudy Guiliani will be the nominee in '08 and make this all a moot point but if he isn't then I'm confronted with the possibility that I'll probably vote for Hillary Clinton despite the fact that she stands against so much that I believe in.
If there are others like me out there, and I think there are, then get ready for a 2nd Clinton Administration.
"While we're on the subject of intractble problems, can anyone give me an antidote to mosquitoes?"
Don't breathe. Mosquitoes are attracted to the oxygen given off by your skin. And wear dark clothing. They like bright colors.
Thanks!
Thanks, Ben! What a cool piccie!
Hi, Darks!
I think we're alone now. There doesn't seem to be anyone around.
Hi!
Did you see Shawndell Green yet?
Shawndell Green, and his thread are here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1460592/posts
No...I've been gone this morning. I was house-hunting.
I'll look...
Okers.
Take your time.
He's not going anywhere soon.
Jeez...wassupwithat kharaku person? What a spoilsport. Sounds like he was just itching for a fight.
He is itching for a fight.
Bolton based a decision off Conservative ideals, and that is being used against him to argue that he supports gays.
The issue was housing discrimination.
Bolton said in his advice to the guy asking him that discrimination is discrimination no matter who or why.
And, he is right.
Unfortunately, such and unflinching stance gets used against you more often than not.
Yah...I noticed that. (I love it when the "newbies" call me "sir"!)
Discrimination is discrimination. My late ex- used to say, "Two things I can't stand is bigots and N*****s (or insert the topic at the time)!" And he was proud of it. Which is why he was my "ex" LONG before he was my "late."
Yikes!
I believe that we can show DISCENMENT in our decisions.
Big difference between showing discernment and being an overly emotional bigot.
*sigh*
Most people I run across don't seem to get that.
Christ told us, saying this from my background growing up reading the Bible, that we are to love the sinner and hope for his redemption while disapproving of his sin.
I don't think Christ would have had us telling gays that they couldn't rent an apartment.
He would have had us showing them compassion and redemption.
Unfortunately for me, I am and always will be a man of "blow it all up!"
And I have a hard time following what God says.
I just have a hard time being as compassionate as God would like, and showing any of his teachings.
But I haven't stopped trying to tell others.
I just stick the caveat in there that I am an extremely poor example to follow.
We are all poor examples, if you want to know the truth. There was only One Perfect Man and he was murdered for that Perfection. However, it is our duty in life to be as Christ-like as we possibly can, and if we fall short once in a while, we need to get up, brush ourselves off, and start all over again.
All we can do is our best, over and over. I keep saying "I'll get re-married until I get it right." Life is like that, as well. We'll just keep doing it until we get it right.
I don't just fall short.
But that is neither here nor there at the moment.
I do my best, but I hope that somebody somewhere understands the fact that I'm massively fallible.
Lord knows I do understand that.
Even I forget that at times though.
You actually have a better handle on life and your place in it than most people do, so don't be discouraged when you "fail"...we all expect more from ourselves than we do of others, so we are actually our own worst enemy.
To keep going is the main thing, in spite of the fact that we think we have failed in some aspect of our lives. No matter how badly I fail, I keep trying. It's all I can do.
"You actually have a better handle on life and your place in it than most people do."
Thanks!
From my pint of view, I haven't a clue..
*chuckle*
But admittedly my point of view is from my side of my eyeballs, so it is slightly skewed.
Yes, this is true.
To keep on going, despite being crushed and honestly doing teh same dumb thing over an dover again, to keep trying is good.
(Unless the person described is a DU troll.. then it is an exercise in futility for them and great amusement for us.)
*wincing*
;-)
LOL!
Yes, but see...you know you are NOT a troll, so it's OK for you to keep trying.
TROLLS on the other hand, should be paved as quickly as possible, with as much fanfare as possible...;o]
LOL!
And now I have a mental movie playing where aguy gets confused, thinks he is a troll, and paves himself.
*lol!*
Thanks!
Wekkum!
:o])
And now anyone else who sees the post will have the same mental movie.
*wincing*
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