Others, not so scary... 
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.
ok, but
i'm assuming you have doors that work to keep them out.
They show up in my bathroom, and I don't even want to think about what goes on in my basement bedroom while I sleep. Yuck.
I'll see "Ya'll" tomorrow. :-)
Always have your camera handy so you can take photos of the pyrotechnics...I mean, someone's gonna have to beat KP's "Toilette Flambe'"
We have those white 'aggressive house spiders' indoors.
And those quarter inch long green jumping spiders.
They are always indoors.
The wolf spiders, thankfully, are always outside.
The grasspiders, a funnel web type, sometimes come indoors, poke around, and head back outsidee where there are places to make their funnel webs.
See you tomorrow.
Ah yes... the toilet flambe..
*sigh*
Going to have to try to find something as good as that...
Yepper...the Toilette Flambe' was a real show-stopper. Among other things. ;o]
Found a live one.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1463262/reply?c=13
He says more in the same vein as the removed comment above in this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1463262/posts
His repeated comments and referral to teh government as "Rulers", and his statement of 'massive vote fraud' are interesting.
When asked who did teh vote fraud, he says "The Democrats".
SO I asked him why he would liek DC nuked due to just them, he goes off in a tangent saying that he wouldn't personally nuke DC or harm anyone, nor would he encourage others to do so.
He still has yet to answer the question.
I posted a parody on Anarchism...don't know if that was the right thing to do, but I enjoyed it nonetheless...and saved it to my trollbaiting file...
LOL, thanks!
LOL!
Good for you! I'll have to keep it in my Undead File.
Others, not so scary... OK...you can keep them both, with my compliments...;o]
Spiders.. we're headed into spider season here.
Hiya!
How was your weekend? Ours was rainy...wish you were here...
Had to break up a concrete walkway yesterday. Muscles a bit sore from wielding the jackhammer, but I got the machine figured out and the walk is all broken up now. Got my letter of opposition to a proposed ordinance drafted and ready to go. The trash is down by the collection point. So I think I've the point where I can relax.
How are you?
Ugh. That reply took a few minutes to appear...
The picture on the left is photoshopped. I have considered for some time that a very functional device could be made by adding more hydraulics to a base machine, but this one lacks dexterity of movement.
With only four limbs, movement is very difficult, requiring adjustment of the center of gravity over the current tripod of legs, not easy.
Hence the need for a minimum of six legs. It would also be useful to have a variety of implements on the ends of the hydraulic arms.
The one shown does not look at all like the elegant and simple design of our Lunar spider robots.
I'm actually not feeling to bad today. I made it to church and stayed for two of the meetings, but I don't know if I can do it next week or not! LOL!
I have to do things when I feel up to it...kind of a "strike while the iron is hot" deal. And I never know how long it will last, but it was fun. It was actually quite cool this morning...low 70's...;o]
It sounds like you have been productive, even if you ARE "worn out!" I hope that letter works.
That's encouraging!
Our deacon will be away the next two weeks so I will have to lead Morning Prayer. But after that our new Rector will arrive -- happy times!
Well, naturally, the one on the left doesn't look elegant. Doesn't even look really functional, except in a lumbering kind of way. I would imagine the spider robots you have designed are much more agile and spendy-looking...still...a spider is a spider...:o|
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