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.
You live near a blast furnace?
LOL! Wow! Mom had a real neat list, huh?
Reminds me of my daughter. She SWORE when she was on her own, she was "never" going to clean the range top. She didn't. For about six months. Then she found out why I insisted it be done after the evening meal...I still laugh at that!
It's another gorgeous Saturday, and I thought of going to the pool, but there are always lots of people there on the weekend, so here I am. Same ol' stuff. :o]
Well good morning everyone, even tho it's after 1 now. Our lights went out in the whole county at 7:30 this morning. They just came back on and the first thing I did was turn the computer on.
Man, i have to get ready for 2 b/day parties now so just wanted to say HI to you all...Hope everyone has a great day...
Yes indeedie.
I was thinking about cutting grass before I had to get ready for work.
Said screw it, Had a little bit of time but not if you included a shower.
That's funny. Sounds like me,...I didn't clean, I moved.
Now I clean.
Is it hot still?
Good afternoon.
Good luck with the parties.
They were full of vinegar last night.
Got in from work and they were ready to frolic.
I intended a read in the tub to erase some of the lousy evening I had.
The girls didn't approve of being quiet.
Solly slurped me up the cheek and tugged my ear lobe.
Jackie did her tickled to death wiggle walk , licked me on the end of the nose and took off at a run.
Solly dropped a ball in with me.
It sure seems that way.
First trip to the store to set up house keeping can be awesome.
Yes, we had a lot of fun.
On the way to work today, my DH and I were joking about how, after living with someone for 20 years, you kind of get used to having them around.
It's going to be wierd, but I'm sure our 14 year old son will help to make up for the quiet.
You work Saturdays too, eh?
I work every other weekend.
Having a 14 year old will certainly fill the empty air space.
I know you fret over your daughter.
I got really close to my Mom after I married and moved out.
Suddenly having a lot of responsibility gives you a better perspective on the job of a Mother.
It's hard but the last part of the job is turning loose of a responsible adult.
yeah but I'm sure your shoulders are in GREAT shape now right? :)
I hope your parties turn out good. I think, in this age of computers, power failures are much more frustrating!
Take care of you and yours, and we'll see you when you get back.
It's only 91 now, and the humidity is a little high at 21%, but it's much better than it has been. I went out to get my mail, and saw that there was no one in the pool, so I came back in, changed, and spent the last hour in the sun. It felt SOOO good!
So I'm ready for whatever comes my way, now! ;o]
Awww...I know they love you dearly. Solly obviously wanted you to play with her ball in the tub. I mean, if THEY love that ball, why shouldn't YOU! The ultimate of a dogs love is sharing her ball...
LIPID PROFILE:
HDL Choleserol: 36 ("low" is <40)
LDL Cholesterol: 115
("Optimal" is <100, "near/above Optimal is 100-129//"Borderline-High" is 130-159//High is 160-189//Very High is = or >190... so I guess this is a healthy number)
HDL Risk Factor: 4.6 (1/2 av.risk is 3.4//average risk is 5.0)
Triglycerides: 82 ("normal" <150)
Cholesterol: 167 ("desirable" is <200)
THYROID TESTING: T3 Uptake: 36.5 (normal range is 28.0-41.0)
Thyroxine: 9.1 (normal range is 4.6-12.0)
TSH: 0.88 (normal range is .027-4.20)
Fr. Thyroxine Index (T7): 3.32 (normal range is 1.29-4.92)
all of this looks pretty vanilla to damned healthy, so I just don't get it... *shrugs*
Yepper...looks good to me. The Lipid profile is a pretty accurate gauge for the body fats, and can indicate diabetes or heart disease and of course, the "high cholesterol."
Have they tested you for anything else?
You sound disgustingly "normal." ;o]
I'm glad, though.
I'm no doctor, but I wouldn't expect a bacterial infection to effect your thyroid or cholestrol.
Good report! You get an "A+".
Your WBCs just don't want to go away. They like floating around in your body, even if they don't have much to do.
LOL!
Funny girl!
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