Potential Republican Crack-Up

[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.

[Grampa Dave]

What load of bs. He should have wore a helmet in his karate classes.

How these Godless secularists can call themselves conservatives is beyond the reality the rest of us know.

A few left during the state murder of Terri, and the board is better off.

[MikefromOhio]

heheh

yeah but eventually this just gets old ya know...

he, like all his troll brethern have no creativity.

[KMB]

I doubt if gunpoint will be necessary Harmless. Go back to militia practice.

[Darksheare]

Really?
When did I insult you?
Worst I said until your Valium crack was "troll", and with your "Yay Hillary" garbage, it is accurate to say 'Troll'.

[Paul_Denton]

Simmer down Darksheare. Take a valium.

Hey troll, if ya like HITERLY so much than DU's for you.

[MikefromOhio]

LOL

if you think I believe that for a second, you are smoking some bad weed...

[MNJohnnie]

The other problem you on the Hysteric Left have is that you have no credible alternative to offer. As frustrated and angry as the current Republican Leadership can make me, all I have to do is spend 1 minute listening to the other side to realize what a complete disaster a Kerry/Durbin/Clinton/Kennedy/Byrd government would be for all Americans.

So this is what I have to know. Why are all you RINOS so hysterically eager to attack what is suppose to be your OWN side while avoiding making even ONE criticism of our Political foes?

[Darksheare]

Yeah, I especially loved his "Yay Hillary" stuff.
As if he honestly thought that wouldn't tip everyone off.

[Darksheare]

That they do.
Heck, Murrymom gets little more than "Buzz off!" these days.

[Not A Snowbird]

A live pave? Excellent! Shrubbery standing by!

[mware]

Here is the list of clinical uses of adult stem cells.
Cancers:

Brain Cancer

Retinoblastoma

Ovarian Cancer

Skin Cancer: Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Testicular Cancer

Tumors abdominal organs Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia

Cancer of the lymph nodes: Angioimmunoblastic

Lymphadenopathy

Multiple Myeloma

Myelodysplasia

Breast Cancer

Neuroblastoma

Renal Cell Carcinoma

Various Solid Tumors

Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

POEMS syndrome

Auto-Immune Diseases Multiple Sclerosis

Crohn's Disease

Scleromyxedema

Scleroderma

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Juvenile Arthritis

Systemic Lupus

Polychondritis

Sjogren's Syndrome

Behcet's Disease

Myasthenia

Autoimmune Cytopenia

Systemic vasculitis

Alopecia universalis

Cardiovascular

Heart damage

Ocular

Corneal regeneration

Immunodeficiencies

X-Linked hyper immunoglobuline-M Syndrome

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome

X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome

Neural Degenerative Diseases/Injuries

Parkinson’s disease

Spinal cord injury

Stroke damage

Anemias/Blood Conditions

Sickle cell anemia

Sideroblastic anemia

Aplastic Anemia

Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia

Chronic Epstein-Barr Infection

Fanconi's Anemia

Diamond Blackfan Anemia

Thalassemia Major

Red cell aplasia

Primary Amyloidosis

Wounds/Injuries

Limb gangrene

Surface wound healing

Jawbone replacement

Skull bone repair

Other Metabolic Disorders

Osteogenesis imperfecta

Sandhoff disease

Hurler’s syndrome Krabbe Leukodystrophy

Osteopetrosis

Cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy

[Darksheare]

Are you sure this is the website for you?

[sauropod]

You nailed it.

This AIN'T the same place I found in early 1998!

[Darksheare]

I called him on it!

[Paul_Denton]

A live pave? Excellent! Shrubbery standing by!

If ya want to level the anthill the troll is hiding under prior to paving, just call Mr. Nuke!

[Grampa Dave]

How many times have we seen that behavioral response from the true believers?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I doubt if gunpoint will be necessary Harmless.

Sure it is. Because if all you wanted was voluntary funding then you would have no problem with things being the way they are now.

No, you want to take money from people at gun point to fund something that they will not voluntarily support. What does that make you? Aside from a democrat?

And how does that fit in with conservatism?

[sauropod]

Because of a LOT of things, McLame is not acceptable!!!

[KMB]

Overdose on "Dr. Strangelove" did we Paul? You seem to be having a General Ripper moment...

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting that long and excellent list great products made from adult stem cells.

Last year we had the left and people like this impose a stem cell legislation on Californians via a vote. I sent the head doctor, who was pushing the bill, a few emails asking for one documented positive result from fetal stem cells. He never responded as there were none.