Posted on 03/31/2013 10:26:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Recently reporter Thomas Edsall - who has spent most of the last 30 years covering politics for the Washington Post and the New Republic - had some advice for the GOP. He draws upon some recent polling data to argue that "the Republican Party can afford to marginalize . . . Christian right leaders because evangelical social conservatives . . . are not going to vote Democratic." Thus, he reasons that Republicans can, as he puts it, "concede defeat in the culture war" in the hopes of picking up more socially liberal voters.
Mr. Edsall might want to check with Governor Mike Huckabee, who knows a thing or two about evangelical voters. Huckabee suggested that evangelicals will "take a walk" from the GOP if the party supports gay marriage. He might also want to consider the 1996 Presidential election, when Bill Clinton carried red states such as Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Missouri, and Louisiana.
President Clinton's wife is the likely Democratic nominee in 2016, and it's safe to say that the Clintons - with their deep roots in Arkansas - know how to reach evangelical voters, especially if the GOP acts like it doesn't want them. I would also note that in both 2008 and 2012, the GOP did nominate Presidential candidates who were not popular with social conservatives - and those candidates fared poorly in the fall campaign. Next time around, conservative voters might just stay home, or throw their support to a democrat who they see as more sympathetic to the middle class. But, of course, the question of what sort of culture our children are going to inherit is a lot more important than the results of any one election.
The social issues are not merely a political football...
(Excerpt) Read more at lauraingraham.com ...
The GOP doesn’t even stand up for the constitution. The GOP is statist pure and simple.
However, conservatives should drop the marriage thing; we’ve lost. We let them control the verbiage and they got us. Gay marriage is out of the tube and no one is getting it back in. It’s a question of when.
We have a real chance with abortion. If diversity is to be praised, then we need to consider the human rights of the old and the very young on the same level. Grandpa might not be convenient when he’s got alzheimers and the kids are busy with their own families. A baby on the way when you’re not married etc is also not convenient. But they both have rights.
We need to fight more for religious freedom for Christians. Jews and Muslims enjoy a certain deference for their religions in USA public life. Christians do not. At my local mall, a “White Rabbit” came for the last few weekends. Gd forbid they call him an Easter bunny. Passover is allowed to speak its name: no one calls it Flat Cracker Week. During Ramadan no one has to say The One Where We Eat Only After Sundown. But we have Holiday Trees and White Rabbits so as not to offend non Christians with the actual names of their holiday.
Sme of these social issues are pure freedom issues and we need to keep fighting for them.
Lifestyle choice is freedom. If people can marry anyone they like, then people should also be free to homeschool, to raise their children in any religion, and to refuse medical treatment or eat weird things.
It’s all about the constitution. Liberty.
You destroy Virtue, you collapse civil society.
“Free Republics need to promote public Virtue.” (Montesquieu). The only purpose for “education” is to teach Virtue (all Founders and goes back to Socrates).
Sex Ed in public schools is destroying the morality of children. Google Lukacs and how he collapsed Hungary with Sex Ed.
All economic disasters come from a immoral society-—you can’t have an flourishing economy if there is no trust.
That is why the Marxists try to group everyone and make them hate each other. Fear is essential to totalitarian society. (Montesquieu).
That aside. You can’t promote Vice-—it corrupts the next generation.\
All Marxism promotes Vice-—so we need a police state.
Hey look! Another surrender conservative!
Some things are appropriate for the federal government to deal with. Should a child be a child in one state and not a child in another?
“However, conservatives should drop the marriage thing; weve lost.”
Another Vichy Conservative! Gosh, it’s good we’re weeding them all out now!
No, might not vote Democrat, but might not just vote - at all. At some point, they're gonna start shooting instead of voting.
Liberals go to the Church of the Stinky Donut Hole...
If the Supreme Court says that Obamacare is constitutional because of the taxing power of Congress, then DOMA is constitutional tax policy...
That was the calculation they made with Romney and lost badly. Christian evangelicals won't vote for Democrats, but they won't vote for socially liberal Republicans either...they'll just stay home like last time. Same result---Rat win.
Socially liberal atheist society are NEVER fiscally conservative. It is ridiculous to de-couple the social from the fiscal. The leftist are TRYING to produce a form of heaven on earth, play God so to speak. And that is a very expensive undertaking.
I meant to say: “Socially liberal atheistic societies are NEVER fiscally conservative.”
Party leaders want “liberal-lite”, conservatives want Reagan. So far, “liberal-lite” has lost two big ones in a row.
I guess Rush Limbaugh is a Vichy conservative, too.
Should they dump what forms the foundation of a good, free and moral society?
Only if they want complete disaster and defeat....
I say we should encourage them to go full Left so they can become part of the Dim Party and we can start a new one - the Conservative Independent Party.
No evangelical I know of will vote for a Clinton.
However, plenty of evangelicals I know of have had it up to their back teeth with moderate to liberal Republican candidates and are ready to find, or support, a party which will embrace them. And no, it’s not Democrats.
My Southern Baptist friends recoiled at the idea as real sin seemed to be wrapped up in drinking, smoking, cussing and illicit sex.
Food for thought???
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.