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They quote Pollster Stan Greenberg on votes for Kennedy Vs Reagan as proof that it was the Democrats that had deserted their workiing class base. Kennedy was CATHOLIC and very anti abortion. Kennedy was not pro gun control. Do not confuse JFK with TEDDY. Ted and JFK shared very few views on much of anything.

D you think that more Democrats voted for Reagan in 1984 because Ron fired striking union workers? Reagan fired the striking Flight Controllers Union members in 1981? Is that why so many union members voted for Reagan in 1984?

Or Perhaps They voted for Reagan becuase he wanted any Mexican citizen to be able to come to the US to live and work as long as they wanted. Reagan wanted only a Mexican birth certificate to be required to come to the USA to stay and work. Show their mexican birth certificate and they could not be an illegal alien. Even the Democrats in congress would not go along with Reagan on that issue.

Or perhaps those Reagan Democrats voted for Reagan because he cut Capital Gains taxes and cut the top rate paid by the richest Americans from 70 to 36 percent.

Reagan Democrats voted for Reagan on MORAL Issues. The media was so surprised to find in exit polls that many of the hourly Union workers who voted for Reagan in 1980 disagreed with his economic policies but voted for him anyway. The pollsters and media said it was the force of the GREAT COMMUNICATORS personality that got him those votes. Reagan on the other hand figured it was abortion and gun positions that got him those votes.

I knew Reagans stump speech to Michigan, Pennsylvainia, and Ohio hourly workers so well that I used to imitate Reagan giving his speech for the amusement of my fellow reporters.

At the end of August in 1980 Reagan was 25 points behind Carter in the polls and Carter was even refusing to debate Reagan. Reagan was 15 points behind Carter at the start of October. Do you really think the Democrat voters looked up in the final 2 weeks before the election and decided that the Democrats had abandoned them on economic policies?

It was Reagan who attracted those voters NOT CARTER THAT LOST THEM.

Greenberg had to believe that white working class Democrats did not know they had been abandoned by the Democraic party in June, July, August, or September in 1980. In June, Carter had been 30 points ahead of Reagan. But come October, the so called Reagan Democrats had to come to the conclusion that the Democratic party had deserted them? That is not the case.

And Republican house and Senate members took a big hit from those same Reagan Democrats in 1982 when Republicans lost both house and Senate Seats.

Back then the conventional wisdom was it was good to be pro abortion and pro gun control.

Other people may have had ideas of who the Reagan Democrats were, but Reagan knew their two main issues were abortion and gun control.

Not much has changed.If you bother to read what Obama has said about working class Democrats in Pennsylvania.

Obama made the comments about religion and gun control because the polls showed he was not going to get White Working Class DEMOCRAT VOTES IN THE Democratic PRIMARY.

The votes Obama was not getting and the votes McCain will get are the pro gun and anti abortion Democrat votes.

The latest polls show that McCain will get 12 percent of the Democrat vote and Obama will NOT GET 23 percent of Democrat votes. 11 of the 23 percent may not vote for McCain but they swear they are not voting for Obama under any circumstances.

How many stories have you seen where those Democrat voters are called WORKING CLASS WHITE VOTERS. And even Obama knows they CLING TO THEIR RELIGION AND GUNS.

It could not be Atheist DEMOCRATS that cling to their religion.. NOW Could it? IT IS EVANGELICALS. REAGAN GOT SOME OF THEM IN 1980 and nearly all of them in 1984. McCain will get them all in 2008 and he can thank his VP nominee for that situation.

McCain is one of brightest politicians I have observed. For months the Reagan Democrats had been saying that if McCain was really on their side he would choose a pro live VP. McCain put out rumors that it would be Lieberman, Rangel and even did a trial balloon about what people thought of a pro abortion VP. The more he did that the more the Conservative base and the Reagan democrats said... I'd vote for him if he appointed a pro live VP. But he is not going to do it.

He kept suspense up until Friday morning. Then he did exactly what the reluctant base and the Reagan Democrats wanted him to do. What they said their vote hinged on.

And they were left with the view that McCain is exactly the man they want to be president. NOT BECAUSE Of the person he appointed. But because of what it says about McCain and abortion and gun control.

The same type of people who thought Reagan was a blitering idiot for being anti abortion in 1980 think McCain is same in 2008.

WE'll find out on election day.