Posted on 11/11/2008 11:25:23 AM PST by bilhosty
The big question that everyone is asking is whether this month's general election marked the beginning of a political realignment that will create a new dominant party. Have Americans shifted their loyalties and fundamental assumptions about the parties and about the government, or did we just witness a short-term reaction to years of bad news?
Let's be clear: The election results in 2006 and 2008 constitute the kind of one-two punch that is rare in modern American political history. It would be silly to portray this year's election as a minor hiccup. The nation elected a liberal African-American Democrat from the North as president, and it gave him a majority of all votes cast.
Moreover, in the past two elections, Democrats gained at least a dozen Senate seats and at least 50 House seats, taking total control of Congress. At the state level, they now have 4,090 state legislators to the GOP's 3,221.
Polls show that the Republican advantages on foreign policy and pocketbook issues have either shrunk or disappeared. While there remains a stark contrast on cultural matters between the parties, Democrats have sought to mute that difference on both guns and values, and those issues clearly were not what the 2008 elections were about.
If demographics are indeed destiny, then the 2008 national exit poll at the very least raises questions about where the GOP goes from here.
For the first time ever, whites constituted less than 75 percent of the electorate, a considerable problem for the Republican Party given its historical problems attracting minorities. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) drew just
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
For those of you who think that all the GOP has to do is start throwing people out. You had better read this and think again. We nowneed a bigger chunk of the white vote than ever before. Any one who says anthing else is just smoking crack.
As minorities continue to become the majority, the GOP will continue to diminish in influence.
demographics did not change that much in 4 years. The realignment will be dependent on the Dems success. If the economy gets better and they do good with foreign policy, they will maintain power for awhile. If they fail, we will make gains.
Keep in mind that a large part of why the white segment of the electorate dropped below 75% is because many white conservatives simply sat the election out. This is why there was a huge uptick in new and first-time voters, yet only a ~1.5 million voter increase over the total votes cast in 2004. Part of the problem is in bringing these people home, not diluting the message to bring in more marginal and shallowly-committed moderates.
Start working on the non-minority minority, orientals, and you might not have to worry so much.
It’s been my opinion that, especially in Oregon, a strict fiscally conservative small government but socially Libertarian party would make a big splash.
Precisely. I am a minority, and am not a Democrat because I believe in Individual Liberty.
We need to get back on-message. Talking about details like tax rates, capital gains, is not appealing to the general population.
We need to re-frame the debate. Become the Liberty Party again in opposition to the Nanny / Slavery Party.
Only if it draws primarily from Democrats.
I half agree with you.
But I also believe this was a throw the bums out election too.
The GOP brand was badly damaged, thanks to a partisan media, along with Bush’s failure to articulate a conservative agenda using the bully pulpit.
>>>>a strict fiscally conservative small government but socially Libertarian party would make a big splash.<<<<<
You must be an anarchist :)
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
One of the problems with today's financial ‘crisis’ is that no one knows for sure what's going on. We've been misled and lied to so often and to such an extent that there's no way to know what else is out there waiting to play gotcha with us.
Look at how the current crisis was manipulated by those in the know in Congress, followed closely by their shills in the MSM. The Dems who had been benefiting from the bad loans to those who did not qualify knew damn good and well what was going on and chose to have it explode with perfect timing just before the election. It started with one of them ‘leaking’ the word that a major, major bank was about to go under. From there it was domino after domino falling under the direction of the Dems. Not only did the manage financially for years and years they also managed to have the collapse happen at the perfect time and then to blame it on the other guys.
Make not bones about it, the entire Valerie Plame affair was another example of masterful political manipulation, starting with the trip by hubby all the way to having one of ‘theirs’ leak her name and then sit back and watch the other guys take the blame.
Watch how quickly the news turns good now. Regardless of how bad the underlying story is in truth.
The only thing that will stop them now is a full fledged all out depression as all the steps they've taken to throw the Bush administration off course come home to roost.
“We nowneed a bigger chunk of the white vote than ever before. Any one who says anthing else is just smoking crack”
You may know more than I about smoking crack, you are the one talking about it. The Republican should accept all races that adhere to their beliefs and principles, you allow others and you undermine the part. Now, what beliefs and principles should the party adhere to, I say a platform defining the parties position on freedom, the opportunity for prosperity, and security, anyone who can’t support what the party stands for should be “thrown out”.
You hit the nail on the head right there. In this election, there was no contrast between the candidates, so people took their chances while riding the wave of nostalgia on the Hope-bama Express. Put Ron Paul up and he would have whooped Obama because the war couldn't be used against him, the college students liked him, and he was a clear contrast to Obama who could educate the masses as to why the founders wanted a small, controlled government. We deserved to lose with eight years of Bush and McCain as his potential successor.
Overanalyzing voters. 2006 was mostly Iraq, 2008 WallStreet/financials collapse 6 weeks prior to election. Democrats benefited of peoples frustrations. To win now they will have to deliver peace and prosperity. Much harder
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