“The party of business and defense.”
Actually the GOP has lost big business and the crony multinational capitalists. The Fortune 500 executive suite occupants and the Wall Street bankers are voting for Democrats and supporting Democrats with their wallets and their votes. The GOP business support comes from small to medium size businesses. Unfortunately for the GOP those small business owners are also social conservatives and libertarians. They know the Democrats will act against business interests so they support the Republican Party because it pretends to represent the interests. This support is given only because they have no alternative, not because they are particularly pleased with the party’s representation of their interests.
Democrats will over time capture the small businessmen with political perks and favors, or outright coercion, to make them dependent just as they have captured the support of the multinational corporations through tax loopholes and regulatory coercion. Look at what happened during the auto bailout. Auto dealerships owned by Republicans had their franchises arbitrarily taken away by the federal government. This was a warning to other small businesses. Toe the line or we will use the power of the government to destroy your business. The IRS, OSHA, EPA, EEOC, and other agencies will apply pressure to businesses owned by Republicans over the next four years. The unstated message will be, support the Democrat Party or pay the price. This is Chicago politics. No individual small business will have the resources to oppose the power of the federal government. They will fall in line and pay their tribute or go out of business. It is only a matter of time.
Who then will fund the coffers of the Republican Party?
Your posts are always excellent . . . if depressing! :(