Mr. Hankey bump.Howwwwdyyy Ho!
-Eric
Posted on 10/06/2002 11:52:53 PM PDT by HAL9000
Picture a typical Republican. Perhaps you see images of George Bush, John Ashcroft, Ronald Reagan, or maybe even Alex P. Keaton. Basically, many people think Republicans are a bunch of stodgy white guys with money.Times are changing. The Republican A-list now includes Colin Powell, Christie Whitman, J.C. Watts, and Condoleeza Rice. Women and minorities have been making great strides in the party, but they generally dress, talk, and act like their predecessors. You are more likely to find them at a formal reception than a rock concert.
If Republicans are so different from mainstream America, then who voted for them? The nation has more Republican congressmen and state governors than any other political party, plus control of the White House. There are not enough Alex P. Keatons to account for these election results. Our nation is among the most diverse on earth. Half of the voters are women, a quarter are minorities. There are millions of union workers, retirees, immigrants, government workers, customer service employees, and individuals in low paying jobs, unemployed or on some form of public assistance. All of these groups are expected to lean left. Surely, the stodgy, affluent, religious white guys are outnumbered in the electorate by a huge margin. Yet Republicans candidates still do well. How is that possible?
The answer could very well be the "Southpark Republicans." The name stems from the primetime cartoon "Southpark" that clearly demonstrates the contrast within the party. The show is widely condemned by some moralists, including members of the Christian right. Yet in spite of its coarse language and base humor, the show persuasively communicates the Republican position on many issues, including hate crime legislation ("a savage hypocrisy"), radical environmentalism, and rampant litigation by ambitious trial lawyers. In one episode, industrious gnomes pick apart myopic anti-corporate rhetoric and teach the main characters about the benefits of capitalism.
Southpark Republicans are true Republicans, though they do not look or act like Pat Robertson. They believe in liberty, not conformity. They can enjoy watching The Sopranos even if they are New Jersey Italians. They can appreciate the tight abs of Britney Spears or Brad Pitt without worrying about the nation's decaying moral fiber. They strongly believe in liberty, personal responsibility, limited government, and free markets. However, they do not live by the edicts of political correctness.
The Southpark Republicans are an incredibly diverse group encompassing a variety of nontraditional conservatives, such as the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bruce Willis supported Republicans because of their commitment to lower taxes and fiscal discipline. Rap artist and movie actor LL Cool J recently endorsed NY governor George Pataki.
The most important Southpark Republicans are not famous. They are the millions of people of every age, race, sex, and religion that generally agree that government spending is usually not the best way to deal with the nation's problems. Many of these individuals can tell you why Ayn Rand should displace some other authors in high school literature classes. They know firsthand from endless hours at the DMV, at the post office, and preparing income tax forms that government wastes time and money. They know a nation cannot tax its way to greatness.
If he were alive today, John F. Kennedy could very well be a Southpark Republican. He rightly proclaimed, "An economy hampered by restrictive tax rates will never produce enough revenues to balance our budget—just as it will never produce enough jobs or profits." You read that right. JFK was a supply-side tax cutter. His alleged private exploits would place him squarely within the Southpark wing of the Republican Party.
Sound farfetched? There have been many Democrats that changed parties. Ronald Reagan, Senator Phil Gramm, and Mayor Mike Bloomberg were all once Democrats that became Republicans. The Democratic Party moved left, and the people that stood in the same place increasingly found their views shared by the elephants of the GOP. But not all elephants belong in the same herd. Pat Buchanan pushes a Christian/protectionist agenda that has absolutely nothing in common with the Libertarian folks who support free trade and complete separation of church and state. Depending on whom you ask, "Conservative" can mean smaller government of lower hemlines. (Hint: Southpark Republicans are more likely to get Cosmo than the Weekly Standard.)
The Southpark Republicans are not new, though they may now be more vocal. The party finally seems willing to embrace members that listen to the hard rock and rap music long denounced by the old guard. Heck, even vegetarians are welcome.
The media generally misrepresents Republicans as religious rich white males. This is patently false. Half of the voting public is Republican. They watch R rated movies, enjoy a few drinks at happy hour, and even go to the occasional Wrestlemania. Hopefully, the Southpark Republicans will shatter the unfair stereotype and set the record straight. As Cartman would say, "That would be pretty sweet."
Think someone might talk him into doing a few appearances with folks like Forrester, Chambliss, and a few other Republicans for the Senate?If I'm not mistaken he did some for President Bush.
-Eric
The fact is, the GOP has to change it's rules of engagement. Folks like Howard Stern and the creators fo South Park have more in common with the GOP than they do with the Dems, and we need to work with them and get them on board.Mentioning Stern brings someone else to mind, the Late Great Sam Kinison. I saw him at a concert just before the '88 election. The people in front of us were wearing Dukakis buttons and me and my date mocked on them. First thing Sam did: mocked on Dukakis. >:)
Liberal he wasn't. :snicker:
-Eric
....the PERFECT melons of Petra Verkaik.
And X-Rated movies. Otherwise how to explain the familiarity of so many Freepers with The Hedgehog?
I guess I must be sort of the Rodney Dangerfield of the Internet. However, before you start feeling too sorry for me, this COLUMBO Article earned me a free trip and vacation to Costa Rica.
Even on Infomercials. Have you seen The Hedgehog doing that infomercial? Most BIZARRE infomericial I have ever seen.
Mr. Hankey bump.Howwwwdyyy Ho!
-Eric
Had you put a few years in the service you'd have seen the changes he made, which were anything other than Libertarian.
Had you put a few years in the service you'd have seen the changes he made, which were anything other than Libertarian.
Everybody knows The Hedgehog, even people that don't like porn. The guy is everywhere.
I've never heard of the Hedgehog.
:(
Yes Eric, apparently he fooled his oldest son and his wife as to his intentions as well.Well excuse me for having failed the physical.....but I still know a lot about the changes that were made in the military. But one must recall that the military isn't a very libertarian place, nor can it be.Had you put a few years in the service you'd have seen the changes he made, which were anything other than Libertarian.
As far as military affairs go, Reagan was a "small-l" libertarian where it counted the most: he opposed conscription. Therefore, everyone there was a volunteer, and had consented to live under military rules. His foreign policy was the opposite of that espoused by the "large L" libertarians, but indeed foreign policy is one of the major differences between the "large L"s and "small L"s. Personally, I prefer Reagan's to Harry Browne's.
Besides, the topic was cultural, not military policy. Besides abortion, which libertarians and even liberals can oppose in good conscience, Reagan did nothing to advance the social/cultural conservative agenda, and indeed did much to set it back when he libertarianized the FCC.
-Eric
An awful lot of Republicans are Republicans just because they cannot stand the 'Rats. I think that the Republicans can make up a lot of ground in NJ if they portray the 'Rats as the party of losers and cheats. Not a very difficult task, given the current circumstances.In other words, tell the truth (or as the Rats call it, "play dirty").
I find that a lot of GOP voters are more anti-Democrat than anything. That's even true about me lately. The current GOP has many problems as far as a Reaganite like me is concerned , but to anyone who wants government to stay out of their lives as much as possible, the Democratic Party is completely useless. It's become a coalition of groups that want government to give them things they have not earned.
-Eric
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