Southpark Republicans

Tech Central Station ^ | October 7, 2002 | Stephen W. Stanton

[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."

[ilgipper]

I tend to agree with the basis of the article. Republicans are on the whole not stodgy old men in suits. Despite the image painted by the left, it is evident even on Freerepublic that Republicans and conservatives have fun too. Hollywood and the left want to paint Republicans in an image that makes the sheeple view liberals as the fun ones, out having a good time, and conservatives as boring.

[rintense]

Some of the best episodes are the ones where they slam Babs. And to think she was gonna sue them. Poor, Babs...

[strider44]

Right there with you. All my military buddies love South Park. I don't think I ever laughed harder in a movie theater when their movie came out.

"Have you ever heard about the Emancipation Proclimation?!"

"I don't listen to hip-hop"

[Billthedrill]

Respect mah authoritay!

[Poohbah]

"(SNIFF, SNIFFLE) I started a war with Canada...AGAIN!"

[anncoulteriscool]

Interesting article. Thanks for the post.

[anncoulteriscool]

*****The type of individual this person is describing is most commonly found in states like MA, CT and CA; in other words precisely where the Republican Party is increasingly irrelevent or a pale sister to the Democrats.*****

Yes I've noticed that people that read ann coulter columns do not like to look at blondes in short skirts...

[CollegeRepublican]

"Take me away from these god-damned hippies."

[ZULU]

"Colin Powell, Christie Whitman, J.C. Watts, and Condoleeza Rice."

Colin Powell is a left-wing liberal. He screwed up the first time around in the Persian Gulf War, which is why we still have this mess with Saddam contiunally taunting us and supporting terrorists. On the basis of HIS advice, Bush I decided to stop when he was about to destroy Saddam and his miliary. As a matter of fact, Powell opposed our acting in the Persian Gulf War up to the last minute. On many other issues, he is a social liberal, whose political philosphies are more in line with mainstream DemocRATs than Republicans.

Chrissie Whitman is a first class RINO. Thanks to her caving in to PETA and other animal rights wackos, New Jersey has a major problem with black bears; nothing was done to counter FLorio's "assault rifle ban"; she screwed up big time on the EZ-Pass issue; she cut taxes so excessively the state has problems with its infrastructure. She also appointed LaVecchia, Long, Verniero, Zazzali, and Chief Justice Deborah Poritz to the New Jersey State Supreme Court, creating the most liberal supreme court judicial body in the nation - one that sabotaged redistricting in New Jersey to favor DemocRATs, one which just recently allowed the DemocRATs at the last minute to insert spoiler Lautenberg into the Senatorial election, threatening any chance the Republicans have of taking over that body, plus rendering other decisions which are clearly legislating from the bench. She is supported and assisted by a liberal millionare Eisenberg who set up a liberal PAC to back liberal Republican candidates over moderates and conservatives. She left the state to actively campaign against a conservative Republican running in a general election - Oliver North. She openly boasts of being a "Rockefeller Republican". (Nelson Rockefeller was a limousine liberal who walked out the Republican Convention which nominated conservative Barry Goldwater back in 1964, and refused to support the candidate of his party's choice in the general election.) Most recently RINO Whitman was photographed congratulating Marge Roukema on her "career". Ms. Roukema is a RINO who had a voting record like a Democrat and who has stated she would NOT support the party choice in her district, a conservative Republican, and Roukema has not ruled out supporting the Democrat who is running against him. In short Ms. Whitman is loser - a rich, no-talent left-wing liberal loser.

J.C. Watts, on the other hand, along with Condolezza Rice seem to be the kind of candidates the republicnas need ore of.

[steve-b]

"Christian Right" = "Reagan Republican"

BZZZZTTTT!!! I'm sorry; the correct answer is "Christian Right" = "Buchanan (0.1%) Republican"

[tubebender]

Do you have any idea where the creator of the Simpsons lives. I have heard it as Southern Ore or North West Cal.

[weikel]

Hey I like both South Park and Alex P Keaton I think Alex would like South Park.

[weikel]

Btttt

[weikel]

Sc*** you hippie why don't you go to Woodstock if you don't like Southpark.

[SerpentDove]

Maybe if South Park was a little more than adolescent, ignorant potty-jokes, it would be funny.

[weikel]

In one episode, industrious gnomes pick apart myopic anti-corporate rhetoric and teach the main characters about the benefits of capitalism.

That was the point of the episode but not the point of the Underpants Gnomes. They were a joke about the dot coms( Step 1: Collect Underpants Step 2:??? Step 3:Profits).

[discostu]

Got it, actually I think in a lot of ways this article is a relabeling of an old demographic. I believe it's:
Reagan Democrat = South Park Republican.
It's conservatism focused on fiscal responsibility and reading the Constitution. Let the morality be handled by the society not the government (a dividing line people on both sides of the isle have trouble seeing). That's something both South Park and Reagan pushed. Before people brand SPR's social liberals they should check out the Boy Scout episode where they defend the Boy Scouts right to kick out gays (not because they're anti-gay, but because they're pro-free association).

[weikel]

Oh Cripple Fight that episode was hilarious.

[discostu]

Wow, the point of this article is currently circling a few thousand feet over your head. SP is a LOT more than adolescent potty-jokes. And anybody that points out how "environmentalists don't respond to logic or reason" (that's an exact qoute BTW, one of my favorite SP lines) can hardly be called ignorant.

[weikel]

Remember Children nothing is more important then saving the earth from Republicans... not even your lives.