South Park Rising

A recent column titled "South Park Republicans" challenged conservative stereotypes by suggesting that a many Republican voters are more inclined to watch Comedy Central than the Christian Broadcasting Network. The piece struck a chord. Actually, it struck several. You can read the reaction for yourself by doing a Google search for "South Park Republicans." Responses range from enthusiastic support to outright ridicule.

A few clarifications are in order. First, not all viewers of "South Park" are Republicans. Certainly, not all of Barbara Streisand's listeners are steadfast Democrats. And the concept of South Park Republicans is not new. Back in 2000, an article was published detailing The Inherent Conservatism of "South Park". The term "South Park Republicans" was first coined by Andrew Sullivan.

Some readers rightly noted that there is not necessarily a dichotomy between South Park Republicans and the Christian right. According to the official South Park website, "members of the Christian right have condemned the show for being bad for practically anyone who wants to go to heaven." However, many Christian conservatives agree with their more secular brethren on the issues of smaller government, lower taxes, fewer regulations, and personal responsibility. Indeed, many conservative Christians responded favorably to the article. One reader began her supportive email, "As a twenty-something, conservative, Christian who appreciates the humor of South Park…"

Many readers tried to debunk the existence of South Park Republicans based on a simple equation: Republican minus religion equals libertarian (they insist on a lowercase "L"). The logic is reminiscent of those demanding that "Jews for Jesus" call themselves plain old Christians. (Too many "J" words, evidently.) More importantly, not all South Park Republicans are libertarians. There is no single "South Park Republican" platform. They have different views on drugs, guns, abortion and Social Security. In addition, South Park Republicans are not uppercase Libertarians for one simple reason. They vote for Republicans. In fact, voting Republican is one of the group's two defining characteristics.

The other defining characteristic is a visible disconnect from the stereotypical Republican, an affluent, religious, white, male, moralist. In contrast, South Park Republicans can be any age, any color and any religion. Unlike archetypal Christian conservatives, they do not find much of modern pop culture offensive. In fact, they love it. They enjoy the non-Christian mysticism of Star Wars, the acrobatic violence of Jackie Chan, and the comedic vulgarity of Chris Tucker. The Christian right observes pop culture. South Park Republicans live pop culture, invoking movie quotes in casual conversation far more often than the Lord's name.

In this respect, South Park Republicans are a far cry from Rod Dreher's "granola conservatives." Dreher, who writes for the conservative National Review, admits that he has "a disdain for, or at least a healthy suspicion of, mass culture." South Park Republicans do not disdain mass culture because they are mass culture. Sure, some SPR's eat free-range chicken and organic vegetables like Dreher, but as a group, they are more likely to eat at Taco Bell. To the extent there is an overlap at all, granola conservatives represent a small fraction of South Park Republicans.

Different South Park Republicans often describe themselves as conservatives, libertarians, classical liberals, pragmatists, constitutionalists, or "just your average Joe." However, when election day comes around, they all generally vote for Republican candidates. But their vote must be earned. They are idealists, perhaps even pragmatists, but not party loyalists. In fact, the creators of the South Park TV show brutally satirized the current president in their short-lived series, "That's My Bush."

South Park Republicans each vote Republican for their own reasons. Some agree with every plank in the party's platform, in spite of having a nose ring and purple mohawk. However, most view Republicans as the lesser of two evils. Due to the quirks of our electoral system, candidates require a plurality to win, not a majority. If Libertarians wrested away half of the Republican votes in every major election, Democrats would hold nearly every seat in Congress. South Park Republicans want to avoid that, even if it means voting for Republicans when third party candidates may better reflect their views.

Democrats are keenly aware of electoral calculus. Long ago, they assembled an unlikely coalition to exploit it. For decades, Democrats have held their multifaceted party together with tape and glue. Today, former Klansman and current Senator Robert Byrd is in the same party as African-American Georgia Rep. Billy McKinney, who blamed his daughter's congressional defeat on a Jewish plot, though he did not mention Jewish Democrats by name, such as former Democratic VP candidate Joe Lieberman. Democrats hold together environmentalists protesting big oil in the same party as the union auto workers who depend on cheap oil and even the trial lawyers that skim 30% from whichever side wins. The Democrats have room for almost everybody in their big tent.

When you lift the flap to peek inside, who will you see in the Republican tent? After looking at the ad hoc membership of the left, it becomes easy to accept the South Park crowd as a viable Republican caucus, numerically dwarfing other factions such as, say, the Log Cabin Republicans. Of course, with congressional control and a sitting president, there must be far more people - and far greater diversity - in the Republican party than Hollywood might have you believe. Hilary Clinton got it half right: The right wing is truly vast, encompassing a vibrant and diverse base holding many different priorities. However, there is no conspiracy; the party is not monolithic.

In fact, the party is evolving rapidly. The newest and youngest members do not look, act, or think like the old guard. Generation X grew up with computers and cable TV. They entered the workforce at the same time as the Internet and embrace technology. They access the information and entertainment they want when they want it. They are individualists, with little patience for censorship or prejudice. Generation Y grew up even later, after political correctness had already firmly taken root. They now rebel against the very institutions, such as racial quotas, that were put in place by the progressives who fought the conservatism of the '60s.

Yet voters continue to see the same gray-haired faces representing the Republican party, in the same suits, with familiar priorities. But that will not last. Political parties are dynamic and they evolve. The South Park Republicans represent a large and growing caucus, espousing many of the party's core ideals, though rejecting the intolerance and censorship of certain religious elements.

South Park Republicans are very real and candidates should listen. Within two days of publication, the previous column generated email from many self-described South Park Republicans. They included a middle aged mother who finds the TV show tasteless, an economics professor, a blue collar worker, an old Truman Democrat, a naval veteran, a home-schooled teen, several Log Cabin Republicans, a tax lawyer, and a 31 year old, Jewish, mink-coat wearing, politically incorrect woman.

The Republican party cannot hold its current majority without this increasingly powerful caucus. The party can continue to adapt and prevail, or splinter and lose. The great thing about big tents is that they are portable. The Republicans of the future do not have to set up the big tent on the same exact political turf of yesteryear.

I think a lot of South Park Republicans like myself, are Republicans, not so much because we love the GOP, it's driven more out of our disdain for the Democratic Party. And the only viable alternative to the Democratic Party is, the Republican Party.

I keep telling people this. I'm by no means fond of everything the GOP does, but to someone who wants government to keep order and otherwise basically stay out of the way, the Democratic Party is completely useless.

-Eric

"Screw You Hippies! I'm going home! Talking poo is where I draw the line!"

The "Democrats Piss Me Off" Line is classic.

Cable guy is coming at noon today, my three year life on no-cable island is over. I just couldn't miss the Duck/Fuskies game. Watching Little Ricky NeuWeasle boo hoo "Sweet Sweet Tears of Sorrow" warms my heart. After this weekend, the names Ngata and Igor will make Ricky's raisins retract.

So any of the rest of you want Family Guy back too. Good show which they time slotted around too much.

I'm afraid that show my have been to smart for TV, even Fox.

You are comparing apples and oranges as there is no physical evidence which directly indicates the existance of a deity

Hmmmm...then you would be willing to concede then that your rights as an American, are indeed arbitrary, and Subject to the whims of men?

You have hit the nail on the head with your excellent post.

The last sentence you quoted says it all:
"The Republicans of the future do not have to set up the big tent on the same exact political turf of yesteryear."

A good portion were temporarily driven away from the GOP by Buchanan and his "culture war" speech, but I believe a good portion are ready to come back after the incompetence/malfeasance of Clinton-Gore.

I am the holder of doctorates in astrophysics and economics, a senior software engineer in the aerospace field

Don't worry. You can still have aspirations. One day you might become a mathematician!

"How do you know that Bible is the word of God, and not just some made up mysticism?" They can't prove it is the word of God. They take it on Faith. Then by your own scenario you can't prove that the Bible isn't the word of G_d. You take it on "faith" yourself that it isn't. Does that make you more or less intelligent.
If you have to believe in things until you can disprove them then you have to believe in anything you can imagine until it is disproven. Prove to me that Donald Duck does not live at the center of the sun. You can't. See how silly that line of thinking looks?

Then why are you thinking like that?

I think your proving his point that religion requires you to supress your intellect

The basic point of this article seems to be identical to what P. J. O'Rourke wrote about in his book, "Republican Party Reptile." The basic notion he was pitching (back in the blessed era of Reagan) was that there was an active and influential breed of conservative younger and cooler than the conservative stereotype suggested.

As the co-founder and chairman of a YAF chapter at one of the most "conservative" colleges in America in the early to mid 80s, I did my best to support O'Rourke's notion....hehe.

-Eric

I don't think I have ever seen anything more hilarious, than Chef singing Chocolate Salty Balls on T.V.

Really? Then you'll love this and this

Theres gotta be some cable channel which would take it. I also hate how the dumbasses at UPN ruined Dilbert( which started out with great ratings btw). My life's quest is clear I must become a billionaire tv mogul and bring back Family Guy, Dilbert, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hogan's Heroes, Alf Tales and any other suggestions.

I am an even a more different Republican from all these categories. I don't care for the TV evangelists; they mostly look like pimps and hookers. I don't care about South Park, that is simply too stupid. It is a Hollywood laugh track for the empty headed Joe-Six-packs! I don't get excited about the abortion issue? I don't care about the absolute limitless to the earnings of CEO/Actors/Athletes. I don't care about the Bush dynasty, Cuomo, Pelosi, Jackson's kid, Powell's kid, Dole's wife, Sununu's kid, and all this in-breeding of politicians! We are approaching the rank of a banana republic, for a country that pride itself on freedom and democracy.

Our media should be a big part of check and balance not a lap-dog like it has been for the past ten years or so? I can go on and on….

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