As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit.
Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D.
I’m bathing in holy water as I type.
To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn’t soon cometh.
Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth — as long as we’re setting ourselves free — is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.
[...]
Suffice it to say, the Republican Party is largely comprised of white, married Christians. Anyone watching the two conventions last summer can’t have missed the stark differences: One party was brimming with energy, youth and diversity; the other felt like an annual Depends sales meeting.
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But, like it or not, we are a diverse nation, no longer predominantly white and Christian. The change Barack Obama promised has already occurred, which is why he won.
What the GOP needs to do is stop running campaigns where the candidate simply agrees with virtually anything his opponent says.
The 2008 election was won by Obama because he promised to withdraw the troops from Iraq. McCain said they would stay.
On almost every other issue, they agreed.
Imagine if McCain had said he was opposed to the $700 billion bail-out, instead of ridiculously “halting” his campaign to rush back to the Senate – and do nothing.
Conservatives would have rallied to his side. Instead they stayed home.
Remember, McCain lost by 3%. 5% of the Republican base stayed home on election day.
#18
My point is that scapegoating evangelicals (Parker goes as far as to generalize this to “white, married Christians” in her article) for the GOP’s losses makes as much sense as blaming the stock market crash on Obama’s victory (another silly idea which is making the rounds in the GOP). It suits certain people’s political viewpoints but is inconsistent with the facts.
The electorate gave a big middle finger to “neoconservatism”. That has nothing to do with the presence of the evangelical wing within the GOP. Issues like stem cell research, school prayer, and abortion registered barely a blip in this election.
Where were the (so called) Conservatives when Bush and his thugs were destroying the Constitution? Never mind the policies and lies – The Constitution ! ! !
Republicans claim to be conservative. They are not. Republicans are authoritarian. “Conservativism” to Republicans is mainly an umbrella under which they can marshal their wedge issues, in order to divide and conquer…and rule.
Above all else they must rule.
“By their fruits ye shall know them,” no matter what they call themselves.
I wish it were true, but it ain’t. “Basically” this country is 50/50 or “center right” as the pundits like to say with the religious right voting more consistently than other groups.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2008
If 4% of voting folks had switched, McCain would be the Pres. Bush called his squeaker in Florida “a mandate” but it too was just the coin flip of circumstances giving the nod to one part over the other.
Obama will have to take unpopular steps to react to the “Obama Depression.” He will have a tough re-election campaign no matter what he does, no matter how old the Repuglican candidate is.
Stupid is as stupid does.
People who believe in myths as central and _complete_ basis for their lives AND then wish to impose these myths on others should have no rights whatsoever to run OUR government.
This, in my mind, is a reason to keep a firearm handy. No bible thumper is going to tell me what’s moral. Seems to me that respecting others is a primary tenant to the bible.
The Republican thumpers need to absorb that if they wish to regain power.
what part of “render unto Ceasar” don’t you people understand? I always laugh when so-called “followers of Jesus” say they aren’t their brother’s keeper, or we should kill our enemies, or any other number of ridiculous hypocisies that Christ would beat the shit out of (he did beat the moneychangers, you know) people for being such putzes.
#25–Flip===”People who believe in myths as central and _complete_ basis for their lives AND then wish to impose these myths on others should have no rights whatsoever to run OUR government” /// Like guns protect you? HAW!!!!!!!
Republicans who want to screw Palin: 94%
Republicans who want to screw Parker: 6%
Quick! Shoot the unRILF!
Republicans claim to be conservative. They are not. Republicans are authoritarian.
There is an element of truth in this, but the theocons were mostly following the lead of the Bush admin and the neocon media elements.
The phone tapping, torture and other reduction in civil liberties are not core issues to the theocons. They would probably just rather kick out all the muslims rather than undergo the police state stuff, but that is not on the table.
I dont agree with the comments about the age of republicans. There were a phenominal amout of young people (18-30) at the county and state repulbican conventions where I was a delagate. Most of these young people were Ron Paul supporters. I was in total amazment how Ron Paul han been able to energize young people into action.
Yup, if they get rid of their stance on science, art, gays, diluted interpretation of the 1st amendment, election shenanigans, and pseudo morality I’d vote for them. How’d that campaign slogan go? Country First or was it Corporations First no no it was Church First!
this link summed it up so well
http://www.imvotingrepublican.com/
#31,
that would only leave them with limited goverment, not punishing people for being successfull and literal reading of the constitution.
I Love America!
and I used to be a Republican!
#8 you are an idiot. Just like all liberals, you never use facts!
34% of Americans are conservative and only 22% are liberal. Obama was elected because he spoke of Tax Cuts which is a Conservative principal.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200811100013
Thermo, you’re an idiot.
You’re right us liberals we hate science, freedom, democracy, sound fiscal policy and rational thought.
Perhaps that’s why George Bush is so popular.
Perhaps that’s why Congress is now so vastly titled towards democrats.
Center Right? My ass.
actually, the only thing that Republicans have to do s get back to their fundamental conservative values instead of trying to ‘rdie the fence” as they have been doing for the past 10 years.
Dallas is right. The Republican party, under the Bushs lead, is no longer conservative and now has many problems. Becoming Democrat light is not how they will solve them. Shifting with the wind is trying to win simply to win instead of trying to uphold specific values. In the days of the Founding, calling someone a “party” man was a huge insult.
What a lot of people miss, is that even with all the problems, McCain didn’t lose by very much. The reason he lost is that he didn’t try. He refused to criticize Obama and basically just phoned it in. A candidate who really wanted to win would have pounded Obama like a tent stake. McCain was running for second all along. We can only wonder why.
This is the wackiest gross opinion piece I have seen on the blog for a long while. The reason why the Republicans had no energy and enthusiasm is because the party leaders didn’t put up any candidate worth getting excited over. Since the inner workings of the party killed the Mormon and the Baptist, and stuck the party with a candidate that even the Republicans had a hard time voting for, sure the other guys won. The Dems could have put up Charles Manson and still have won against the likes of McCain.
This election says nothing about the Republican party as a whole except that it has idiots putting up the candidates. They need to go back to the grass roots and push people that are decent and have a moral ethic to push. McCain is suspicious as far as even really being a conversative. How could he have won?
“But, like it or not, we are a diverse nation, no longer predominantly white and Christian. The change Barack Obama promised has already occurred, which is why he won.”
You know a whole lot of people with very different values are all thinking that. I think somebody is going to be wrong.
Give it some time to shake out.
Seems to me that the Republican party under Bush is as corrupt as all hell, basically shoveling public money and war profits into the pockets of their cooperate buddies while putting to the sword fiscal responsibility and moral leadership. Bush’s crusade (his words) against the Arab world kept the god botherers on side.
The Republicans need to rid themselves of these self serving criminals, get back to core values and start showing some integrity. As a left leaning libertarian I will never agree with their political stance, but I do respect leadership that displays goodwill, intelligence and integrity regardless of political affiliations.