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This is exactly why the GOP probably won't lose the house anytime soon, but national elections almost always go to the democrats. The GOP will probably pick up

by exelius 12y ago

This is exactly why the GOP probably won't lose the house anytime soon, but national elections almost always go to the democrats. The GOP will probably pick up a bunch of senate seats this year because of low turnout and an abnormally strong anti-incumbent bias, but they have almost no chance at winning the presidential election in a few years. At this point, the parties have devolved to mirror the culture wars that have beset this country since its founding: urban vs. rural. There's money on both sides - agriculture and mineral wealth in rural areas, and finance/industrial wealth in urban areas, so it's not a rich vs. poor thing. It's almost purely a sociological divide along relative geographic lines at this point.

terrence_giggy 12y ago
The ideological divide is between those who want relatively more government control, and those who want relatively less government control. I can tell you I'm personally a suburban, technical person who votes Republican and it really isn't based upon social values.
- refurb 12y ago
  I think you summed what attracts a lot of non-socially conservative folks to the Republican party.
- tedks 12y ago
  So, you're against "government control," but you support government control of abortion, state-sanctioned persecution queer people, and government control of movement across borders? Let me guess: You're a white heterosexual cisgendered man.
- exelius 12y ago
  Then the GOP has done an exceptionally good job of selling that they're about less government control (when really, their stance on government intervention depends on the issue). Just look at all the GOP talking heads saying we need more restrictions on travel from Africa, we need to restrict the definition of marriage, we need to prevent abortion, we can't cut military spending, we need a huge border patrol, etc. The GOP beats the drum of small government, but are the first to enact big government when it suits their needs. See the Department of Homeland Security, enacted by a republican president with a republican congress, and which has in 12 years grown to become one of the biggest and most wasteful government agencies out there. Politicians lie. It's their job. So we can't judge them based on what they say, we have to judge them based on what they do. And right now, unfortunately, an individual politician doesn't have the ability to contradict his party if he wants to keep his job. So we have to look at the party's track record, and when we do, it's pretty obvious that there's no choice for "relatively less government control". Both parties want more government control; just that the democrats want it in the form of government bureaucracy that creates dependency on the system, and the republicans want to dictate what people can and cannot do, then enforce it with an increasingly militarized police force.
  - terrence_giggy 12y ago
    Republicans are about "relatively" less government control then the only other party I could rationally choose from in an election - the Democrats. The choice here is not between good and bad. It is between two less than optimal choices (which is most often the case in life).

by exelius 12y ago

terrence_giggy 12y ago

The ideological divide is between those who want relatively more government control, and those who want relatively less government control. I can tell you I'm personally a suburban, technical person who votes Republican and it really isn't based upon social values.

refurb 12y ago
I think you summed what attracts a lot of non-socially conservative folks to the Republican party.
tedks 12y ago
So, you're against "government control," but you support government control of abortion, state-sanctioned persecution queer people, and government control of movement across borders? Let me guess: You're a white heterosexual cisgendered man.
exelius 12y ago
Then the GOP has done an exceptionally good job of selling that they're about less government control (when really, their stance on government intervention depends on the issue). Just look at all the GOP talking heads saying we need more restrictions on travel from Africa, we need to restrict the definition of marriage, we need to prevent abortion, we can't cut military spending, we need a huge border patrol, etc. The GOP beats the drum of small government, but are the first to enact big government when it suits their needs. See the Department of Homeland Security, enacted by a republican president with a republican congress, and which has in 12 years grown to become one of the biggest and most wasteful government agencies out there. Politicians lie. It's their job. So we can't judge them based on what they say, we have to judge them based on what they do. And right now, unfortunately, an individual politician doesn't have the ability to contradict his party if he wants to keep his job. So we have to look at the party's track record, and when we do, it's pretty obvious that there's no choice for "relatively less government control". Both parties want more government control; just that the democrats want it in the form of government bureaucracy that creates dependency on the system, and the republicans want to dictate what people can and cannot do, then enforce it with an increasingly militarized police force.
- terrence_giggy 12y ago
  Republicans are about "relatively" less government control then the only other party I could rationally choose from in an election - the Democrats. The choice here is not between good and bad. It is between two less than optimal choices (which is most often the case in life).