The Los Angeles Times has a story today about defections from the Republican ranks in formerly loyal suburban areas. Between (1) the terrible consequences now being felt as a result of the Bush/Cheney/GOP economic policies, including a complete lack of regulation of the mortgage lending industry and its underwriting guidelines, and (2) blurring of the separation of church and state favored by the Christianist elements within the GOP, it's no surprise people are bailing and moving to the Democrats. My entire extended family more or less already made that move well before the 2004 election. Would that more people had done so. Perhaps the current mess could have been avoided. Truth be told, the GOP during the last decade or or so has cared only about the wealthy and "family values" Christians who have been duped to vote against their own financial best interest due the the GOP pandering to them on issues such as gay marriage. They were played for fools and some are now waking up. Here are some story highlights:*
Cheap mortgages and cheap gas built this sprawling landscape of tan and gray stucco homes, iron gates and golf course communities. And the people who flocked here over the last decade -- upwardly mobile young families in pursuit of lower taxes and wholesome neighborhoods -- emerged as a Republican voting bloc crucial to President Bush's 2004 reelection.
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Now the talk is about plummeting home values, rising food costs, and gas prices that make the once-painless half-hour commute to Tampa a financial strain. It's enough to give some here the sense that maybe, this time around, the Republicans do not deserve their votes.
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I've had enough with the Republican economics," she added, as her husband, Danny, who had just driven from his banking job in Tampa, piped in: "No more Bush." The Rodriguezes were sitting in a neighbor's driveway with several other regulars as the kids played in the street. From their chairs, the parents could see evidence of changing times: home-for-sale signs in both directions, with overgrown lawns marking the foreclosures.
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Dori Merkle, 50, who works as a special education instructor in the local schools, said her collapsing home value was pushing her to consider voting Democratic for the first time in her life. Another neighbor, Cheryl Bernales, a 29-year-old economics teacher who voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, said that she could face a pay cut "because the economy's so bad," and that she believes Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama "isn't so entrenched in the system."
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But many also worry that McCain, known for his war credentials, does not relate to the troubles facing communities so vulnerable to fluctuations in gas prices and housing values -- communities that happen to be in some of the election's most pivotal states.The pain is especially acute in hotly contested Nevada and Florida, which are home to many such communities and are among the nation's hardest-hit real estate markets.
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But, in a worrisome sign for McCain, even one of Pasco's most prominent Republicans says he's not sure where his loyalties will take him in November. Alex Deeb, who owns several construction companies . . . thinks McCain "doesn't get it on the economy" and wishes he could vote for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). "At least she understands the economy," said Deeb, who says he's a "dyed-in-the-wool Republican."When pressed, Deeb said he'd probably wind up voting for McCain. But the presumptive GOP nominee shouldn't bother asking for a campaign donation. Deeb said he wouldn't send him a check.
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