While the top concerns of most Americans are the economy and the growing wealth disparities, the GOP continues to push far different issues to get its knuckle dragging base to get out to the polls. The pillars of the GOP game plan: race, sexual orientation/gay bashing, and fanning a class war. Sadly, these three issues work well in red and purple states where the midterms unfortunately see far too many minority and young voters stay home on election day. Personally, I do not understand why far too many in the Democrat/progressive base do not grasp that EVERY election cycle is important. A piece in The Daily Beast looks at the GOP's election year ploys. Here are excerpts:
Culture and race are not disappearing as electoral drivers. But unlike 2008 and 2012, both presidential years, it is the Democrats who are struggling under this burden, with red and purple states emerging as the key battlegrounds.
[Former Louisiana Governor Edwin] Edwards crudely framed the state of play in the South as a matter of race, sexual orientation, and class; in other words, culture. Said Edwards, according to the Financial Times, “Some people view the Democratic Party as strictly for gays and blacks and non-productive people,” . . .
The Democrats’ challenge of retaining the Senate is compounded by a midterm electorate that is generally more rural, white, married, and churchgoing than in presidential years. For example, in 2012 less than three-quarters of voters were white. In contrast, in the 2010 midterms, that figure was 77 percent, five points higher. As Woody Allen said, 80 percent of life is about showing up.
A recent Pew Poll graphically likewise portrays the stark national divide, and the granular differences are gaping. Republicans hold an 18-point lead among non-Latino whites, while Democrats are ahead by 62 percent among minorities. Pew also gives the GOP a whopping 68 points lead among white evangelicals, but shows Republicans lagging by more than 30 percent among the religiously non-affiliated.
Where it counts this time—in purple and red America—who the Democrats are and what the party stands for is more burden than benefit, just as who the Republicans are and what they’re about is a headache for the GOP in presidential years.
Once again, this election is about the Great American divide; only more so. Louisiana’s Edwards may be loutish, but he’s not crazy. The Culture Wars are not going away anytime soon.
I hope the polls are wrong and that the GOP does not take control of the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, I will be fuming about the stupidity of the Democrat base a portion of which will sit on their asses at rather than going out to vote.
No comments:
Post a Comment