Quote:
|
Originally Posted by CoreyvsWorld
you really think? to be honest I haven't been keeping up on this lately, But I think that people are too stubborn, I mean George Bush did win two elections.
|
There are two types of Republicans. Those concerned with traditional family values, such as abortion, gay marriage, Christianity, et cetera. And then you have the Republicans concerned with economics. The vast majority of votes that Republicans receive are from cultural conservative Republicans concerned with family values. They vote these people into office expecting social change, what they are receiving are Republican economics. It is all in response to a backlash to cultural liberalism which is still being played out since the Vietnam war. Republicans gained these votes and haven't looked back, and they continue to keep these votes by clogging up the government with issues that will never be resolved.
And in case you are wondering what Republican economics are, refer to something called Reganomics. What Regan did was implement HUGE tax cuts for the extremely wealthy in what he called a trickle down effect, that is, the wealthy would pass the savings along to the poor. What happened was the gap between the rich and poor increased, sort of like what is happening today. Regan fucked up the country in a lot of other ways but I won't get into that.
Bush won because of cultural conservatives The laissez-faire economic policies of the Republican party are wreaking havoc on our communities and livelihoods for the benefit of the extremely wealthy. Meanwhile, the party fails to deliver on the moral issues (such as abortion and gay rights) which brings the support of cultural conservatives in the first place.
to quote Thomas Frank:
Strip today's Kansans of their job security, and they head out to become registered Republicans. Push them off their land, and next thing you know they're protesting in front of abortion clinics. Squander their life savings on manicures for the CEO, and there's a good chance they'll join the John Birch Society. But ask them about the remedies their ancestors proposed (unions, antitrust, public ownership), and you might as well be referring to the days when knighthood was in flower.
If you want to know why Obama is winning, it is because he is winning back the cultural conservatives. He is reminding them what it meant to be an American, and in my honest opinion creating a new group of moderate liberals from these many groups of people. He isn't just side-stepping the questions, but answering them head on. The idea isn't just change, or hope, but unity and prosperity. Things like middle class tax cuts, and fighting against the commercial entities of gas and lobbyists. Maybe he is full of shit, we will never know; but he tells you what you want to hear.
BTW, Obama is by no means perfect. He is a great speaker but he needs to find a side and stick to it, he screws up when he tries to stay on the middle ground.