We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
"Politics is downstream of culture." That's what the man says, and it certainly seems true these days. It's what I have been thinking. Sales, marketing, and branding matter.
Optics, rhetoric and perception matter. Though the new Democratic Party’s economic policies are based on antiquated ideas of early 20th century progressivism and European welfare states, it, not the GOP, is perceived as party of forward looking ideas.
If Republicans have any hope of persuading independents, they’ll need charismatic people, people who look and sound like a modern America and not a boardroom of Brahmin, because real-world competency is no match for fresh packaging and a good slogan. Welcome to democracy.
The fact is that the same people who run around instructing Republicans that they need to appeal to Latinos, blacks and women are aghast when exactly that happens. Are liberals agonizing this week over the defeat of Florida's Congressman Allen West -- a black man -- by a whiter than vanilla liberal named Patrick Murphy? Are they made furious by the defeat of a conservative black woman named Mia Love by yet another liberal white boy in Utah? Hardly. They are doing somersaults. Are they celebrating the fact that a woman --Michele Bachmann -- will be returning to Congress after defeating yet another one of those damnable white men, Democrat Jim Graves? Are they signing up for Palin in 2016? Are you kidding? They are beyond teeth-gratingly depressed and angry at the mere existence of both Bachmann and Palin
How did Mia Love lose to a liberal in Utah? I may be wrong but I wonder if race was a factor in lily white Mormon land?
Not trying to be a bomb thrower,but just wondering.
Ironically , I think West was the black guy that the GOP should have put front and center in Tampa. He was fearless and combative. He lost in Florida because of the liberal NYC transplants.
Instead the di**head Boston RINO Romney advisers tried to create a "We Are the World" meme. The Dems got that game down. Going forward the Republicans, if they want to survive, need Patrick Henrys not Mr. Peepers.
They need to kick Karl Rove's fat stupid toad faced a**to the curb. He's way past his sell by date. I have a feeling Hannity's 15 minutes of fame is about up. Hopefully he'll take all the cretins like Dick Morris with him to oblivion.
I'm not sure what B disagrees with regarding Herman Caine; Alfonzo says he "drew the line at having an affair for 13 years . . .", and so wouldn't support him after that disclosure.
The culture has truly changed, like it, or not, and the culture/message needs to change; preferably the culture, the message is pretty darn good.
The GOP are not conservatives, and likely never will be, unless the party gets hijacked by you and me and Zo.
We have a problem with Low-Information voters. Do not misunderstand, I do not refer to uneducated people, nor less-intelligent people, but to people who just don't pay much attention to politics, economics, and the news in general. They fall for falsehoods because they don't know any better.
Democrats depend on that because it enables all sorts of emotional response from the voter, and leaves the politicians free to say whatever they choose, true or false — who cares. Is there any evidence that pronouncements from the 'fact-checkers' have great influence?
I think it was Bill Whittle who talked about our country's requirement for virtuous citizens. If no one feels a need to be honest — we're lost. If small positive steps matter, and I believe they do, a good start would be to so ridicule Howard Zinn's execrable "A People's History of the United States" that any school board or instructor would be embarrassed to assign it. The number of kids whose view of our country has been deformed by that book are legion.
#5
The Elephant's Child
(Link)
on
2012-11-09 19:48
(Reply)
Re Jeffrey Lord: The liberals who instruct Republicans to appeal to women and minorities don't want Republicans to convert any women or minorities to conservative views. They want Republicans to change their views until they match what liberals believe are the correct views for women and minorities.
Zo has it correctly. Romney let Obama treat him like a street punk. So called Conservatives do also. Just remember, Progressive Liberals would and will put you in a gulag for re-education. If you do not get with the program then you get put in the slit trench and covered with lime.
