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The Republicans Are Now the Stupid Party
Obama’s defeat of McCain and Palin has left the Republicans as more a sect than a party, corralled in a few Southern states. This is not good for the conservative movement, nor for democracy in America. So what went wrong for the GOP?
On November 4, two thirds of voters under 30 voted for Obama. That’s the future. A large majority of voters with college educations voted for Obama. That represents the best informed segment of the electorate. So, how did everything go wrong for the Republicans?
A good place to begin would be Barry Goldwater, and his ironic role in history. In 1964 he voted against Lyndon Johnson’s Civil Rights Act, believing on principle that it violated states’ rights. The only states Goldwater carried that year were six in the South. Johnson understood that the Civil Rights Act would cost the Democrats the support of the South for a long time.
In its embrace of the religious right under George W. Bush, the Republican party became the stupid party. And committing suicide along with it has been the conservative movement. The party united around god, guns and gays is finished.
But the South is the section in which fundamentalist religion is most heavily concentrated. And Goldwater, a western individualist leaning libertarian, loathed fundamentalism. He later said that “Real Christians should line up to kick Jerry Falwell in the ass.” Goldwater also supported Roe vs. Wade.
Goldwater opened the door to the Southern Strategy for the Republican Party, but Nixon and Reagan largely gave only token support to Southern prejudices. Reagan’s first Supreme Court nominee was Sandra Day O’Connor, whose record indicated that she would not oppose Roe.
George W. Bush was another matter. Karl Rove understood that we are in the midst of what historians call the “third evangelical awakening.” Bush exploited this opportunity, as in his third televised debate in 2000, when asked what thinker had most influenced him. Bush replied, “Jesus Christ. Because he made me a better man.” No one opposes Bush being a better man; but the evangelicals understood the signal. In 2000 Bush carried 70 percent of the white evangelical vote.
And he rewarded this faction: stem cells, “strict constructionist” judges (oppose Roe), religious reasons for invading Iraq (outlined in a speech in Irvine, California), faith-base initiatives (“abstinence only”), and even blocking funds for family planning in Africa!
Needless to say, much of this moves against overwhelming forces in history. Diana Trilling said that the long gestating women’s revolution has been the most profound revolution in history. Women’s equality, for example, has moved slowly ahead since agitation began in the middle of the nineteenth century. Women didn’t get the vote until 1920 (19th Amendment). Former male slaves got the (constitutional) right to vote in 1869 (15th Amendment.)
The availability of abortion is connected with women’s equality. Planned Parenthood vs. Casey: “The ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the country.” Half the undergraduates on most campuses today are women. Men don’t have their plans de-railed by an unwanted pregnancy.
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Jeffrey Hart is professor emeritus of English at Dartmouth College. He wrote for the National Review for more than three decades, where he was senior editor. He wrote speeches for Ronald Reagan while he was governor of California, and for Richard Nixon.
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Jeffrey Hart is professor emeritus of English at Dartmouth College. He wrote for the National Review for more than three decades, where he was senior editor. He wrote speeches for Ronald Reagan while he was governor of California, and for Richard Nixon.
So, how can the GOP recover? I think the first step would be to drop-kick the religious right out of the tent (or, at the very least, severely curtail its power). In the short term, this would not be without pain; I think that the non-evangelical party would not be able to field a viable president candidate until 2016. But in the long term, the GOP would gain more support than it lost.
Will the GOP do this during its time in the wilderness? Given the seeming support that Gov. Palin for 2012, initial appearances would indicate otherwise. I've predicted elsewhere that if she is the candidate, the GOP will tear itself apart and she'll lose to President Obama with a performance somewhere near that of Alf Landon's in the 1936 election. Here's hoping that the cooler (as opposed to the kookier) heads prevail in the GOP...
While I'm okay with the writer here bashing Christainity, I must ask for a little better research. I am a Christian, but I can acknowledge thatPalin and the extreme conservatives make us all look bad. That said, her belief in the rapture has significant scriptural basis despite the author's claim that it does not. This is the prime example: "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). There are also passages in John, Matthew, and other books of Paul's letters that support the rapture in some form.
Yes, there are extremists on the right, but there are extremists on the left, also. I am a Christian who voted for Obama, because I was open to listening to his middle ground philosophy, and because he reached out to people of faith. I love God, hate guns and capital punishment and this endless war.I am an environmentalist, populist, and I pray for an end to unnecesary abortions. I have gay friends, but I am opposed to gay marriage. My friends do not shun me for that, they know I love them and respect my faith as I do their personhood.The dems and r's would do well to stop assuming that Americans are not complex in the way they view the world of politics. When both parties pigeonhole people into voting groups, they do not allow their parties to shift with the times. I believe Pres. elect Obama will have a place at the table for people of faith-in that he is the future of a third way in politics..
r
This is why as a Christian Sarah Palin and the extreme right piss me off. They make the rest of us look equally ignorant and close-minded. However, I must ask what scripture the author is looking at when he claims that the rapture has no basis. In Christian scripture (presumable in Palin's Bible, because it's in mine) there are several examples of prophecy about the rapture in Paul's letters and the books of John and Matthew. The prime example is from 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with themin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord." No mention of "whooshing" but sounds pretty clear to me.
Guess what, religion is not what most younger kids are thinking about. They want a future in life not a key in the gates after death. Campaigning about the afterlife has no relevance to what is happening in reality. Stop preaching about the after life!
The title may be a bit strongly worded, but good article nonetheless.
The main issue I disagree with when it comes to the Christian right is how they force their beliefs on people. It's none of your business who I'm dating, what I believe in, what a woman should do with her body, what my views about foreign policy are. NONE OF YOUR GODDAMN BUSINESS!
"Real Christians should line up to kick Jerry Falwell in the ass."
Perhaps the best place to start today is with the Chrisitan Embassy, a fundamentalist organization that operates at the highest levels, flag officers and those with top secret clearences, within the Pentagon. Their stated goal, removed from their mission statement on their website, is to "raise up a godly military". While individual faith is our right, to have an organization that is trying to destroy the seperation of church and state with a fundamentalist agenda is a threat to the Constitution, in my, Christian opinion. So perhaps it is time to shine the light on this organization and for the military to wake up to the threat of fundamentalism inside their own organization, while they fight the same fundamentalist threat in foreign lands. A spit shinned "kick in the ass' would be a good start.
pani211... NEWSFLASH, your gay friends (if you truly have any) DO shun you for your opposition to gay marriage! Your arrogant view that they don't only adds insult to injury... is it not enough to strive to remove someone else's fundamental civil liberties, must you then absurdly claim that they would not resent you for it?
"So what went wrong for the GOP?"
"Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice." The reactionary republicans and the christian republicans took this to heart and in the end finally alienated/drove away the last of the intellectuals in the party.
They need a Reformation and a return to the principles of the Enlighenment.
For an opinion from someone who thinks that ALL parties are "stupid" (rather, are not serving us the way they could) check out this post:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Welcome-to-the-U-S-S-A-by-Matthew-Hard y-081101-464.html
Party of god guns and gays.
before you get carried away, just remember that almost the same amount of people voted this time as in 2004... there was not a great increase and that the Republicans were still in that 40% - 50% range which both parties go up and down within....
so give your head a shake and at least have a reasoned point of view...
2004
BushKerry
62,040,61059,028,444Total: 121,069,054
2008
McCainObama
56,477,64463,987,562Total: 120,465,206
First, Hart states that, On November 4, two thirds of voters under 30 voted for Obama. That's the future. A large majority of voters with college educations voted for Obama. That represents the best informed segment of the electorate. So, how did everything go wrong for the Republicans?
This is an asinine statement that ranks right up there with Donna Shalala saying that we didn't send our brightest and best to Vietnam. Assuming that youth and college educations equate "voter intelligence" is truly a stupid and biased statement. Arguments could very well be made just the opposite since our college campuses are hotbeds of liberal indoctrination PURELY BECAUSE youth are the easiest segment of society to indoctrinate!!! They aren't called "groupies" for nothin' !!! Most youth haven't figured out who THEY are yet . . . let alone what party most closely represents them philosophically. This is not a criticism of youth . . . it is a simple fact that youth is more malleable.
Secondly, I really take offense at "Conservatives" being bunched in together as fundamentalist, gay-bashing, stem cellist (even though other countries have proven that the same life-saving, disease curing work can be done without killing babies, but instead, from using umbilical cord cells as well as cells from our own bodies). . . this is Hart's own hate-filled, bias.
Thirdly, Hart does stumble upon one correct point . . . a battle for control of the Republican Party has been ongoing for decades. However, this past election, I would assert, is a demonstration of just how poorly a LIBERAL REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN fares. You can't offend or ignore a huge portion of your base, emulate your opponent (which, in case Hart doesn't know it, is the Democratic Party) and still win elections.
All dividing the Republican Party will get you is a three party system.
Hmmmm . . . Ultimately, perhaps not such a bad idea . . .
hronbp1
philipjames raises an excellent point. Given the extreme distaste with which the majority of the electorate holds the Bush Administration, the fact that McCain won so many votes at all is a sobering thought. I really wish we could know (for both sides) how many votes were being cast with noses held...
All, in all, though, President-Elect Obama has recognized this fundamental fact of American life in his acceptance speech. I think that he realizes that he needs to govern from the center if he doesn't want this new era to be stillborn. We'll see more in the coming days and weeks as we learn who will be in the cabinet.
hronbp1 --
You wrote "Secondly, I really take offense at "Conservatives" being bunched in together as fundamentalist, gay-bashing, stem cellist (even though other countries have proven that the same life-saving, disease curing work can be done without killing babies, but instead, from using umbilical cord cells as well as cells from our own bodies). . . this is Hart's own hate-filled, bias."
Hart is indeed biased, but he also seems to be right on this particular question. For years, Republican politicians have been marching in lock-step with just such people and have been rewarded for it.
You then wrote: "You can't offend or ignore a huge portion of your base, emulate your opponent (which, in case Hart doesn't know it, is the Democratic Party) and still win elections."
Last time I checked, wasn't the base exactly the group you didn't want to be lumped in with? Could you explain which portions of the GOP base you feel were left in the cold?
Sarah Palin is emblematic of what's wrong with the Republican party. She's all charisma and zero substance. She can only be described as intellectually barren at best. People who are deluded enough to consider her to be smart have confused "smart" with "cunning" which she is in spades.
Basically, she's a pretty face who's dumber than a concrete chicken.
Given George W's lack of intellectual gifts, it is any wonder that Palin captured the Republican imagination. She is another religious kook who is ethically challenged and is possessed with a less than sophisticated view of the world. The fact that she is being touted as the great Republican hope for 2012 is more illustrative of what is wrong with the Republicans than any other factor.
The best thing that could happen to the Dems in 2012 would be for the Republicans to run this empty head for President.
I agree the Republican party is "stupid." Especially the ones in Florida. They lost this election when they voted for McCain over Romney - who with Huckabee and Paul represented what was closest to a true conservative position. Had Romney been the candidate he'd be President today. Of all the candidates, Romney was the most qualified to deal with/respond to the current financial free-fall we are experiencing. All the polls - by a large margin - indicated that the current economic crisis was the most important factor in their vote. As a Governor of a large economic state, and a former CEO of a substantial company, no other candidate has near the qualifications of Romney to deal with this current crisis.
Abelard . . .
Ahha . . . much like Hart, your "blind spot" clouds your thinking. As I thought I made quite clear, all conservatives are not the far right any more than all liberals are the far left. Republicans best understand this if they are to survive. If the Democratic party begins to "eat their own" as Republicans have, they will fall prey to the very same "blind spot". This is a "centerist" nation. If the power-drunk dems govern from the far left, they will run "smack into" this time-honored truism.
hronbp1
hronbp1: Dead on.
Bush deserves much criticism he receives and I'll be the first to admit I've never supported him. However, as a gay man, I also must concede that Bush has given more money toward AIDS research and prevention, particularly in Africa, than any other world leader in history. Bush has also given ever-increasing amounts of funding to AIDS research in the U.S. He should be recognized for this, even if his abstinence-only policies are misguided.
I think history will eventually judge George W. Bush to be the most, not un-American, but blatantly anti-American president of all time for his still on going efforts to undermine the Constitution with efforts to destroy the balance of power and the rights of the citizenry.
My personal tipping point was when Cheney claimed, that as Vice-President, he was not part of the Executive branch of the government, and no one in the White House called him to task for it. I think this exemplifies their attitude of say anything you have to, then do anything you want.
Eventually America got tired of being treated like a nation of idiots. Mission Accomplished!
While I agree with Hart's general thesis in this piece, it still scares the bejesus out of me that 46-48 percent of our fellow Americans still agree with the republican doctrine (out of touch as it is).
I find it ironic and sadly humorous that George W. Bush, who would rather be more closely associated with Reagan than his own actual father, is the one responsible for bringing about the end of modern conservatism most closely attributed to Reagan.
Until the republican party realizes that the extreme right has invaded their party they will not get anywhere. This country is in the middle. I do not see anything wrong with government helping her citizens. The programs like social security, medicare, schips, are good programs. If the government insists on taking my money which I don't mind paying taxes than I feel it should help our citizens. I think Obama is on the right track and I think people want government's help at this time in our history.
hronbp1
You wrote: "As I thought I made quite clear, all conservatives are not the far right any more than all liberals are the far left. Republicans best understand this if they are to survive."
You did make this clear and I absolutely agree with you. But I'm confused about which sectors of "the base" you felt were ignored by McCain and what impact it had on the election. When most people discuss "the Republican base," they are usually referring to that far right contingent. It also seems to me that the far right has been running the Republican party for quite some time, given that McCain felt obligated to indulge them in a manner somewhat antithetical to his own views.
You also wrote, "If the Democratic party begins to "eat their own" as Republicans have, they will fall prey to the very same "blind spot". This is a "centerist" nation. If the power-drunk dems govern from the far left, they will run "smack into" this time-honored truism."
Again, I cannot but agree with your analysis. My own party seems to glory in self-destructing within two years of a victory (look at 1994). Hopefully, the new president can maintain the centrist course that he promised in his acceptance speech.
McCain is an old guy.
Someone who doens�t know where Africa is could become Ruler of the World.
Sarah Palin. Is there anything else to be said about the current state of the GOP?
Republicans should swing to Ron Paul, that would be refreshing.
Thank you.
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