Earth to GOP: can you hear us now?
This map published in the New York Times speaks volumes. These are the counties that voted more Republican in 2008 than in 2004. Appalachia and Arkansas. Could the wake up call be any louder? H/T: Andrew Sullivan
Labels: john mccain, republican party
Posted by solomon @ 11/06/2008 03:59:00 AM
8 Comments:
But worse for the Republicans is that these counties are places where the voters tend to be poorly educated whites.
I think they may have to figure out how to build a bigger tent.
The conflict, however, is that McCain, a centrist, couldn't please the right wing. And a right winger might not be able to reach those in the middle.
I have to agree with AW. I was reading up on Huckabee's background and he is almost as much of a tax and spender as Tony V.
The Republicans have to focus on fiscal responsibility. That means no goodies. The folks in those uber red areas though got use to getting goodies from GW Bush and folks like Huckabee, that's why a lot of them went for Obama.
I don't think you can get them back with tightened government fiscal responsibility so the way to go is to drop the wingtard positions and focus on true conservative principles of limited government, fiscal restraint and personal responsibility/accountability.
Once some folks see that Obama won't have the money to give away the goodies (as per Peggy the Moocher's expectations) they'll float back to reality.
AW, I wish you would post the companion map to this one depicting how many voted more Democrat.
All those high-profile conservatives like Christopher Buckley, the National Review, Chicago Tribune, and a host of others are not the religious right. Thinking conservatives had trouble with Bush because of the rampant spending and increasing federal deficit. They had trouble with McCain because he was a maverick and they couldn't make heads or tails of what he became in the campaign. And Palin had absolutely no idea what she was doing or how to promote conservatism, or even religious fundamentalism. She gave beauty contestant answers to everything. Today conservative thinkers are gathering to figure out how to promote the conservative agenda, and whether or not that involves doing it through the Repbulican Party. Do you think they invited Palin?
Higby may be on to something. If Obama doesn't adopt a fairly strict policy of fiscal restraint, that could become the issue around which the Republican Party attracts people from the middle.
But that probably doesn't mean just oppposing everything it doesn't like, but also proposing its own alternatives.
AW and I both have some ideas on this (his are better) and you may be hearing more about it soon. It does revolve around some highly progressive ideas based on core conservative values of limited government, government and corporate transparency, individual freedom and personal accountability.
No hating is allowed though. :)
Looks like Palin got thrown under the bus by the Ivy League, blue blood Bushies in Team McCain.
She thinks Africa is a country?
I think she dived under the bus all by herself.
Actually AW, if I was a conservative and saw the companion map, I'd be moving to wherever conservatives move to when they want to get the heck out of the US (Canada & Mexico are already taken by the libs, so I'm not sure what country is on the list). I'll email you the Other map.
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