What's White, Crusty, Full of Holes And Aging Quickly? No, it's not that piece of Swiss cheese you dropped on the kitchen floor last week and have refused to pick up. It's not Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell (well, he is all of the above).
It's the targeted demographic of the Republican party.
The GOP swept the white vote on Tuesday, but got their old white butts handed to them by the growing number of Latino, minority and women voters. Latinos went for Obama by 70%, African Americans by 95%, women by 57%. Now the question remains Why can't the Republican party attract these growing demographics?
Does the GOP attract racists? Is it the fact that instead of focusing on how to win Virginia, they were focused on controlling women's vaginas? Is it because they think a woman should pay more for health care because she has a uterus? Is it because they think a woman, who pays more for health care because she has a uterus, should also get paid less at her job because she had to miss time off of work to raise a child in which she had to have because Republicans passed laws that made it more expensive or illegal for her to prevent or terminate her pregnancy? Is it because the GOP tried to pass laws making it more difficult for people in the inner cities, people with disabilities and the elderly to cast a ballot? Is it because the GOP took a hard-line, mean-spirited approach to Hispanic-Americans and think they should use "self-deportation?" Is it because their nominee thinks 47% of us are moochers?
It's likely all of the above . . . The white population shrunk by 2% from 2008 while the Latino population grew by 2%. This trend will continue in the future. Florida is trending more Hispanic and more Democratic, as is New Mexico, Colorado, Georgia and yes, soon even Texas will fall as a GOP stronghold as the Hispanic population continues to grow.
Let's also look at the fact that the younger population still STRONGLY favors a Democratic ticket because of their socially progressive stances on womens' rights, gay rights and so on and so on... and the liberal youth of today, who think nothing of gay marriage and sexual equality will not simply fall off the face of the Earth, but instead continue to vote, and in larger percentages.
The phrase, "It's the economy stupid," should be replaced with the phrases, "Son los cambios demográficos estúpido," or "Es mi útero estúpido," or "Son mis derechos constitucionales estúpido," or "Take your stinking paws off of my rights you damn dirty SOBs."
There are plenty of reasons why Mitt Romney lost FOUR of the states which he was a resident of to President Obama (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Michigan and California) but it was really the GOP's regressive and insulting stances on social issues that cost them this election.
There is also the fact that there have been 359 GOP FILIBUSTERS since 2006, all but bringing the economy to a screeching hault in their attempt to make Obama a loser in this election. The GOP blocked everything they could: Jobs bills, more jobs bills, and yeah, more jobs bills, and stimulus money to return veterans, teachers, firefighters and cops to work for our communities. Instead, the GOP thinks we should all home-school our kids and arm them with a gun and a fire extinguisher to save tax dollars. Brilliant!
The demographics are trending Democratic and progressive, and if the GOP doesn't get their big, old, crusty, white noses out of womens' vaginas, our bedrooms, our marriages and our voting booths, the party will continue to lose followers, as well as national elections.
He won the single dependent women and government employed woman vote and lost the self sustaining married women vote. The women who must live by a budget that they earn disagree with your gender baiting and course language. Or Jason, rather then spending time blogging you work an additional 1hr a week and bring home enough money to buy a back of condoms. Unfortunately, you would rather repay the service of our vets by expecting the country they fought for to cover the cost of your care free sex.
How ignorant the left can be.
The GOP is seen as conserving the status quo and providing governmental support to large corporations. When you see yourself as disadvantaged by the status quo b/c of gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. you vote for the party that offers change. When you see yourself as advantaged by the status quo you vote for the party that offers stability. The conservative myth is that people who voted Democratic did so because they wanted "free stuff", that is, that they wanted something that they did not deserve. The truth is many people voted Democratic because they felt they have been denied what they deserved--not free stuff but fair opportunity at acquiring stuff. The movement is tectonic in speed and inevitability.
In times of economic instability like we're experiencing now, people who might vote otherwise will tend to vote for the safety net. It's an understandable, if not completely rational, decision.
I have taken issue with many of Jason Patzfahl's blogs and comments. In short, I find him to be the very definition of a hypocrite and unworthy of engaging in reasoned debate. I also find his degradation of the wives and family of his political opponents, under the guise of "satire," to be in bad taste (leave family out of it). Nonetheless, your above comment is likely one of the most offensive comments that I have ever read on these blogs. With all of the problems facing this country and the ongoing loss of our civil liberties – entirely due to BOTH Republicans and Democrats alike, your primary focus is racism? I think it is you who needs to wake up.
But what in the hell is Lyle doing mirroring such a stupid synopsis???
Is there any blog in particular that you're referring to with such a statement? Hoffa has always had comments enabled on all of his movie related blogs.
It had been up since yesterday, with no ability to post. She seems to have fixed it now. I'm sure it was just an oversight.
Almost old and crusty retired military guy.
Re. the growth of U.S. economy, it might be pointed out that the U.S. is bordered by two significantly weaker nations and two oceans. It has one of the largest areas of arable land, significant water ways, mineral and petroleum resources. It also has a profound mythos of the individual who "goes it alone", is "his own man", etc. manifest in our heroes and in our strong entrepreneurial ethos and widespread optimism. IOW, the factors you site for both your points might well be relevant, but to make a case that they are primary cause would really difficult without begging the question.
Ref growth of the US economy, the US began as a colony of a single European nation, avoided major conflicts with its neighbors, and fought only one civil war. Europe also possesses significant arable land, navigable waterways, and resources, which they have frequently fought over. Given plate tectonics, these two land masses which were once joined ought to be fairly similar. The US enjoyed the advantage of hybridization early on that brought a variety of peoples, skills, and ideas to its shores. Most of these early immigrants sought opportunity and lived in rural areas where their contributions flourished in an environment that necessitated strong individuals, families, and small communities. Today the hybridization process is called globalization as it affects most continents worldwide through the fast movement of people, ideas, goods, and services across borders. Although we have some resistance to immigration and intermingling here, it pales to what goes on in Europe or East Asia. This US advantage is not by chance, but by political design. US farmers worked their own lands while European elites repeatedly waged war on each other.