Discuss

[snoboy]

Discuss:

 

[Skeezix]

Maryland changed.

[AlpineK]

The democrats started losing the south after the civil rights fights during the 60's when the dem. leadership sided with civil rights and against the old school democrats of the south.

 

As to the rest I don't know.

 

I think the main factor in this last election is the way the two parties interact with their members/followers. In US politics there are only 2 parties, so each party is going to have to represent a broad spectrum of voters who in other countries would have many parties to choose from.

 

I was on vacation durring the democratic convention, but I did listen to the republican convention. The one thing that struck me was that the republicans are good at telling their members that you don't have to agree with our whole agenda just a couple parts to be a republican. The expectation in the democratic party is for everyone to agree with all aspects of the party platform.

 

Right now I think there are a lot of republicans out there who don't agree with the current deficit spending and interventionist foriegn policy however they feel like they are part of the party. Next election things may change; after all this election was not a landslide.

[Gary_Yngve]

Funny how history books say that the Civil War was fought over states rights, but the Republicans don't want to leave gay marriage up to the states to decide.

[foraker]

Hypothetical question: i`If the states decide to ban gay marriages, and they seem to be doing just that, where does this leave the left? Do they accept the result as being 'the will of the people' or do they mount a constitutional challenge and look like hypocrites for saying it should be left up to the states to decide? (Personally, I think government should keep it's nose out of it but hey I'm not a party member).

[Doug]

Did anyone hear Rove's comments from yesterday? From what I heard, the administration wants to leave the honoring of gay unions up to the states (as do several states for hetero domestic partners)but they definately want a constitutional amendment clarifying that a "marriage" is strictly between a man and woman. Fucking great, we will now have fundamental christian values in the cosntitution. This of course keeps the republican backing by the chritian conservatives, but appeals to the moderates. What a fucking joke.

 

As I told a friend last week, finding a silver lining in Shrub being re-sel, I mean elected is easy: I will never again have a moral conundrum, it will be legislated for me.

[catbirdseat]

It's all well and good to say you want an amendment to the Constitution. It's another thing to actually do it. It would take 2/3 of both houses to propose an amendment and 3/4 of the states to ratify it. Last time I checked, neither house has enough Republicans to provide the needed votes unless a significant number of Democrats go over to the other side.

 

Assuming that red states would ratify and blue would not (yes, a big assumption), there would only be 32 states. It would take 38 states to ratify, thus not enough to amend the Constitution.

[Jim]

They know this will never get out of Congress. It is just a big bone they are throwing to the fundamentalists. The big battle will come regarding supreme court nominees. The religious (not)right will call in all their chips for that one.

[glacier]

 

I think the main factor in this last election is the way the two parties interact with their members/followers. In US politics there are only 2 parties, so each party is going to have to represent a broad spectrum of voters who in other countries would have many parties to choose from.

 

I was on vacation durring the democratic convention, but I did listen to the republican convention. The one thing that struck me was that the republicans are good at telling their members that you don't have to agree with our whole agenda just a couple parts to be a republican. The expectation in the democratic party is for everyone to agree with all aspects of the party platform.

 

 

 

Conservative commentator with the same conclusion...

[glacier]

Likewise- from some blogger:

 

Subject: A more constructive comment

From: Dilettante68

Date: Nov 4 2004 8:14PM

 

Maybe a recovering "Progressive" can shed some light on the dems defeat.

 

1. Get off your knees and quit blowing the Europeans. Inferiority has had a long history among US intellectuals. Face it, the intellectual, cultural, scientific, economic, and political center has long left our cousins across the sea. They have been without new ideas since the death of Camus. Their welfare state simply freezes the classes into their current positions. Why leave a comfortable cave?

 

2. Quit the demagougry. Maybe I am niave but I don't think CEOs eat children for breakfast. Those evil corporations are made up of us. You don't like what your company does; kiss ass, move up and change it.

 

3. Think about how you feel about the right pushing their agenda on you. Well, the right feels the same way. I live in the deep south surrounded by christians. I don't know a single one that doesn't support domestic partners. I know of hundreds that oppose gay marriage. Get what you need and have respect for others misconceptions.

 

4. For every negative thing you say about your country say five positive things. We are the good guys; not perfect but the good guys none the less. Repeat after me: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights among those life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

If you don't get that why stay here?

 

5. Buck up, you've won. Please review what life was like before the 60's. There are no laws keeping black folks from anything; only stupid folks that will die eventually. We are all turning brown..... Good ole american mutts. No laws keeping you from shouting at the top of your lungs that you hate god, love child molesters, and watch Jerry Springer. Freedom is not only freedom to listen to Mozart but also free to listen to "Achy Breaky Heart". Yes, if you look Arabic you may get questioned more closely at an airport. We are not yet perfect, but if we were would the"progressives" then shut up?

 

6. Finally, go south and listen instead of preaching. Monsters are easily created from darkness. They do not withstand the light of knowlege. That goes both ways.