The (Finally) Emerging Republican Majority

The Weekly Standard ^ | 10/27/03 | Fred Barnes

[rdb3]

First off, the black Republican vote has been increasing, not decreasing.

I'm glad you phrased it this way. You didn't say that the number of black GOP members has increased. Stevie Wonder can see that. And I'll submit that a black person would not readily admit to voting for a Pub, but that doesn't mean he didn't.

I've run across more than a few blacks who have looked questioningly at some of the RAT stances. I suggest that they consider voting GOP, but not to join up. Why? Because we need the white Pubs to stay right where they are.

Now let that marinate.

[ktw]

Similar thing is happening with the Homosexual community. NO Flames here. Just stating fact. The Homosexual community are passing away at a higher rate than the Non-Homosexual community. Therefore, to continue to be a force in US Politics, they have to increase their population. By definition, Homosexual partners are of the same sex and cannot reproduce. Unless, two women go down to the bank or get a friend to help out. But even this is not enough.
So they are trying to get more young people interested. So where are most of the young people today? In school. Now they have a capative audience and can discuss things that parents are not even aware of.
Also, the media (film, TV, people) are very helpful if a person wants to be a Homosexual.
So you see they are also very aware of what is happening and are trying to increase their ranks/power.

[lainde]

bttt

[neverdem]

"By the way, Ukraine and Belarus and Moldova have less than a 100 million people combined, far less. I doubt if it is as much as 50 million. Look it up."

I'm willing to bet on your estimate as opposed to 206 million.

Here are the estimates from the International Data Base of the U.S.Census Bureau in thousands: (accessed via Refdesk on the Internet)

Belarus 10,332
Moldava 4,440
Ukraine 48,055
Total 62,827 (~63 million)

It might be an emerging pubbie majority, but it's very slow and hesitant. The reversal of leftist gains in the philosophical struggle is mainly state by state in the wrongly colored red part of the country in regards to gun control and abortion. State sanctioned gambling is expanding almost everywhere as long as the state gets a good cut of the proceeds. The war on drugs expands state power everwhere. Entitlement programs are never curtailed.
Although the pubbies have control of the majority of state governments, all of the states except Colorado have budgets in deficit, IIRC.

AIDS and its most common way of transmission in this country is never discussed because it is politically incorrect. Washington, D.C. is spending about $15,000 per student per year but results on standardized tests is at or next to the bottom. They insist on class sizes of only 15 students per teacher. I just looked at my local neighborhood 8th grade graduation class pictures and saw at least 40 boys in the class. The NY Times was reporting $10,000 per student at least 3 years ago for NYC students.

Guliani and Schwarzeneggar being stars of the pubbies - give me a break.

[Greybird]

I'm endlessly amused about how gerrymandering is decried in California, because it locks out potential Republican gains -- and praised in Texas, because it locks in potential Republican gains.

This, supposedly, is principled?

Turn it over to computers that draw contiguous, non-biased, strictly-by-population maps. Iowa has somehow managed this. Too many spoils are up for grabs, though, by comparison in California and Texas.

[tkathy]

A moderate, tolerant, more inclusive Republican Party will rule.

[sphinx]

Just as a thought experiment, suppose the GOP had for seven years or so the sort of dominance in DC that the Democrats had when LBJ was in power -- RINO-proof majorities in both houses, the White House, the ability to reshape the Supreme Court. What would they do? How, a decade later, would the country be different?

(1) We would fix Social Security with immediate partial privatization and a long-term transition plan to full privatization. Probability of achievement: 90%.

(2) We would enact health care reform with full national coverage and freedom of choice based on an income support system for low income people. (The MSA model.) This would include vouchering Medicare and Medicaid. Probability of achievement: 85%.

(3) We would dramatically expand parental choice in schools. I don't know that we would move to full vouchering of the system, largely because the schools are still primarily state and local responsibilities, but we would nudge the system in that direction. Probability of achievement: 100% for expanded options; 66% for full vouchering in D.C., as a test case; 50% that at least one state would move to full vouchers within ten years, given a fully supportive climate in Washington.

(4) We would do serious tort reform. Probability: 95%.

(5) We would do major tax reform. I don't know which of the Officially Preferred Conservative Options would win out, but in the end the top rates would be lower and the system would be simpler, friendlier to families with children, and friendlier to savings and investment. Probability: 100%.

(6) I would give immigration reform a 60-40 chance.

(7) The social issues are tougher because they divide the country and the Party, but a GOP dominated Congress would at least be more sympathetic to traditional values and state and local initiatives in support thereof. We would give a much longer leash to local choices and local variations. Perhaps most important, we would change the complexion of the courts.

I am, in general, more sanguine about the economic issues. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would certainly be dealt with because virtually all Republicans recognize the default option is massively higher taxation down the road if we fail to enact reform now. That default option is, in fact, precisely why the Democrats prefer to lie about these issues: they see higher taxes as an opportunity, not a threat.

I would, at any rate, like to make the experiment. So how do we get two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate?

[q_an_a]

power corrupts and absolute power...

The only saving grace may be that delay and a few others are small gov people and in time they MAY change the size of government bu reorganizing what government does.

[jalisco555]

Russian and Ukrainian immigrants vote 80% Republican.

Interesting statistic. A Russian immigrant student of mine told me a few days ago that there are 600,000 Russian immigrants living in New York City. Many of them must be citizens by now. I wonder if that explains why Republicans have won the last three mayoralty elections in a city that is supposedly so Democratic.

[bimbo]

The author makes a fatal assumption: That having elected more ‘R’s than ‘D’s is going to improve things. Well, the ‘R’s have had majorities in significant Government Bodies long enough to make a difference – they haven’t. The best that can be said of their tenure in Power is that they perhaps allow thing to deteriorate more slowly than the ‘D’s would have.

Senate Republicans are so meek that they cannot even bear the thought of displeasing Democrats over Bush’s Judicial appointments.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I think Lamar Alexander could have made that election much more competitive. The wrong track numbers for Clinton weren't very good for Clinton-- part of the reason Perot ran and did garner significant support. And as much as FReepers like to call Alexander a RINO (why, I have no idea), he was a passionate advocate of moving government functions away from DC and to the states (to whatever extent that they see fit to address the need).

[MeekOneGOP]

[kylaka]

Those are good points, but the majority of Americans still see Bubba as a "good" president. Republicans, least of all W, don't seem willing to "expose" him for what he was and is.

[Katya]

"(In fact, I believe most polls underestimate Republican ID because of nominal Democrats who routinely vote Republican.)"

Describes my father-in-law, who at 75 has always been a registered democrat, but only once has a democrat received his vote.
When questioned "why" he's still a democrat...."I have hope for the party. "

[EGPWS]

The problem is that once these people get into office they casually forget their campaign promises and move way over to the left.

If the American people didn't want conservatives, Al Gore would be president and Dick Gephardt would be Speaker.

Your preaching to the choir on that one!

Your statements (above) say it all in a nutshell...sadly enough.