The GOP's Working Class Muddle (Santorum and Romney following Democrats class-warfare)

WSJ ^ | January 6, 2012 | Kimberley A. Strassel

[CutePuppy]

The Santorum and Romney campaigns are following Democrats down the class-warfare rabbit hole.

Joe the Plumber might seem oh-so-2008, but as it happens he's alive and voting in New Hampshire, South Carolina and beyond. He's that unhappy voter that Republican contenders Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are pitching so hard to win. A little too hard, as it happens.

If Republicans have an opening this year, it is with the white working class, a crowd the Democratic Party has been hemorrhaging for decades. Barack Obama did better than John Kerry or Al Gore with these voters, though even he earned just 43% of their vote.

That was Mr. Obama's high point. In 2010 a record 63% of this bloc voted for the GOP. And there are signs that, whether out of calculation or desperation, Team Obama may be abandoning them altogether — instead looking for 2012 victory in a progressive coalition of educated, socially liberal voters, combined with poorer ethnic voters, in particular Hispanics. ..... < snip >

..... Mr. Santorum surged in Iowa as the "I'm One of You" candidate. ..... < snip >

..... Rather, he believes his job is to "look at those who are not doing well in our society." ..... < snip >

..... Team Romney is hoping this won't just win him voters but will also inoculate him against the rap that he is a hard-hearted millionaire. Mr. Romney doesn't want to engage in the rich-versus-not-rich debate. He wants to be for the not-rich and move on.

What both campaigns are in fact doing is following Democrats down the class-warfare rabbit hole. Spooked by the Democrats' inequality theme, the Romney and Santorum campaigns are taking the narrow view, catering to the blue-collar vote, playing the class game. ..... < snip >

[CutePuppy]

Ron Paul would be a natural leader of OWS/Occupy mob.

Most of them don't know why there are there, he could provide a "plausible" foundation for the disruption and anarchy they thrive on, under the guise of "free speech."

In fact, he spoke favourably about The 99 Percent as a "very healthy movement" and compared it to the Tea Party.

Ralph Nader, Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich (Paul's probable VP) spoke to OWS, to "end greed, corporatism and the Fed." Sounds like theme of many threads on FR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QLdcB0ln9t8

"Paul/Kucinich 2012  petitions are on the internet" ...

"Any combination of Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, Ralph Nader and Jesse Ventura would be fine by me." ...

"End corporate personhood ! Re-instate Glass-Steagall !" ...

[TheOldLady]

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