Southpark Republicans

Tech Central Station ^ | October 7, 2002 | Stephen W. Stanton

[tharkun]

More like South Park Libertarians.

[chnsmok]

I think they are from Colorado. Great article. Boy, have I been outed, except for the Cosmo thing. I tend to like Glenn Beck better than Sean Hannity. More humor is needed in the ranks. The Democrats can't provide ALL the laughs.

[weikel]

Not big l libertarians the episode "Osama Bin Laden has Farty Pants" specifically endorsed military action against the terrorist at the end( although they made fun of a lot of other stuff in the war on terror the kids got onto the schoolbus in gasmasks).

[Norwell]

Ahhh...I thought Reagan Democrats crossed over in large part because of Reagan's social conservatism: PROLIFE.

[discostu]

The Reagan Democrats I'm related to by blood (formerly Kennedy Democrats, my mother and grandfather, plus some family friends) crossed over largely for his fyscal policy which was in line with Kennedy's and because Carter's "tax 'em 'til it hurts then tax the pain" (I htink my mom stole that line from somewhere, not sure where) mentality had clearly failed (my mom was the first person I heard use a FR style renaming, she came up with "Dutaxes" for Dukakis). Most of them disagreed with Reagan on social issues, but they were tired of their paycheck belonging to the government.

You're milage may vary, that's just how it worked in my little corner of the world.

[Norwell]

BZZZZTTTT!!! I'm sorry; the correct answer is "Christian Right" = "Buchanan (0.1%) Republican"

I don't think so Steve. If that were the case Gerald Ford would have received more votes than Ronald Reagan in 1976: he didn't. If that were the case the party platform would have it's prolife planks struck: they are there.

I do recognize the type of Republican this article speaks of. One of the characteristics the author does not touch on is that almost without exception they are a little to good to serve their country in uniform

This has been a characteristic of the "Kevin Raye/Jeb Bradley" style of Young-Republican I have been watching for a long while.

[NorCoGOP]

Southpark Republicans? Hmm, something to add to the lexicon, I guess.

However, I still prefer, and consider myself, in the words of Peggy Noonan to still be a:

Broken Glass Republican

...and always will be.

[discostu]

Better check further up in the thread where we have ACTUAL US soldiers supporting South Park. You're attempts at classifying South Park fans are failing miserably.

[Norwell]

Ms. Roukema is a RINO who had a voting record like a Democrat and who has stated she would NOT support the party choice in her district

Yes, I'd read you had a good Reagan-Republican (i.e. prolife, opposed to homosexualizing the military, etc.) as opposed to a Southpark-Republican running. How is he making out in the polls?

[dead]

I am a South Park Republican who has already voted for Scott Garrett in two primaries and will vote for him in the general.

When Marge Roekema was on the ballot, I left the line blank.

You are now something like 0-6 in your attempts to blanket-label the "South Park Republican" group.

Keep trying.

[Norwell]

Read Carefully: the distinction between somebody who watches Southpark and the Jeb-Bradley type she describes.

As for how you spend your time: If you want to spend hours of your life in front of the tube fine with me.

Regarding the actuality of the soldiers, I'll take your word for it: you must be tracking IP addresses.

[BlueLancer]

Well, here's one soldier who watched South Park while on active duty and still continue to watch it as a retiree. Thursdays mornings were always interesting in the unit because the majority of the platoon would discuss the previous night's episode.

[discostu]

So you're calling Strider44 a liar? I wouldn't go there.

Why is it so important to you to label SP fans "fake" Republicans. In case you didn't notice until reagan started the big reach across the aisle the GOP was pretty regularly getting it's ass handed to it in elections. Take our votes an be happy. We're in complete agreement on 2 out 3 of the major section of political thought (fyscal conservatives, constitutional constructionalists, just not socially conservative), as Meatloaf pointed out many moons ago: 2 out of 3 ain't bad. Instead of trying to boot us to the other side and brand us charlatans and fakers you should take your victories as they come.

[Norwell]

I believe you but the anecdote is irrelevent.

This is actually an article addressing demographics and I am simply pointing out that I think the author is basically incorrect as to the composition of the Republican Party. It is primarily white and christian. Again, this is probably not the case in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Perhaps Tom Sowell or Ben Wattenberg will write a little more about which groups are voting for which party. As I understand it, the demographic group the author describes in the article is not large enough to make a difference.

Time will tell though: If the Reagan-type candidates begin to lose to the type of person described in the article, I'd take another look. I think Bill Schneiders analysis of the election is correct and it points to the reverse of what the author posits.

[steve-b]

One of the characteristics the author does not touch on is that almost without exception they are a little to [sic] good to serve their country in uniform

Try reading Msg#18, Msg#23, etc.

And, as I say when I see someone who doesn't distinguish between "to", "too", and "two" -- "Et tu?"

[Billthedrill]

This Navy vet's a big fan.

The difference between conservative and liberal reactions to South Park is definitive - when they parody hunters and gun owners in the "Volcano" episode we laughed along with them ("he's coming right for us!!") but when they skewer Greenpeace in the "Rain Forest" episode or Babs in the "Mecha-Streisand" episode you could have heard the screams and the lawsuit threats all the way from Hollywood to the Amazon. The difference is a sense of humor. The libs lost theirs somewhere around 1971...

[steve-b]

I am simply pointing out that I think the author is basically incorrect as to the composition of the Republican Party. It is primarily white and christian. Again, this is probably not the case in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Perhaps Tom Sowell or Ben Wattenberg will write a little more about which groups are voting for which party

Your post is so rich in irony that it could serve as an instant cure for anemia.

[Bella_Bru]

Stupid hippies!

[Bella_Bru]

Of course, let's remember the Sea People episode. Sea Monkeys + .......

[Norwell]

Reagan's "Big Reach" had more to do with attracting the "Wallace Vote" than anything else. They are the reverse of the demographic the author references. That is how he nearly beat Ford.

To expand, the Todd-Whitman-Republican business has always been around (Senator Javits, Mathias, Governor Romney) and they were precisely the folks undermining Ronald Reagan in 1976 and 1980.

Again, an interesting article. I don't believe that a demographic study would back up the thesis though. The last analysis of the election I read (published in the Economist) covered the difference between the "Red Zone" and "Blue Zone". In this article the primary determinant of voting habits was race and the frequency of church attendance. Frequency of "South Park" viewing was not examined.