Tuesday, August 4, 2009

When you are down and out, you go to what worked before: White Vote Strategy

This is being rallied continuously on right winged radio stations; from the MSNBC resident racist, Pat Buchanan; to even CNN and their Lou Dobbs problem.

The eruptions and interruptions at various town halls across this country even reeks in this. But nothing more astounding than claiming that President Obama is not a citizen. Even though proof has been presented, repeatedly, when you are a racist it is easy to hide behind something that stokes it, as the birther movement.

Republicans, GOP are in a tough position. The leadership is afraid to speak up and denounce this crap, which is killing them with independents, moderates and all persons of color. Even retiring Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) called his own party out:

“We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.). It’s the southerners. They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr.' People hear them and say, ‘These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?’ ”

The Republican Party is just a regional party, now. Even though Barack Obama has major issues on the table, the public support is still there and they trust Obama over the Republican Party.

So, when you are down and out, pull out the old Nixon playbook, the Southern Strategy.
With Republican party leaders so constrained by ideological blinders that none of their positions is likely to produce gains among non-white minorities, especially Hispanics, the GOP is finding it has no real alternative but to revert to a "white voter" strategy.

To some extent, it's working. The party's opposition to President Obama's agenda -- particularly his cap-and-trade energy proposal and health care reform plan -- is resonating strongly with disaffected white Democratic voters. Republican grievances about Obama, combined with race-baiting commentary from the far-right ideologues who have become some of the most dominant voices of the modern GOP, have led to a precipitous drop in the president's approval ratings among whites.

It's all very reminiscent of the party's notorious Southern Strategy, which carried the GOP for decades. But that strategy backfired spectacularly in the 2006 and 2008 elections, and there's no reason to think it will work any better in 2010 -- especially given the ever-growing importance of the minority electorate.

In this respect, even if the GOP picks up a few House and Senate seats in 2010, many of the party's top analysts believe that it will remain mired in minority status through 2012 and beyond. Other analysts say it may even decline to the level of a minor regional party, with its only real strength in the South. read more here....

Again, rally the angry white male. Stoke it with a tinge or racism, continue disinformation about the facts and hope they show up to the polls. That is what is going on from now until November 2010.

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