2006 post-mortem: The GOP is worse than you think
For four days, I have been trying to figure out why I'm so glum about the 2006 elections. After all, my party scored a historic victory. I shouldn't be moping around my home and office, drinking coffee and mumbling.
I think I may have finally stumbled upon the cause of my malaise.
Common wisdom says that Republicanism in Colorado is permeated by a six-shootin', stay-offa-my-property libertarian streak. After Tuesday night, common wisdom is hanging from a tree somewhere. Colorado's Republican voters sent their leaders a clear message. We don't trust you to govern, but we do need you to tell us what to do in our bedrooms.
Republican candidates who made claims to low-tax, pro-business, personal-privacy credentials were punished. See you, Both Ways Bob. Adios, Rubber Stamp Rick. Six years of President George W. Bush's big-spending mismanagement proves you don't have the courage of your convictions.
But Republicans who are famous for taking far-right stands on gay marriage, illegal immigration and abortion pulled out victories and in some cases landslides. How d'ya do Musgrave, Tancredo, Lamborn, Kopp and Schultheis?
Amendments suffered a similar fate. Voters leaned left when it came to good government (See: Amendment 38, 39, 40 and 41), but right when it came to social issues (See: Amendment 43, 44, Referendum I).
In many cases, I'm talking more about perception than reality. The state's Democratic legislature has passed illegal immigration reform; the country's Republican legislature has not. And yes, O'Donnell and Beauprez did attempt to jump on the anti-illegal immigrant bandwagon. But after years of ignoring the issue, their attempts were perceived as opportunism. And this is politics. Perception matters.
Little known fact. In 1992, I considered myself a Republican. I believed it was the party of individual responsibility and social libertarianism. In 2000, I changed my affiliation to Democrat. I have never been surer that I made the right choice. Today's GOP is, more than ever, the party of big government, theocracy and hate.
I'm sorry to see the party of Lincoln choose this path. I'm sorry to see the voters cheer them down it. But it makes my life easier.
Democrat. All the way down the ticket. For the foreseeable future.
This post is loosely based on a comment I made on a thread at SquareState. I'm currently working on a companion post about what the 2006 election means for Democrats.
I think I may have finally stumbled upon the cause of my malaise.
Common wisdom says that Republicanism in Colorado is permeated by a six-shootin', stay-offa-my-property libertarian streak. After Tuesday night, common wisdom is hanging from a tree somewhere. Colorado's Republican voters sent their leaders a clear message. We don't trust you to govern, but we do need you to tell us what to do in our bedrooms.
Republican candidates who made claims to low-tax, pro-business, personal-privacy credentials were punished. See you, Both Ways Bob. Adios, Rubber Stamp Rick. Six years of President George W. Bush's big-spending mismanagement proves you don't have the courage of your convictions.
But Republicans who are famous for taking far-right stands on gay marriage, illegal immigration and abortion pulled out victories and in some cases landslides. How d'ya do Musgrave, Tancredo, Lamborn, Kopp and Schultheis?
Amendments suffered a similar fate. Voters leaned left when it came to good government (See: Amendment 38, 39, 40 and 41), but right when it came to social issues (See: Amendment 43, 44, Referendum I).
In many cases, I'm talking more about perception than reality. The state's Democratic legislature has passed illegal immigration reform; the country's Republican legislature has not. And yes, O'Donnell and Beauprez did attempt to jump on the anti-illegal immigrant bandwagon. But after years of ignoring the issue, their attempts were perceived as opportunism. And this is politics. Perception matters.
Little known fact. In 1992, I considered myself a Republican. I believed it was the party of individual responsibility and social libertarianism. In 2000, I changed my affiliation to Democrat. I have never been surer that I made the right choice. Today's GOP is, more than ever, the party of big government, theocracy and hate.
I'm sorry to see the party of Lincoln choose this path. I'm sorry to see the voters cheer them down it. But it makes my life easier.
Democrat. All the way down the ticket. For the foreseeable future.
This post is loosely based on a comment I made on a thread at SquareState. I'm currently working on a companion post about what the 2006 election means for Democrats.
5 Comments:
I don't think Musgrave can withstand another close call. The 4th is becoming the new 7th. And Musgrave, if she isn't primaried or she survives a primary, won't get funding from republicans unless they don't care about having any power. I am as down about Ref I, and Amendmant 43 as you because it doesn't say good things about us and I worry about the social conservative aspect of the results, but I am hoping that people are starting to see the light.
I agree. For one thing the Republican party must be getting pretty tired of having to spend so much money to save her sorry seat. They could have pumped much more into the more comptetive 7th and taken that one too if not for Musgrave being so iffy. Second, ultra righty one issue Republicans will be even more irrelevant in the new congress than they are already. Musgrave and Tancreo will be able to get even less (if that's possible) accomplished for their own constituents. Moderate and traditional chamber-of-commerce type conservative Republicans who can work with the Dem majority will be back in the GOP saddle. Tancredo's fence will still be just a piece of legislation. No one is going to actually round up and deport 12 million people and Musgrave's marriage amendment can't be on the ballot again. What else have either of them got to offer? Angie's strong showing, in spite of all the nasty negative ads, will bring more money, sooner to that race and we might even get more attention in the 6th with the new over all climate. So be of good cheer, Dems. If we don't screw it up, it can only get better next time.
The Colorado Dems gave the National Dems a blueprint two years ago. They came in, the got things done and they widened their majorities and have a Governor from their party and now have the majority in the congressional delegation.
We went up to Estes and Fort Collins this weekend. There were friggin' huge Paccione signs, no Musgrave signs. My Republican mother-in-law said she was hoping the third party candidate would win. Plus Musgrave is one of the top ten most corrupt members of Congress, right? Perhaps there is an indictment in her near future?
The Repuglicans rightfully deprived themselves of the label "The Party of Lincoln" at the outset of the Southern Strategy, in which it began massive recruiting of the old "Dixiecrats" into the Republican party. As we know, the Dixiecrats were led by politicians like Strom Thurmond of South Carolina and Jesse Helms of North Carolina, both notorious racists, who switched their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in the wake of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the National Voting Rights act of 1965, both by LBJ. Since then, as you note, the Republican party stands for big government, theocracy and hate. It will wear those scarlet letters for the foreseeable future, and part of our duty as Democrats, progressives and liberals, until they demonstrate a willingness to change, is to make sure that they do.
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