Some post-election thoughts

[Imran Siddiqui]

The problem I have is what happened in the GOP nomination where McCain who was the MSM candidate won, due to the massive coverage he received. I have a problem when independents are picking the GOP candidate.

Seeing the closeness of the Democratic Primary and the relative number of voters in the Democratic and Republican primaries, I'm guessing that the vast majority of independents chose to vote in the Democratic Primary.

[Blaupanzer]

Why do you care who picks the candidates in the primaries, as long as they are legitimate voters? In the general election they will determine who wins even if they were excluded from the primaries. It's not like anyone pays a fee or gets a license or anything to be a party member. In the US, a voter's party membership is not generally even known. When it is, it makes the members special targets for partisan mailings/e-mails.

Winning national elections requires coalitions. Social conservatives who want to use the law to reintroduce regressive policies that advance their moral views aren't very good at coalition building. Thus, the Republicans need other member groups that will tolerate the socon bull****. Good luck with that long term.

[OzzyKP]

Worked pretty damn well over the last 8 years. Might have worked again if the Dems had nominated a more run-of-the-mill candidate and the Republicans nominated a Bush-like person who wasn't Bush.

Remember, socon bull**** ballot initiatives still had a good year this year, despite the big change at the top of the ticket.

[Ben Kenobi]

Why do you care who picks the candidates in the primaries, as long as they are legitimate voters?

It's like a Democrat getting two votes. I wouldn't go vote in the Democrat primary, and I wouldn't want Democrats to vote for the candidate that they want.

In the general election they will determine who wins even if they were excluded from the primaries.

Which is precisely why I want those who have the best interests of the Republican party voting, and not those who are opposed to the Republican party making the selection.

Winning national elections requires coalitions. Social conservatives who want to use the law to reintroduce regressive policies that advance their moral views aren't very good at coalition building.

Everybody has non-negotiables. That is what a coalition is all about. You take social conservative ideals and put them with fiscal conservative ideals, and presto, that's a coalition.

You run with BOTH ideas, not just Fiscal conservative- social liberal. If you run as a fiscal conservative, social liberal you lose. Every time.

Look at the NE. If Fiscal Conservativism- Social liberalism were a winner, the GOP would be dominating. Instead, people who are social liberals want the real thing, not the watered-down substitute.

Thus, the Republicans need other member groups that will tolerate the socon bull****. Good luck with that long term.

Social conservatives did better at the ballot box then the Republican party. Obviously it's the Republican party that drags social conservatives down, not the other way around.

[Ben Kenobi]

Remember, socon bull**** ballot initiatives still had a good year this year, despite the big change at the top of the ticket.

High praise from a Democrat.

How much did you donate to the Big O?

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


Great. The fiscal conservatives need to understand that defense of traditional marriage and ditching Roe are non-negotiables.

If they can't swallow those, then we are better off without them, then with them.

Alright. The next time a fiscally conservative Democrat runs for president, I'm out of here. See ya.

[Ben Kenobi]

Alright. The next time a fiscally conservative Democrat runs for president, I'm out of here. See ya.

Don't hold your breath.

[Jaguar]

I'm not.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


High praise from a Democrat.

How much did you donate to the Big O?

I donated $5 to the Big O.

(to help out a friend with his fundraising contest thingy)

But I'm no Democrat.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Don't hold your breath.

Bill Clinton

(of course Jaguar also may be asked not to hold his breath waiting for a fiscally conservative Republican these days )

[Jaguar]

Obama would win me over if he pursued Bill Clinton-esque economic policy.

[Imran Siddiqui]

If the Democratic Party as a whole (or close enough to a vast majority) could find its way to embracing Clinton-esque economic policy (fat chance seeing who is taking power in the Hall of Congress in the committees and whatnot), I could see myself as a Democrat.

[Ben Kenobi]

(of course Jaguar also may be asked not to hold his breath waiting for a fiscally conservative Republican these days)

All the more reason to make sure the party puts real fiscal conservativism on the platform. You guys need a home too.

[Imran Siddiqui]

You mean like telling Huckabee to get lost next time he wants to run for President?

[TCO]

If McCain had campaigned against the bailout, he woujld have been elected by a large majority.