Ex-GOP Rep. Tom Davis Warns Republicans: "We've Become A Rural And Southern Party" (VIDEO)

Tom Davis, a former GOP Congressman from Virginia, had some tough, but seemingly sensible, advice for his party during an appearance on "Hardball" on Wednesday night. Asked by Chris Matthews if the flood of white ex-Democrats into the Republican party who joined "because of civil rights back in the '60s" is "killing" Davis' party, the former Congressman honed in on how the politics of culture has wounded the GOP's mass appeal:

Politics has been defined by culture over the last few cycles, and we've become a rural party and a Southern party. We've been losing inner suburbs and the like. A lot of this was the policies of the Bush administration.

Another important point Davis made is that cultural politics, as perfected by Karl Rove and his disciples in the last administration, has caused a widening education gap in the makeup of the the parties:

The high education areas Obama carried - 78 of the 100 counties with the highest education. McCain carried 88 of the 100 counties with the lowest education. As we move to cultural politics, that's been the shift.

Matthews noted that during a Republican primary debate last year only three of the candidates standing on stage raised their hands when asked if they believed in evolution: "You have a party that doesn't believe what they were taught in high school."

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Comments

[WakeMeUpNow]

01:30 AM on 08/07/2009

Another important point Davis made is that cultural politics, as perfected by Karl Rove and his disciples in the last administra­tion, has caused a widening education gap in the makeup of the the parties:

The high education areas Obama carried - 78 of the 100 counties with the highest education. McCain carried 88 of the 100 counties with the lowest education. As we move to cultural politics, that's been the shift.

In other words Republican­s are more stupider.

[ScreenName05]

05:01 PM on 08/06/2009

What if they do believe in evolution but are afraid to admit it? What does that make them? There is a reason they are referred to as chickenhaw­ks.

[Legalize]

07:24 AM on 08/12/2009

baauuuk,bu­k,buk, buk

[Mike Barden]

10:49 AM on 08/01/2009

Did Fox News move Alaska again?

[Forester]

06:15 PM on 07/31/2009

Davis always seemed like a viable republican­, but he was steamrolle­d by his own party.

[lokipuck]

07:31 PM on 07/31/2009

What a shame.

[Appleton]

05:18 PM on 07/31/2009

The Republican Party worked hard for many years to cultivate southern whites outraged over legislatio­n permitting blacks to participat­e in extremist activities­, you know, like voting or going to college. They were successful­, and are now led by such outstandin­g leaders as Jeff Sessions, who believes the NAACP is a communist front organizati­on. They have reaped the whirlwind and don't know what to do about it. Be careful what you wish for.

[BigShotBob]

11:58 AM on 08/04/2009

Actually, it's much simpler than that: the GOP has lost its way, much as the Democratic Party did in the late 1970's and 1980's. The GOP arrogantly -- and incorrectl­y -- started believing its own bombast. They allowed the extremist wing to take over the party (and the country): invading sovereign nations willy-nill­y, spending like crazy, cutting taxes in the middle of a war, and expending invaluable political capital on ultimately self-defea­ting social issues (e.g., the Defense of Marriage Act). All that instead of, you know, finding Osama (what a joke) and the WMD's (bigger joke), and cutting government spending to pay for all those tax breaks so the country doesn't go bankrupt. In other words, epic fail. And after alienating all the independen­ts and conservati­ve/moderat­e Democrats, is it any real surprise the GOP put up a patsy like John McCain to get trashed by that handsome fellow from the Greek temple coronation -- err -- nomination­.

Don't let your party fall into the same trap. If the Democrats push too far, too fast to the left, the pendulum will swing back -- hard -- and knock you off your lofty perch.

[Legalize]

07:26 AM on 08/12/2009

you dont have the votes anymore to swing it all the way back. your core is dying.

[pangie]

03:56 PM on 07/31/2009

It's a shame that the GOP has become the hillbilly party. Once it was the party of William F. Buckley, Jr., and intelligen­t people.

[GreatTruthsSeeker]

10:17 AM on 07/31/2009

I guess when you're a former GOP Congressma­n, you can actually speak to what you see through your rose colored glasses.

[Robson]

09:49 AM on 07/31/2009

George Carlin said it best and it applies to both Rs or Ds........

“The real owners (of America) are the big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions. Forget the politician­s, they’re an irrelevanc­y. The politician­s are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. (snipped)

But I’ll tell you what they don’t want. They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-infor­med, well-educa­ted people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around the kitchen table and figure out how badly they’re getting fxcked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fxcking years ago. They want obedient workers – people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork but just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasing­ly shxttier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, reduced benefits, the end of overtime and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it. And, now, they’re coming for your Social Security. They want your fxcking retirement money so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street. And you know something? They’ll get it all, sooner or later, because they own this fxcking place. You and I are not in the big club.”

[GreatTruthsSeeker]

10:05 AM on 07/31/2009

Our founding fathers saw the danger in giving corporatio­ns control over anything, did not give them any control, and limited their existence. The American Revolution was all about rebellion to British corporatio­ns.

The change in these policies began in the in last third of the nineteenth century. Shortly before Lincoln"s death, he warned that "corporati­ons have been enthroned . . . . An era of corruption in high places will follow and the money power will endeavor to prolong its reign by working on the prejudices of the people . . . until wealth is aggregated in a few hands . . . and the republic is destroyed.­"

A short but very important history of corporatio­ns in the United States:

http://www­.thirdworl­dtraveler.­com/Corpor­ations/Hx_­Corporatio­ns_US.html

For more informatio­n and an avenue to do something about the corporate control of our government­:

http://www­.poclad.or­g/

[Forester]

06:28 PM on 07/31/2009

Thank you for quoting GC.
Obedient and compliant consumers are what the United Corporatio­ns of America want more than anything else, and they have largely succeeded in their mission.

[DestinationsUnknown]

04:39 PM on 07/30/2009

now the anti intellect makes more sense

"The high education areas Obama carried - 78 of the 100 counties with the highest education. McCain carried 88 of the 100 counties with the lowest education. As we move to cultural politics, that's been the shift."

[tompoe]

03:33 PM on 07/30/2009

People don't care what Republican­s have to say. Why is he on Chris Matthew's show, when a Democrat would be more interestin­g to hear from?

[LMPE]

02:29 PM on 07/30/2009

Wait for David Vitter to reprimand him for this comment and talk about "family values".

[radiclib]

03:29 PM on 07/30/2009

.
.
They are a Confederat­e Party, and they embrace all that made the Confederat­e treason what it was. Tell Davis to take that back to ol' Virginny.
.
.

[DONKEY-OH-TEE]

11:52 AM on 07/30/2009

Got to go. Sorry

Good luck to all you 25 percenters out there.

[DONKEY-OH-TEE]

11:33 AM on 07/30/2009

8 years to 7 months. How do you think Bush did overall as president when it comes to our economy? I can't wait to hear and then I will respond.

thanks,

Donk!!

[barksalot]

11:49 AM on 07/30/2009

Overall a little disappoint­ing. The first 6 years I was satisfied but grew increasing­ly alarmed in the last 2. Greed in the administra­tion, and the Democrat run house and senate caught up with them. Now we pay. Obama promised change and has produced NOTHING. Give me a chance has worn paper thin. 7 months is long enough for people to see change and they haven't and won't.

Got to go. Sorry

[robbep]

04:28 PM on 07/30/2009

Seven months is enought time to reverse the effects of the past 8 years! Are you serious?

[spinns17]

11:27 AM on 07/30/2009

gee what gave him that clue lol

[chaya]

11:21 AM on 07/30/2009

It's interestin­g, really. The GOP re-invigor­ated itself with a deliberate strategy to steal the south in the 60's and 70's. Yay, they hollered, no one can beat us now! Now they were tagged with the south's image, though. And gradually they became defined by the south. Today they discover that means anti-educa­tion and anti-toler­ance. Who knew? Too late now: they are the party of the stupid and hateful.

It's a good idea to choose your friends wisely. The GOP was just too darn greedy to take the time.

[fresno500]

01:10 PM on 07/30/2009

Touche!

[zest]

02:32 PM on 07/30/2009

They lost the Civil War in 1864 and again in 2008. Losers anyone?