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."

WATCH:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Send us tips! Write us at [e-mail] if you see any newsworthy or notable TV moments. Read more about our media monitoring project here and click here to join the Media Monitors team.

Comments

[WakeMeUpNow]

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]

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]

baauuuk,buk,buk, buk

[Mike Barden]

Did Fox News move Alaska again?

[Forester]

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

[lokipuck]

What a shame.

[Appleton]

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]

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]

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

[pangie]

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]

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

[Robson]

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]

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]

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.

[Legalize]

wow

[DestinationsUnknown]

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]

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]

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

[radiclib]

.
.
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]

Got to go. Sorry

Good luck to all you 25 percenters out there.

[DONKEY-OH-TEE]

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]

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]

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

[spinns17]

gee what gave him that clue lol

[chaya]

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]

Touche!

[zest]

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

[robbep]

yeehaw