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Karl Rove's Bad Advice
Looking at the same data I did when diagnosing the conservative "secular problem," Karl Rove concludes:
Then there were those who didn't show up. There were 4.1 million fewer Republicans voting this year than in 2004. Some missing Republicans had turned independent or Democratic for this election. But most simply stayed home. ... There were also 4.1 million fewer voters who attend religious services more than once a week. Americans aren't suddenly going to church less; something was missing from the campaign to draw out the more religiously observant.
Rove's recommendation is for Republicans to do more "to draw out the more religiously observant" -- in other words, suck up more to Christian conservatives.
But that is a very narrow, politically foolish reading of the data.
I had also noted that the secular vote had become larger than the weekly churchgoing vote. But Rove ignores three other key pieces of data.
1) Obama earned more support from weekly churchgoers than past Democratic candidates.
2) McCain earned less support from secular voters than George W. Bush.
Obama built a stronger religious-secular coalition by offering ideas that appeal to both camps, not by crude pandering on religious matters.
Bending over backwards to pander to conservative Christians will only further worry secular voters that conservatives don't properly prioritize issues that are most important to good governing.
But trying to come up with conservative ideas that can appeal across religious lines is a much harder task than staying in the conservative comfort zone of telling their base what they want to hear.
And 3) Obama got 8.5 million more votes than McCain in beating him 53% to 46%. Squeezing 4.1 million more votes out of your base doesn't solve your problem.
To put a fine point on it, if you only count the states where Obama received 53% or more, he still gets enough electoral votes to win -- 290, 20 more than needed.
Goosing the Christian conservative base won't get those states back. The conservative "secular problem" still looms large.
Originally posted at OurFuture.org
Follow Bill Scher on Twitter: www.twitter.com/billscher
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I guess Rove is right that the Republcan Party is not radical and divisive enough!
With YouTube videos coming from sources everywhere, the evangelical extremists cannot withstand the scrutiny. Who in their right mind would say they identify with the WV woman who raised the flag pin question, or the fuzzy haired woman who said Obama was an "Arab," or JoeThePlumber bumbling along his little blitzkreig, or Rev. Wright's theatrics?
They will never get it. Americans do not want religion and politics to mix!
Another blog described the younger evangelicals who went for Obama because he offered them a way of getting what they wanted -- a better world -- over and above anxious worrying about the behavior of men and women in their private lives.
I guess I would add that young evangelicals are reverting back to classic evangelicalism and recovering the real faith thrown out by their "fundamentalists" parents. If Karl wants this Christian vote, perhaps he should spend more time reading their Bible, respecting what it says and fellowshipping with the faithful instead of trying to exploit the people like a master puppeteer.
I guess they don't understand that there are intelligent republicans out there, and the entire party is not made up of the wackiest Christian extremists, the type where you have one conversation with them and then avoid them like the plague. A pretty lady who is rabidly pro-life but knows nothing at all about national issues is not the answer to getting us out of the mess we are in. Then, picking Joe the Plumber as their posterboy...to his credit, at least he has come out and said he knows nothing, but you have to wonder what point they were trying to make by fawning over complete morons.
"complete morons", are their base.
It's definitely hard to trust a single thing Karl "Palpatine" Rove says, since he thinks anything goes (even manipulating the facts) in order to get what he wants. His smug and cocky smile says it all: He has nothing but contempt and hatred for the general American public. Poor guy was picked on so much as a kid he decided to screw the entire country over as an adult.
Bill is a smart guy. I miss his commentary on the Sam Seder Show. Also miss Sam. I can't believe such talent is not being put to use, everyday.
I never understood and never will. Why is the right being as terribly religious as they are to the fringe, do right entirely by the bible yet they are the biggest whores of stealing from others. they lie, cheat , hypocrits bigotry I mean every thing bad I can think of, they are. nothing above the belt for self satisfaction yet they preach to strong beliefs of the good book. Ive never been religious because I have seen this all my life and figure religion wasnt for me. They refuse to bend and move more center because they are firmly to their beliefs. just dont understand!!
Ditto.
So true...
The entire Christian creed is contained in the Book of Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mount. If you can find a single ONE of Jesus' Dicta that the Fundies obey, I'd like to know what it is! The FACT is that the Religious Right does not meet the definition of "Christian!" I guess the young people paid more attention to their Bibles than their Preachers!
The GOP might want to think about becoming more than just the white-southern-evangelical party.
I wasn't aware that pandering itself had a place in politics. The state does not, and should not have unlimited interpretation of the law.
Democracy isn't a vote on everything.
The constitution clearly sets up precedent on what we are and aren't allowed to vote on.
Yet, because of the corruptions of our state, our congress votes on anything and everything. And, we're paying for it; LITERALLY, paying for it.
We have to end this. The only way to properly harness government power is to limit government power. The state should be protecting you from criminals, enforcing your rights, and have a careful eye on nuclear defense.
We are so far outside of parameters of what we should be doing, that now we are too corrupt to move. http://mediacondom.com
Please point out where in the constitution nuclear defense is mentioned?
Can't find it? That's because it's not mentioned, along with God.
Therefore, since neither are mentioned, according to your logic, nothing can be legislated about either.
What pretzel logic you've created.
Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
...
To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.
Congress has the power to impose taxes to provide for the common defense AND PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE. Congress has the power to make ALL laws necessary and proper for the execution of all OTHER legislative powers.
Democracy IS a vote on everything which affects the community. If you don't wish to pay for it, don't expect us to share any community institution with you.
It's almost comedic on how none of the republican/conservative ideas on how to turn things around for their party involve coming up with any substantive solutions to the problems that voters care about. They have become the party of yarn spinning, creating narratives, scary buzzwords, caricaturing of "liberals", and they seem to think that the sole reason they've lost so badly the last two times around is simply because they didn't do those things quite well enough as before. The reason that they are now quite willing to put forth Palin as their champion despite her knowing nothing at all about the issues that face the country (most Republicans don't even claim that she does) is that they simply deny that these issues matter at all if they can come up with a good enough storyline and good enough punchlines about the other guy.
Of course they fail to realize that their tried and true electoral strategy died FOREVER on that day that New Orleans was under water and the electorate suddenly realized that the Arabian Horse Association guy was in charge of fixing it.
Exactly right.
And the reason they refuse to even acknowledge real issues is that they know that an examination of cause and effect will lead to the realization that their policies and philosophy have caused the problems we now face.
They would rather talk about 'drill baby drill" or "ain't she purty?"
ssshhhhhh! Don't give the conservatives any more insight than they already have.
Don't worry. They're dear, nice people with the intellect of a sweet potato.
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