Why are so many people voting republican?

[LiberalInGeorgia2005]

The Republican party sells itself as the party of freedom from government. This is a lie. The Republican party REALLY represents freedom of corporations and millionaires to exploit workers and the ecology in any way they want with impunity.

The Republican party also sells itself as the party of freedom from confiscatory taxation. This is a lie. The Republican party REALLY represents cutting taxes on capital and wealth and shifting the burden of taxation to labor.

The problem is, there are just not enough rich a**h***s out there to form a viable electoral constituency. Thus, the Republican party has engaged on a four-decade propaganda campaign on the basis of "getting government off our backs," "family values versus liberal vice," and "patriots versus America haters." The success of this propaganda campaign is greater than its founders could have imagined in 1964. I thought it reached its zenith in 2000 and 2002, but the 2004 election shows me that the hoodwinking and hornswoggling is still working its magic in ever greater numbers.

Thomas Frank wrote a book called What's the Matter with Kansas which explains the blue collar Republican phenomenon better than any other book I've read. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I believe it is essential reading.

[crikkett]

1. A lady cutting my hair told me...

... that her husband convinced her to vote (R) so they would be able to keep their house. Specifically they were afraid of what would happen to the economy if Kerry was Prez.

I couldn't say anything, she was cutting my hair at the time.

[bullimiami]

4. i would have jumped up and run.

she is too stupid to cut hair, im surprised she remembers to breathe and eat.

[crikkett]

28. I couldn't really - it was a free haircut & I had to be seen in public

donated my ponytail to 'locks of love' last year just before elections.

On Edit: Oh, and it was her first vote too. She just got her citizenship. So I was all over it until she said how she'd vote.

[SharonAnn]

15. How's that economy working out for her? It's better under Democrats.

But now, post-Clinton, our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is over.

[MadisonProgressive]

21. Oh that is RICH!

[mom cat]

2. They are not voting Republican... the machines are.

Paper ballota are all that I will trust!

[donsu]

14. agree, Dems HAVE won the elections but the riggable voting

machines change the count

[leftofthedial]

3. good recommendation

it's because "votes" no longer mean people casting ballots

it's no longer "one man, one vote."

it's now one dollar, one vote

Diebold gives them more of the new-improved, who-needs-citizens-style "votes"

[we can do it]

5. One Word - STUPIDITY

Too stupid and lazy to think for themselves.

[chimpymustgo]

12. One word: DIEBOLD.

Plain and simple.

[ourbluenation]

6. because they're stoopid and by and large misinformed. eom

[we can do it]

7. I Think You Type A Little Faster Than I Do

:hi:

[ourbluenation]

8. You know what they say...Great minds...

think alike!

:toast:

[CottonBear]

9. Gods, guns and gays plus terror, terror, terror.

The people who vote based on these issues are mostly oblivious to the fact they are going to be financially screwed by the RW.
Many of them imagine themselves to be "wealthy" but they are far from wealthy and have no idea that the middle class is on the decline thanks to the very people they elected.

(BTW, we're having a GA DU meetup on Feb. 25th in Atlanta! See the Georgia forum for information.)

[napi21]

26. That's absolutely right CottonBear. Howard Dean said it

and he was chastized for saying something so terrible! I knew when I heard him that he was right!!!

One more time, Dean speaks the truth and nobody wants to hear it!

[EFerrari]

29. Howard Dean hacked the vote in 90 seconds on television.

Maybe he needs to do it a few more times before he gets it?

And, btw, I wub Doc Dean.

[AGKISTRODON]

10. GUN CONTROL

Gun control,for one thing. Whether you understand the issue, or not, it is counterproductive, and needs to go away.

[mtnsnake]

11. 9/11 & the artificial perception that Bush is strong on terrorism

Any of the idiots that I know, who voted Republican in 2004, have told me that's why.

What a shame that fucking bin Laden has helped Bush to get those needed votes that enabled him to steal the election.

[cali]

13. Fear

They're purveyors of fear. The republican party are following in Mcarthy's footsteps. It might comfort some folks here to believe that people aren't really voting for repubs; they're having their votes stolen, and while that may indeed be true, it's also true that a lot of people are voting repub.

[B Calm]

16. What has the GOP ever done for the working class?

WHAT HAS GOP DONE FOR

WORKERS?

CLINT C. GOLD
10/24/1999
Tulsa World


Not too long ago, my wife and I attended a TV football
party in south Tulsa. With a lopsided score, the
conversation turned to a livelier subject -- politics. The
crowd was, of course, top-heavy with Republicans. With each
point expressed their faces became more flushed, eyes
bulging a little more and veins popping in their foreheads
as they railed against the liberal programs.

Finally a lone, liberal voice asked: "Will you people
name me one bill your party ever passed to help the working
man of this country?" The question created much din and
clamor, and someone sputtered, "Well, what have the
Democrats done?"

The liberal responded with a few programs and was
interrupted by howling and disdain. He noted that he had
not promised they would like the programs and he asked to
complete his statement -- a difficult task to ask of
Republicans.

He spoke of Social Security; Medicare-Medicaid; Peace
Corps; unemployment insurance; welfare (for the poor and
corporate); civil rights; student grant and loan programs;
safety laws (OSHA); environmental laws; prevailing wage
laws; right to collective bargaining (which brought about
paid medical insurance, paid vacations, pensions, etc.);
workers' compensation; Marshall Plan; flood-disaster
insurance; School Lunch Program; women's rights.

He spoke of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which
established a minimum wage, instituted child labor laws,
and set up time-and-a-half pay for over a 40-hour week.

He mentioned FHA-HUD with its public housing, urban
renewal and 44 million residential homes (before WWII
almost 70 percent of our nation were renters; by the 1970s
this had been reversed). And farm-conservation
subsidies -- USDA programs, Farmers Home Administration (the
bankers didn't want to make rural loans), small
flood-control lakes (more than 3,000 in Oklahoma alone),
rural water districts, rural electricity (REA).

The GI Bill was passed, which the Republicans at the
time bitterly opposed. They were salivating over millions
of returning veterans to hire as cheap labor. More than 8 million have used college benefits, creating millions of
entrepreneurs; most of us had never dreamed of college. For
the unemployed GI, there was $20 a week for 52 weeks to
help get started (a lot of money in those days). The
Veterans Administration provided more than 2 million home
loans.

For the bankers at the football party, it was pointed
out that the liberals saved their industry with the
creation of FDIC and FSLIC, insuring their deposits, and
saved Wall Street with the establishment of the Securities
Exchange Commission.

The oil men came on bended knees to FDR at a time when
East Texas oil was 4 cents a barrel and begged him to save
their industry. He did; prorationing overturned the rule of
capture and the days of flush production were over.
Prorating has served this great industry (and nation)
well.


And the list went on and on, but of course this group
didn't let him get halfway through. He noted they were
weary, inattentive, so again he challenged them to offer up
any Republican legislation examples.

"I'm sure your party has authored one or two comparable
bills from time to time, but I can't think of any, and
apparently you can't either. What it boils down to is this:
the liberals dragged you into the 20th century scratching
and screaming with your heels in the mud, fighting anything
that's progressive, everything that's made this country
great. You Republicans have never understood that the
spending power of blue-collar workers, obtained through
Democrats and unions, is what really made this country
great. You really believe "The Good Life" was obtained from
your own endeavors. You cloak your greed in religion and
patriotism, railing against any form of tax, never
comprehending that these programs have benefitted all of us
and our country."

Well, I almost didn't make it out of the house. My wife
and I didn't even get to see the end of the football game.


If Reps. Steve Largent or J.C. Watts had been there,
perhaps politics would never have come up, only the game
plan ... pity.
Clint C. Gold is former mayor of Moore and a retired
savings and loan executive.

[pretzel4gore]

17. the emperor is so well dressed....

his suit is so wellcut, hand crafted and expensive. the old story about 'the emperor's new clothes' must be re written for moderne times so the little boy yells out (in creepy tweet mathews' manly voice) "wow, lookit the righteous balls in that thar outfit!" or "jeez, geeb, is there room for me in that gorgeousfinery, i'll keep ya warm and 2 head better then one!" etc.....
:hide:

[seabeyond]

18. the repugs i know, cause it is the manly party. that is the only reason

the female i know because it is the religous, family values party. not the policy, not what they are doing today to our country, but solely on image. they decide without any knowledge or awareness of what is happening today, but totally on the bullshit media lie

[rodeodance]

19. it is an excellant book--but does not only apply to 'blue-collar' folks

[texanshatingbush]

20. Inept Democratic Leadership

Despite the incredible scope of corruption, loss of civil liberties, foreign policy disasters, economic losses to middle class, consistent false information, all at the hands of the Repugs. The Democratic leadership is unable to come with coherent unified talking points that effectively deal with these issues. And come election time will manage to paint themselves in a corner with the same old: right to life, gay, and race issues.

[devilgrrl]

22. They use wedge issues to get votes!

Economics is too complex for many people to grasp, they use abortion, fear of gays, and their supposed toughness against crime to coax people to vote for them.

What's the Matter with Kansas is a very good book and Mr. Frank is correct in stating that Democrats should make a point to call the GOP on their lies on wedge issues as well as economic.

[carolinalady]

23. I believe the answer is more basic and more difficult to solve

than most would like to say. As a whole the Dem party is educated and free spirited thinkers. The blue collar repubs (a great deal of them anyway) are not. The money people in the Repub party have figured out the secret to keep the masses and we can not figure out how to undo it. It is simple word association:

Patriotism-Republican
Religion-Republican
Guns-Republican
Low taxes-Republican
Small business-Republican
Security/Terror-Republican
Babies-Republican
Work-Republican

Our words:
Healthcare-Democrat
Taxes-Democrat
"Cut and Run"-Democrat
Education-Democrat
Abortion-Democrat
Gun control-Democrat
Big Government-Democrat
Government entitlement programs-Democrat

Just some examples but looking at our countries ideological history-you can see where the common people are more likely to identify with Republican words. That is what we need to fix. I don't know how to do it, but it is a deep psychological brainwash as you will that they have successfully taken to the masses. I think it also goes back to the efficiency of their organization to stay on message and speak with one voice. They are masters at talking points and from small towns to big gov't they all use the same ones over and over again cementing the message in the party faithful. They talk like common folks, they don't use educated language. They are master communicators. Our side can't even agree with each other, let alone speak with one voice. Case in point, look what happened to Murtha.

[Ivan Sputnik]

24. People vote with their hearts, not their brains

at least at the presidential level. There's no doubt that Republicans are better at tapping into people's emotions and deepest fears. Democrats tend to fall into the trap (in terms of electoral politics) of looking at everything logically and thinking it's all about "issues."

[fishnfla]

25. 2,900,000 more votes for Dems in last 3 Senate elections

(total votes)source: Harpers Index. I forget the margin by which Gore won the popular vote

[Aristus]

27. We live in a nation of crashingly stupid citizens.

People actually declare proudly how uneducated and ill-informed they are. Think about how stupid the average American is, and it staggers the mind to realize that half the people in the country are more stupid than THAT!

I'm a pretty bright guy, but when I look around at this intergalactic carnival freakshow of a country, sometimes I feel like a fuckin' genius.