The Very Separate World of Conservative Republicans

[kpete]

The Very Separate World of Conservative Republicans
Stan Greenberg, James Carville & Karl Agne
Democracy Corps
October 16, 2009 from Research Categories > US Politics

Executive Summary

The self-identifying conservative Republicans who make up the base of the Republican Party stand a world apart from the rest of America, according to focus groups conducted by Democracy Corps. These base Republican voters dislike Barak Obama to be sure - which is not very surprising as base Democrats had few positive things to say about George Bush - but these voters identify themselves as part of a ‘mocked’ minority with a set of shared beliefs and knowledge, and commitment to oppose Obama that sets them apart from the majority in the country. They believe Obama is ruthlessly advancing a ‘secret agenda’ to bankrupt the United States and dramatically expand government control to an extent nothing short of socialism. They overwhelmingly view a successful Obama presidency as the destruction of this country’s founding principles and are committed to seeing the president fail.

Key Findings

Instead of focusing on these intense ideological divisions, the press and elites continue to look for a racial element that drives these voters’ beliefs - but they need to get over it. Conducted on the heels of Joe Wilson’s incendiary comments at the president’s joint session address, we gave these groups of older, white Republican base voters in Georgia full opportunity to bring race into their discussion - but it did not ever become a central element, and indeed, was almost beside the point.

First and foremost, these conservative Republican voters believe Obama is deliberately and ruthlessly advancing a ‘secret agenda’ to bankrupt our country and dramatically expand government control over all aspects of our daily lives. They view this effort in sweeping terms, and cast a successful Obama presidency as the destruction of the United States as it was conceived by our founders and developed over the past 200 years. This concern combines with a profound sense of collective identity. They readily identify themselves as a minority in this country - a minority whose values are mocked and attacked by a liberal media and class of elites. They also believe they possess a level of knowledge and understanding when it comes to politics and current events, one gained from a rejection of the mainstream media and an embrace of conservative media and pundits such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, which sets them apart even more.

Looking at the current political debate, it was evident in our focus group discussions that the divide between conservative Republicans and even the most conservative-leaning independents remains very, very wide. Independents harbor doubts about Obama’s health care reform but are desperate to see some version of health care reform pass this year; the conservative Republicans view any health care reform as a victory for Obama and are militantly opposed. The language they use further reflects this divide. Conservative Republicans fully embrace the ‘socialism’ attacks on Obama and believe it is the best, most accurate way to describe him and his agenda. Independents largely dismiss these attacks as partisan rhetoric detracting from a legitimate debate about what many of them do see as excessive government control and spending.

more:
http://gqrr.com/index.php?ID=2398

[Sinistrous]

1. A step toward defining the mindset of those intent on

destroying the country.

[indepat]

10. Ample evidence that 'pukes will gladly and willingly destroy anything they can not

have absolute power over and control of: if 'pukes are not the enemy within, the domestic enemy foreseen by the framers, then pray tell who the hell are or ever have been the domestic enemy? :P

[DJ13]

2. If anyone should know it would be Carville

He just has to roll over in bed to see a Republican.

[patrice]

3. So, dare I say that step #1 in dealing with this folk would be:

Do not mock them and do not alienate them. You do not have to lie to them about respecting what they think, but at least avoid mocking them and try to establish somekind of commonality by means of which they cannot claim to be the alienated minority.

Any time you can throw others off their game by NOT acting the way that they expect you to act, you create a potential advantage for the Facts.

[roguevalley]

4. race is there. you can see it in the vile signs they make. it might be

a smaller part of this than some other things but its there.

[patrice]

9. Racism IS something that one mustn't be in-direct about.

It's so profoundly crazy that it must not be validated, even indirectly.

[CANDO]

5. My brother is one of them.

I have banged heads with him for YEARS, and have realized first hand that he is unreachable. There is no strategy to employ because I've tried them all. The true believers have plunged themselves into the deluded world of movement conservatism to the point of no return. We get along just fine regarding anything but politics. If we go there, the gloves come off and I go medieval on his ass. No nuance, patience, respectful dialog, etc. It just doesn't matter, so I go off on his Neanderthal ass.

[patrice]

8. I have 2 brothers like that. I don't go off on them for Mom's sake.

Does make the relationships feel quite artificial.

[Laelth]

6. If only Obama actually WERE a socialist. I wish their fears were justified. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[valerief]

7. Same here. nt