Originally posted by SleepyguyI agree,they will not. the tea parties crossed party lines. it was not a republican thing. I argued this before. I know I was at the one here in Atlanta
Watch this video of Gresham Barret, Republican Rep from South Carolina who voted for the TARP bill, trying to address a crowd at one of those tea parties. You think these folks are going to hold their noses and be loyal Republican voters next time around?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QsY2r7HbTM&feature=player_embedded
Originally posted by utherpendragonI was at one in Salem friggin Oregon, seriously uber-liberal territory I can assure you, and there were about 1500 people. The vast majority of these folks had never been to a demonstration in their life, but for some reason they showed up for this. I'll bet we see a lot bigger, more organized versions of these demonstrations around July 4th.
I agree,they will not. the tea parties crossed party lines. it was not a republican thing. I argued this before. I know I was at the one here in Atlanta
Originally posted by SleepyguyI think you are right and I will be there 🙂
I was at one in Salem friggin Oregon, seriously uber-liberal territory I can assure you, and there were about 1500 people. The vast majority of these folks had never been to a demonstration in their life, but for some reason they showed up for this. I'll bet we see a lot bigger, more organized versions of these demonstrations around July 4th.
for decades, the GOP & Dems have been based on splits that originated in the 1960's - a time that saw huge amounts of change, both culturally and economically.
for some, the change was inspiring - it was the dawning of the Age of Aquarius where new technologies and government policies promised a more prosperous and just world -- but for others, it was scary - it was a rising tide of sex, drugs, crime, and family breakdown. Many wanted to keep pushing forward with all the exciting new ideas - while others much preferred the older ways and wanted to undo everything.
The progressives sided with the liberals and Dems, and often got carried away in their dreamy enthusiasm - while the traditionalists sided with the conservatives and the GOP.
For a long time, the GOP succeeded by simply blaming all the nation's problems on those "liberals" who were responsible for all those scary changes - and warning about the horrors that could happen if those leftists weren't stopped.
but now, 40 years later, about half the population was born during or after the 1960's -- and even the older half has now had a lot of time to adjust. And over time, the crazier liberal ideas have been rolled back and-or abandoned, while other ideas have worked out rather well. As such, the liberals just aren't all that frightening anymore, even for many who oppose their ideas - the GOP can no longer get away with just scaring everyone -- when they try, they remind me of Lola the showgirl from the song Copacabana, struggling in a world where there's no longer a show.
the GOP needs to focus now on what it is FOR - it needs to find inspiring alternatives to what the Dems have proposed.