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The GOP was doomed!
Analogies are flying. What year is this for Republicans? 1964? 1976? 1992? I think 1937 deserves more attention. I noticed this in a review of a book about FDR:
Roosevelt had won the 1936 election by a crushing landslide–a total of 61 percent of the popular vote that enabled him to carry all but two of the 48 states–and his Democratic coalition of labor, northern liberals, and the Solid South had similarly steamrollered through Congress in 1936, leaving the wounded Republicans, who had reigned supreme in both houses during the prosperous 1920s, with a pathetic 17 senators (out of 96) and 88 House members (out of 435).
Makes 2009 seem like paradise.
Cross-posted at Conventional Folly
6 Responses to “The GOP was doomed!”
The difference is that in 1936 or 1952 or 1994, most of the voters were white and worked in the middle class. In the future, most voters will be non-white, the percentage of the work force in the private sector will be lower, and the percentage of the public depending on government spending will continue to grow.
The number of people who would ever vote for the more conservative party is decreasing. The number of people who are natural Democrats is increasing.
Either the Republican commits suicide by becoming Democratic-lite or dies the natural death of demographic change.
The difference is that in 1936 or 1952 or 1994, most of the voters were white and worked in the middle class. In the future, most voters will be non-white, the percentage of the work force in the private sector will be lower, and the percentage of the public depending on government spending will continue to grow.
The number of people who would ever vote for the more conservative party is decreasing. The number of people who are natural Democrats is increasing.
Either the Republican commits suicide by becoming Democratic-lite or dies the natural death of demographic change.
The post-1936 analogy risks some shortcomings insofar as it may wrongly overrate Obama and the Dems, who have been remarkable in rushing to pass bad legislation without public support, and in fact generating increasing public concern and opposition (to the stupid rushing as well as to the bad legislation and what it represents for the future), and because the New Deal was not overwhelmingly, muc less unanimously, supported at its instigation, though you can still claim that as then, even more so now (and after the augmentation of the New Deal in the “Great Society” 1960s, in fact), many Dem votes and supporters are literally being bought (and they are willing to sell themselves, as we see among the vocal minority that remains childishly insistent on this health care initiative being passed in whatever form that would result on any given day).
The real newsworthy event is that the Dems are squandering their power in a surprisingly bad way.
But they remain in power, because the GOP is dysfunctional, which wasn't necessarily the case in 1936+.
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“Either the Republican [Party] commits suicide by becoming Democratic-lite or dies the natural death of demographic change.”
The GOP has been committing suicide so far by being Dem Lite, and was punished for this in 2006 and 2008. That, and facing a stacked deck or tilted playing field insofar as they are treated by the liberal media and its influence on public perception of that party, which has its own problems anyway.
Is the country itsself becoming less conservative or more liberal?
Certain elements of the far right of the Republican Party are destroying the reputation and integrity of the party! Causing for younger generation to see the GOP as nothing but Bigots and Racists and dividing the leadership with accusations against Moderate leaders and causing infighting.
Roosevelt had won the 1936 election by a crushing landslide–a total of 61 percent of the popular vote that enabled him to carry all but two of the 48 states–and his Democratic coalition of labor, northern liberals, and the Solid South had similarly steamrollered through Congress in 1936, leaving the wounded Republicans, who had reigned supreme in both houses during the prosperous 1920s, with a pathetic 17 senators (out of 96) and 88 House members (out of 435).
Once Roosevelt's Ponzi scheme fails right after LBJ's Ponzi scheme fails, I doubt writers will try to use these analogies anymore.
I believe that President Franklin D Roosevelt was our greatest president. No other had served us so well or protected us more from the lunacy and greed of the self absorbed worthless rich.