the GOP is going extict

let's face it, the highly religious, the ones we here have the biggest problem with, is the base of the Republican Party.  given this, news of its imminent demise should thrill most Atheists.  and make no mistake, barring a gargantuan shift in policies and rhetoric, they are absolutely on the path towards extinction.  

it's common knowledge that the GOP is an old, white party.  while not an absolute, that is an accurate enough description of the Republican Party today.  two trends to keep in mind here.  one, old people tend to die at a faster rate than young people.  two, white people are shrinking as a percentage of the electorate.  they are running out of supporters, and it's happening quicker than many thought.  

take yesterday's election.  President Obama won over 90% of the black vote and 70% of the latino and asian vote.  Romney did well with seniors and whites overall.  meanwhile, the country is getting browner.  the GOP may end up becoming a whites only club, a nativist and pale collection of isolationists who choose to ignore the changing demographics of the country.  worse, they may choose to keep it this way.  if they choose this path, their extinction is all but guaranteed.  their option would be to abandon their social issues, immigration policies, and economic austery programs and to open up their tent through real policy change.  

anyone wanna bet which way they go?

for Atheists, either way is a win.  if the GOP becomes irrelevant then the power of the religious right goes with it.  if they truly make changes to make more people inclusive and begin to part with their religious base Atheists will celebrate.  yesterday's election is better for Atheists than most people would think.  

Views: 1047

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike Hungerford on November 20, 2012 at 7:19am

Since I have been accused of hijacking this thread Tom, if its all the same, I'm going to move this to the thread I started yesterday.

http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/okay-now-i-ve-had-to-go-an...

Permalink Reply by Mike Hungerford on November 16, 2012 at 12:40pm
I am no anomaly, Sir...

In fact, I am merely part of a nearly unanimous majority of Conservative Republicans who are abjectly SICK of all the White-Boy-Black-Boy bullsh**.

There is but a single Race, and that Race is Human.

Conservative Republicans long ago embraced the concept of a color-blind society, and that has not changed at all since a very fine Republican stated in 1963...



"...And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!..."



And yes, in spite of whatever deal Coretta might have had to cut in order to see her husband released from that Alabama jail, Doctor King was a Republican, as were his father and his grandfather.

In addition to Doctor King, one of my very favorite political philosophers is Frederick Douglas and I could present you with a LOT of quotes from him.

Again, pride and legacy.

Now, as to whether The Republican Party needs to shed the Religious Right, well...

I suppose you can pick your friends, but you don't always have a choice in your allies.

While I cannot honestly say I'm altogether comfortable with this alliance, I will say that I share a lot more with them than I do those Republicans who call themselves "Progressive" (Mitt Romney being one of those).

Personally, I call those Socialist-Lite.

They have been a source of deep anguish for the Republican Party for more than one hundred twenty-five years, and it's way past time to give THEM a good hard boot.

They can be replaced and I assure you Sir, they WILL be...
Permalink Reply by Jim Schultz on November 16, 2012 at 1:46pm

The Dream was hijacked by some of King's followers - Jesse Jackson, etc.

Do you think the Republicans should embrace some form of comprehensive immigration reform, i.e. close the borders, reform the legal immigration process (exp - more temporary worker visas, encourage college grads in scientific disciplines from foreign countries to stay) enforce work place rules, and offer a pathway to legalization for long time immigrants that have remained crime free, serve the military, etc. ???

Permalink Reply by Mike Hungerford on November 16, 2012 at 12:49pm
"I'll have those n*ggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years."

- Lyndon Johnson, in reference to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.


(No disrespect intended to anyone here; merely quoting the source.)
Permalink Reply by Jim Schultz on November 16, 2012 at 1:12pm

He also promised a "War on Poverty" that destroyed a culture of responsibility and turned out to be a long term disaster for most African-Americans.

Permalink Reply by Mike Hungerford on November 16, 2012 at 1:33pm
I remember in the 1970's, when the Libertarian Party was brand new, and all the rage.

I even checked them out myself -- for all of about ten minutes.

It quickly became obvious that they were not what they claimed.

All about personal autonomy, but oblivious to the attendant individual responsibility that is the price of that autonomy.

They are not Libertarians, they are libertines.

The foundational philosophy of Conservatism is Individual Liberty, bulwarked by individual responsibility.

We Conservatives have got the libertarian thing pretty well covered, which is why the Libertarian Party is not, and never will be, viable.

Sort of like the the Socialist and Communist Parties here in the United States.

I mean, why go to a lot of effort when you have so many Democrats willing to haul your water for you?

I'll be the first to admit that the Republican Party kinda' got knocked on its butt a couple of weeks ago, but that in no way spells doom for Conservatism, or for the Republican Party.

The Republican Party belongs to Conservatives, always has, and always will.

Soon as we can rid ourselves of those parasitic "Progressives" that I alluded to earlier (along with Ron Paul and his clone) it won't be long before we're regrouped and on the counter-offensive...
Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on November 19, 2012 at 3:46am

Mike:

<Soon as we can rid ourselves of those parasitic "Progressives"....>

You want to expel small-government conservatives from YOUR party?

Fifty years ago, when you were seven, Repubs were expelling moderates.

Permalink Reply by Mike Hungerford on November 19, 2012 at 11:38am

Tom,

You don't strike me as an ignorant individual, which forces me to conclude that you are deliberately attempting to distort my statement.

I don't appreciate that.

At all.

Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on November 20, 2012 at 1:30am

Mike, ...forces you to conclude? Suddenly you are unfree?

Permalink Reply by Mike Hungerford on November 16, 2012 at 1:36pm
The so-called "War On Poverty" was disastrous not only for Americans of African Descent, but for the United States of America -- meaning all of us.
Permalink Reply by Mike Hungerford on November 16, 2012 at 2:06pm
Quote, from Jim Schultz:

"Do you think the Republicans should embrace some form of comprehensive immigration reform, i.e. close the borders, reform the legal immigration process (exp - more temporary worker visas, encourage college grads in scientific disciplines from foreign countries to stay) enforce work place rules, and offer a pathway to legalization for long time immigrants that have remained crime free, serve the military, etc. ???"


I don't think that it would be necessary - or even practical - to close our borders in order to defend them.

That said, we absolutely have to deal with the fact that there are more than twenty million foreign nationals inside our borders illegally, and we have every right to see to it they go home.

Don't care where they come from, be it China, Ireland or Mexico.

They sneaked in, or they stayed beyond their permissions, and they are nothing more than trespassers.

They should in no way be considered immigrants.

As for legal immigration, I have no problem at all with that - and again - it matters not at all where they come from.

I will applaud anyone who is willing to stand in line and wait their turn to undergo what should necessarily be a fairly difficult process to become an American.

We as a Nation have every Right to vet and scrutinize those Individuals in order to know who is being allowed into our home.
Permalink Reply by Jim Schultz on November 16, 2012 at 2:43pm

"Sealing" the border would be expensive and impractical. I think we could do a better job than we currently do though. A pathway to "citizenship" should involve going home, getting in line and paying a penalty, I totally agree. A pathway to "legalization" should not be that different, except the going home part. 

I think what would help Conservatives/Republicans would be to soften the rhetoric on illegals. We should not have a position that we are going to "round up" millions of illegals. Sending them home is also not practical, especially if they have a family, job, home, have not committed a crime, etc. I would rather have them come out of the shadows and apply for some type of legal status that does not include citizenship, voting, etc.

I may be too soft on this issue for hard core conservatives. I think most illegals from south of the border came here for a job and a better way of life. Our businesses encouraged them and our government did not stop them. Right now, I would like to see us move past this issue, but my position is not that hard and I could be swayed. Romney's position probably hurt him, but was just one of a number of issues, including the difficulty of defeating an incumbent who was in the Oval Office during a natural disaster. Having most of the media/entertainment complex as cheer leaders is also very helpful.    

RSS

© 2013   Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: Richard Haynes.

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service