Kennedy’s victory in 1960 will, in the long run, serve to bring many affluent and capable Catholic leaders in this country into the conservative ranks of the Republican establishment. (The Protestant Establishment, p. 315)
Baltzell saw that once the caste exclusions of Catholics were broken, they would be free to sort into their natural class affiliations. Richer people, other things equal, tend to become Republicans. Events have proven Baltzell right, and today Catholics tend to sort along class lines when they vote. There is no "Catholic vote."
Today there is a "black vote." African Americans vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. In fact, African Americans are more reliable Democratic voters than registered Democrats are. The vast majority of black elected officials are Democrats. Rich African Americans - including billionaire Oprah Winfrey - are strong Democrats.
I believe that the 2008 presidential election will resemble the 1960 election in many ways. Many people have drawn the parallel between Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy, not least the members of the Kennedy family. I think the election will be a squeaker either way, and I am not predicting an Obama victory.
I think the parallel can be drawn in the way Baltzell suggests:
An Obama victory in 2008 would, in the long run, serve to bring many affluent and capable black leaders in this country into the conservative ranks of the Republican establishment.
6 comments:
But first, the GOP needs to ditch any of their members associated with white supremacists.
Let Obama be a lesson to the GOP on how they can no longer afford alienating ethnic groups just to make whites vote for them.
"But first, the GOP needs to ditch any of their members associated with white supremacists."
How about Hillary and Robert Byrd and also Barak's friend Calypso Louie?
What about his black supremacist friends?
Why couldn't we start out in a more civil manner than this? It is sad.
I don’t think Obama will bring any sizable numbers of blacks into the Republic Party but a huge number will not vote for him and I suspect he will lose to John McCain by a landslide. Blacks and other minorities are not enamored by the moral standing of Obama, particularly his thorough alignment with the culture of death and depravity. Minorities these days are better able to see through the high sounding rhetoric in which Obama is highly skilled. He transmits the pathos of M.L. King wonderfully but his extremist endorsement for slaughtering children in the womb and even those born from botched abortion attempts, as well as his support of homosexual relationships through his efforts to undermine DOMA and favoring the recent California imposition of homosexual “marriage,” goes contrary to the ethical norms of the most minorities.
This is a huge issue as losing even a small number from the otherwise Democrat vote will easily swing the election to McCain. Remember that the moral vote swung the election for Bush and minorities certainly like McCain far more than they like Bush. McCain is thoroughly opposed to abortion and he "told reporters on his bus today that he would support a California ballot initiative to ban gay marriage, and he would support a ban in his own state of Arizona in November." (http://mediamatters.org/items/200805190006) He will also put more conservative judges in the Supreme Court where they may eventually rule on marriage and Roe vs. Wade. He showed he could also work with liberal Democrats like Kennedy to tackle immigration reform.
I think Clinton would have made a much stronger candidate against McCain and I suspect a significant number of her supporters will now go with McCain.
On the issue of national defense there is of course no contest between Obama and McCain and only the most starry eyed idealist imagines that negotiations with radical Jihadists can reduce the threat of terrorist activities. One has to remember that they enormously hate Obama’s immoral advocacies and see him as directly instrumental in bringing about today’s great moral decadence. The fact that his name is Barack Hussein Obama only makes it worse for him as he is seen as a Moslem that has rejected Islam and there is almost nothing worse in the Islamic mind.
In terms of image, which is a major factor in influencing votes, Obama comes across to a great many as extremist and somewhat frenetic while McCain demonstrates poise, a high degree of gravitas and even appears as a fatherly figure.
Jose Solano...you have a new reader! I enjoy reading Gruntled Center's blog, but your comment is outstanding. I agree with everything you said!
I think McCain is also going to take a sizable chunk out of the traditionally Jewish Democratic vote.
Your idea was interesting jose salano. It does make sense.
It was my fault moesha for pointing out GOP flaws on their image on race. But it's something Democrats have exploited for decades.
But if Obama should win, it would definitely tell the GOP to reach out heavily to other groups (not just the far right) and promote them in the party and not just do lip service.
Nothing would please me more than a racially diverse Republican Party against a racially diverse Democratic Party and the time will come.
With Democrats, the media turns a blind eye to their racism like the comments from people like Biden, Ferraro and Clinton.
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