So I spent the weekend in middle America with a large group of extended white family members who straddle a number of income levels in a midwestern swing state, and I was curious to hear their take on the political status quo. Surely the Foley scandal and the general malaise that had befallen the Republican party had rattled the support of even my staunchest conservative relative.
It had. Those that have usually been straight-ticket Republicans were saying things like “well, I hope you like that Pelosi lady ’cause you’re gonna get a good dose of her” and “The Republican leadership is all screwed up right now.” There was no support at all for the Republican regime as it stood. They considered them lying, probably perverted, cheats.
But they thought the same thing of the Democrats.
Most of what I heard boiled down to “well, what can you do, they’re all dirty crooks over there in Washington.” I pointed out several times that there was almost no improper conduct being attributed to the Democrats, but this was either waved off with a dismissive “what’s the difference?” or, on two separate occasions, refuted with the invocation of Bill Clinton’s misdeeds. In fact, both times, Bill Clinton was called a child molester.
When a Democrat is seen to have committed personal wrongs, everyone runs to the Republicans to console them with their moral watchdoggery. When a Republican does wrong, more than a few people — at least in my family — lump all politicians together as the same. Either way, the Democrats never get a whiff of the moral high ground for these folks.
With the moral failings of the Republicans, I’ve heard a lot of talk that now is the time for Democrats to strike at the heart of the religious base of the Republicans. If the Dems up the Godtalk, the thinking goes, they can come out as the new moral majority and strip the Republicans of this tremendous advantage.
Unfortunately, my anecdotal experience tells me otherwise. Not a single person who considers themselves “independent” or “Republican” was more likely to consider the Democrats this fall because of the scandals. They were less likely to vote Republican, yes, but that just means they’re more likely to sit out the election than help turn the tide.
Maybe my family’s completely outside the norm, but I doubt it. And if this represents a common view amongst conservatives, I think it bodes ill for any attempt to reframe the Democrats as God’s party. Doing so could threaten several core Democratic stances, like the protection of reproductive freedoms, and the gains would probably be minimal, particularly once the Republicans start trotting out Johnny McCain as their new beacon of integrity.
So let’s hold off on beating down the doors of the religious masses. I doubt they hold the key to long-term Democratic success. If they do, beware of what will have to be sacrificed to keep them happy.
“ell, what can you do, they’re all dirty crooks over there in Washington”
I have a evangelical friend who responds the exact same way. either dems suck or they all suck.