GOP Is Losing Grip On Core Business Vote
The Republican Party, known since the late 19th century as the party of business, is losing its lock on that title.
New evidence suggests a potentially historic shift in the Republican Party's identity -- what strategists call its "brand." The votes of many disgruntled fiscal conservatives and other lapsed Republicans are now up for grabs, which could alter U.S. politics in the 2008 elections and beyond.
Some business leaders are drifting away from the party because of the war in Iraq, the growing federal debt and a conservative social agenda they don't share. In manufacturing sectors such as the auto industry, some Republicans want direct government help with soaring health-care costs, which Republicans in Washington have been reluctant to provide. And some business people want more government action on global warming, arguing that a bolder plan is not only inevitable, but could spur new industries.
Jackie Calmes
This article manages to dance all around the issue, but never quite nail it. The fundamental reason the GOP is losing blood at an alarming rate is the destruction of the Reagan coalition by the neocons.
There are other factors as well. Corporate leaders have become more liberal and more libertarian over time. Corporate fascism is definitely on the rise. Democrats pander to that, although as with everything else to which they pander, they have no intention of following through. A dedicated Marxist like Hillary Clinton is not suddenly going to become a staunch corporatist.
For those few remaining corporate leaders who are actually capitalists, the GOP has become hostile territory by joining the Democrats in the destruction of federalism.
Apparently, corporate leaders are becoming dumber as well. The former chairman of Weight Watchers sounds like he might be a little senile:
New evidence suggests a potentially historic shift in the Republican Party's identity -- what strategists call its "brand." The votes of many disgruntled fiscal conservatives and other lapsed Republicans are now up for grabs, which could alter U.S. politics in the 2008 elections and beyond.
Some business leaders are drifting away from the party because of the war in Iraq, the growing federal debt and a conservative social agenda they don't share. In manufacturing sectors such as the auto industry, some Republicans want direct government help with soaring health-care costs, which Republicans in Washington have been reluctant to provide. And some business people want more government action on global warming, arguing that a bolder plan is not only inevitable, but could spur new industries.
Jackie Calmes
This article manages to dance all around the issue, but never quite nail it. The fundamental reason the GOP is losing blood at an alarming rate is the destruction of the Reagan coalition by the neocons.
There are other factors as well. Corporate leaders have become more liberal and more libertarian over time. Corporate fascism is definitely on the rise. Democrats pander to that, although as with everything else to which they pander, they have no intention of following through. A dedicated Marxist like Hillary Clinton is not suddenly going to become a staunch corporatist.
For those few remaining corporate leaders who are actually capitalists, the GOP has become hostile territory by joining the Democrats in the destruction of federalism.
Apparently, corporate leaders are becoming dumber as well. The former chairman of Weight Watchers sounds like he might be a little senile:
As for fiscal policy, Mr. Cooper contends that "Democrats are the new conservatives." Republicans "are still talking about tax cuts. It was one thing when Ronald Reagan was doing it and the top [income-tax] rate was about 80%. Now tax rates are reasonable. So what if I have to pay 5% more in taxes?"
posted by Anonymous | 7:59 AM
2 Comments:
I don't think the average Republican knows what a neocon is. To be honest, I've heard so many different definitions of neocon that I don't even know what it means anymore. I always thought a neocon was a former liberal Democrat becoming a Republican.
Two big reasons corporate America are turning against the GOP is because of their stances on immigration and taxpayer-funded incentives. Businesses want cheap labor and government handouts. I believe the Wall Street Journal has an article on their website today about how the GOP has hurt itself with regard to their "hard line" stance on immigration. It's sad when Republicans turn on you when you take a principled stand.
The average Republican may not know what a neocon is, but they do know what they have done to the GOP, whatever their name might be. The Reagan coalition has been driven away by the neocons' incessant globalism, imperialism, and government bloat.
The neocons are a collection of former centrist Democrats and retreaded Nixon Republicans. They are Marxian Socialists, oligarchs. and Jacobins. The term was their own invention, or I should say, the invention of their godfather, Norman Podhoretz.
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