I do so well remember part of the great coming together of the soon to be powerful Republican coalition when Corporate Republicans attracted working class white voters to their ranks. Of course, it began with a craven appeal to racism. Since Barry Goldwater the Republican Party has taken the low road of American politics — appealing to hate and anger — and, of course, that began with their attempt to define themselves as the party of white people and the Democrats as the party of the “others.” As we all know that appeal was first based on racism. Indeed, racism was the foundation of the Nixon-Atwater Southern Strategy — evil and mean and unconscionable.
Their effort became much more successful with the hateful right-wing religious effort. My first upfront and personal experience with that effort was when we lost an ACORN leader in Memphis in 1978 when she became enamored with the right-wing because of her pastor and her church. Of course, the pastor led his congregation astray with appeals that had no basis in Scripture — not a new phenomenon.
But the connection of right-wing working class people with Corporate Republicanism was very powerful. Hate and anger and tons of money are always powerful.
Now, however, we see cracks in that coalition. The fundamental contradictions in the now radical right-wing Republican Party have become obvious in the anti-democratic, treasonous actions of Congressional Republicans.
Interestingly, the split has first opened at the top. Traditional corporate allies of Republicans opposed the shutdown and debt ceiling debacle. The Chamber of Commerce even signed a letter opposing the strategy with the AFL-CIO. While hate-mongers like Jim DeMint and the Heritage Foundation, Grover Norquist and Club for Growth, and the Koch brothers want to repeat the Cruz strategy.
The big boys will do as they will, and we must fight them in every possible way.
But the most important question for us is whether we can split their base. Can we drive a wedge into the base of the Republican Party? That is worth pondering and discussing.
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