I’m 51, and I’ve lived in Georgia since grade school. My suburban congressional district is Tea Party Central with a right-wing state senator who ran unopposed to replace right-wing Republican Phil Gingrey in Congress.
In addition, my Mom, Dad, brother, two sisters, and voting-age nieces and nephews are reliable Republican voters. They are indicative of most of the people I know from high school, college (University of Georgia), and work. With this background, I’ll repeat what I asserted during the Democratic primary when I was arguing on behalf of a more progressive candidate…
I know Georgia Republican voters. They live in an impenetrable Fox News/talk-radio bubble. Impenetrable. They will never vote for somebody with a D in front of their name, Republican-lite or otherwise. Never.
(For more evidence, note that Georgia Republican voters just re-elected the Republican legislature and Republican governor who are primarily responsible for the country’s highest unemployment rate.)
Michelle Nunn’s website talked about “balancing the budget,” “cutting spending,” and “reforming entitlements” in the same breath. She loudly disrespected the Affordable Care Act whenever she could and proudly displayed pictures of herself with former President George H.W. Bush. Instead of looking into the camera and telling voters that she will work to raise the minimum wage, create jobs by investing in our infrastructure, fight for equal pay for equal work, and so on, she instead emphasized that she can work with both parties to find (non-existent) bi-partisan solutions. She lost by eight points.
Could Ms. Nunn have won in Georgia if she ran as a candidate from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party? I doubt it. But her chances of motivating even more unregistered voters to register and even more registered voters to vote would have been greater if she gave them something to vote for other than “I’m not Obama.” And she probably would have encouraged even more people to vote who might have helped local Democratic candidates get over the hump in their elections. And she might have laid a stronger get-out-the-vote foundation for 2016 and beyond.
I know. I know. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts… But when is this ineffective and demoralizing Republican-lite bullshit going to end?