In the Nixon administration, the Devil's bargain was struck with bigots and racists. All the GOP, restrained as it was by longtime Democratic majorities, wanted the this bunch for was that they vote against Democrats, who were turning away from America's racist heritage - to the the horror of the racist element in the American electorate. So the GOP courted racist America, but that wasn't enough votes.
GOP corporatist priorities are so twisted from what our public wants, that in order to have a shot electorally, the GOP had to start courting religious extremists. This energized Christianist freaks like Pat Robertson and his followers. But that still won't be enough.
They've tried to court folks after working to spook them babout foreigners and homos. Not even enough of them to pull off their lizard-brained recasting of the American dream.
I spoke last night with a former client and now friend of some ten years or so. She's always been a rock-ribbed, heavily pro-gun, tax-phobic, Republican stalwart. How someone could be in many ways such a pleasant and curious person, and yet fall for conspiratorial GOP crap, I'll never know. And, last night, she said "What do you think of Obama? I think he's real interesting!"
Read More