I Did Not Write This...But Could Have

[AUChizad]

http://www.vice.com/read/if-republicans-want-young-voters-maybe-they-should-just-stop-being-bigots

If Republicans Want Young Voters, Maybe They Should Just Stop Being Bigots

By Harry Cheadle

The Republicans want me to vote for them. The GOP hasn’t talked to me yet personally, but a couple weeks ago they released a long report all about their well-documented failure to attract young people to their “brand” (Obama had a 5 million–voter edge among Americans under 30) and possible ways to solve that problem. I’m likely one of the voters they want to persuade—I’m young, I don’t particularly like the Democrats, and I didn’t vote for Obama last year. I agree to some extent with a lot of stuff Republicans say they’re in favor of, like limited government, letting state and local governments make their own laws, and a simpler tax system. If a Republican candidate for president was, say, opposed to the war on drugs and government surveillance programs, and in favor of closing prisons, I wouldn’t dismiss him out of hand, as I think a bunch of my liberal friends would.

The report documenting what the GOP can do to attract young voters, titled “Grand Old Party of a Brand New Generation,” lists several ways that Republicans can reach out to voters. “Capture the brand attributes of intelligence, hard work, and responsibility” is one, “Focus on the economic issues that affect young people today,” is another; there’s also a lot in there about how the party needs to be better with technology and social media. Then there’s this:

    “On the ‘open-minded’ issue, yes, we will face serious difficulty so long as the issue of gay marriage remains on the table. In the short term, the party ought to promote the diversity of thought within its ranks and make clear that we welcome healthy debate on the policy topic at hand. We should also strongly oppose the use of anti-gay rhetoric.”

Ah, the “open-minded” issue! The difficulty the Republicans have, see, in attracting young people is that the GOP tends to hate gays, and young people see that for the vile bigotry it is. Not all Republicans hate gays—actually, a recent poll showed that a majority of them support gay marriage, as do three Republican senators. But all of the mainstream GOP politicians with any national profile have expressed anti-gay views. Chris Christie vetoed a gay marriage bill. Rick Perry clearly thinks gays should be second-class citizens. Bobby Jindal supports “traditional marriage.”  Marco Rubio believes that gay parents are less competent than straight ones. And Rand Paul—the “maverick” in this crowd—has said that while gay marriage should be left up to the states, he’s also said that he hopes anti-gay marriage advocates “can win back the hearts and minds of people.” Meanwhile, less-important politicians who nonetheless have the backing of the GOP, like E.W. Jackson, who’s running for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, go on the record saying horrific things about gays being “very sick people psychologically.”

This isn’t a question about how to reach young influencers through social media or some other combination of buzzwords. Downplaying social issues, as various conservative groups that targeted young voters did in 2012, doesn't help either. It’s not about, as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was quoted as saying in the report, changing the “pizza box” instead of the “pizza.” The homophobic, intolerant pizza is the problem. It's not the GOP's phrasing, it's what it's saying that makes young voters so turned off.

Of course, the Republican base doesn’t think their candidates should change on these issues. The evangelical Christians who are the most vocal, active members of the party—50 percent of the 2012 GOP primary voters were white evangelicals—probably agreed with Mike Huckabee when he said he’d “stick with Jesus” and preserve “the holiness of marriage.” These are the same social conservatives who put an anti-porn plank in the GOP platform last year, and who like it when Bobby Jindal writes some stupid shit about liberals wanting to ration red meat. They’re organized enough to control the party through elections, too—when four GOP state senators in New York voted to legalize same-sex marriage last year, three of them lost their reelection bids.

Conservative columnists enjoy writing nonsense about how the GOP “needs to become more socially inclusive without becoming socially liberal” or how the party will “need not only more youthful and media savvy leaders but also a willingness to be tolerant of, without necessarily endorsing, gay marriage.” The simpler way to say it is that Republicans look intolerant and closed-minded because their party backs intolerant and closed-minded policies and rejects candidates who don’t pander to the bigotry of a loud minority.

Maybe someday the GOP will ditch that minority, or those assholes will simply die out, and dissatisfied voters like me will become Republicans. But I can’t see that happening when the party is still trying to sanitize and downplay its virulent homophobia instead of eliminating it. Oh well. Maybe they’ll figure it out in a couple of decades.

[AUTailgatingRules]

Are you really not a republican simply because we hate gays and don't want to legalize drugs?

[AUChizad]

Are you really not a republican simply because we hate gays and don't want to legalize drugs?

Mostly. Don't forget minorities.

Oh, and the frequent rejection of science.

That about sums it up.

[AUChizad]

Are you really not a National Socialist simply because we hate jews and want to purify the white race?

Slightly modified.

[AUTailgatingRules]

Mostly. Don't forget minorities.

Oh, and the frequent rejection of science.

That about sums it up.

I love all the advice the republicans get about how to gain more votes:

1.  Amnesty or you'll lose the next election

2.  Gay marriage or you'll lose the next election

3.  More welfare benes or you'll lose the next election

4.  More affirmative action or you'll lose the next election

5.  Curb global warming or you'll lose the next election

and on, and on, and on

Why don't you just say, hey turn into a democrat or you'll lose the next election.  Sorry, I'd rather lose and keep my strongly held values than become something I am not in order to win elections.

And just so you know, if we ran things like conservatives (not necessarily the Republican Party) think you should (smallest federal gov't possible), then each state could make up it's own mind on items 1-5 above and you could choose to live in the state that most fits your beliefs.

[bottomfeeder]

If the GOP wishes to attract a younger base, then they must do a 240 degree turn. Those fascist fucks.

[AUChizad]

No one is saying any of those things.

What they are saying is:

1.  Amnesty or you'll lose the next election

2.  Gay marriage or you'll lose the next election

4.  More affirmative action or you'll lose the next election

Respect human lives and see all people as people, not just ones that look and act exactly like you. Believe that all men are created equal.

In regards to "amnesty", I discussed that in another thread, but no one wanted to engage in that discussion. Immigration is broken. Rubio proposed a darn good fix that is all around pretty damn conservative (strengthen borders, require proficiency in English, make the path to citizenship 13 years). That ain't amnesty.

More welfare benes or you'll lose the next election

Where are you seeing that? Not from me, or anyone that I've heard that even entertains the idea of ever voting Republican. Small government is the one true tenant of the Republican party that could keep it alive.

5.  Curb global warming or you'll lose the next election

Don't reject science outright. Concede that when the scientific community is 99+% in consensus that a scientific phenomenon is occurring, they probably have a way better understanding of the situation than those who don't. I don't know shit about cars, so when I take my car to the mechanic, I trust that he has a pretty good idea why my motor won't start. I'm not so arrogant to believe that he can't possibly know just because I don't understand it.

What you can do about global warming, is admit it exists, and start from there. Right now, we're given the choice of the party that's shitting their pants in hysterics about lowering your carbon footprint, abandoning fossil fuels and nuclear energy, exaggerate the effects of things like fracking, etc....OR the party that can't even admit that it's a thing that's happening at all, despite mountains of scientific evidence suggesting it does. And it's not an agnostic "Meh, maybe it is happening, maybe it's not" type of attitude, it's a defiant "It's not happening. We're not talking about it. Moving on." type of attitude. If the subject could be approached like adults, then we could have an adult conversation about how much environmental protection is appropriate, instead of a mentality that anything potentially good for the environment is inherently bad and not worth even talking about.

[AUTailgatingRules]

What's happened to the last 16 years of global warming?   


NOTHING

[Snaggletiger]

What's happened to the last 16 years of global warming?   


NOTHING

I'm about to burn up.

[AUTailgatingRules]

I'm about to burn up.

It's June in Alabama, you're supposed to be burning up.  Just like you would have been in 1713 prior to the evil human destroying the earth

[WiregrassTiger]

It's June in Alabama, you're supposed to be burning up.  Just like you would have been in 1713 prior to the evil human destroying the earth

My theory is that it's not global warming at all, it's too many microwaves. You never heard of global warming back when we used mainly toaster ovens. I don't give a shit what Neil deGrasse has to say about it.

[WiregrassTiger]

I love all the advice the republicans get about how to gain more votes:

1.  Amnesty or you'll lose the next election

2.  Gay marriage or you'll lose the next election

3.  More welfare benes or you'll lose the next election

4.  More affirmative action or you'll lose the next election

5.  Curb global warming or you'll lose the next election

and on, and on, and on

Why don't you just say, hey turn into a democrat or you'll lose the next election.  Sorry, I'd rather lose and keep my strongly held values than become something I am not in order to win elections.

And just so you know, if we ran things like conservatives (not necessarily the Republican Party) think you should (smallest federal gov't possible), then each state could make up it's own mind on items 1-5 above and you could choose to live in the state that most fits your beliefs.

Yep. But you left off pro-abortion. All of yours plus abortion and the Republican party wins--unless the Dems run a black community organizer again. Then, we're fudged.

[AUownsU]

What's happened to the last 16 years of global warming?   


NOTHING

I thought the party line now was, "Okay, the earth is getting warmer but we don't know whats causing it."

[AUChizad]

It's June in Alabama, you're supposed to be burning up.  Just like you would have been in 1713 prior to the evil human destroying the earth

The day you typed that (yesterday) was the first official day of summer, so strap in.

Last year was the hottest summer ever recorded.

And yes, the winters are colder too, which, despite "Global warming my ass" comments, actually further support climate change theories.

[AUChizad]

What's happened to the last 16 years of global warming?   


NOTHING

Well, if you can't observe it over the course of 16 years (which you can) then it's not happening.

[AUTailgatingRules]

Well, if you can't observe it over the course of 16 years (which you can) then it's not happening.

In the Carter years your brilliant scientists were sure we were headed for an ice age.  I guess all those great scientist CAN be wrong, huh

[CCTAU]

So it looks like the years of social liberal programming by our liberal educators has paid off. If that is the case, we are screwed as Americans, not just as republicans. The problem with a liberal approach to education is that by the time the younger generation figures out they have been duped, it's too late. We only have to look toward Europe as an example. Yet when some loom there, they still see success.

[AUChizad]

So it looks like the years of social liberal programming by our liberal educators has paid off. If that is the case, we are screwed as Americans, not just as republicans. The problem with a liberal approach to education is that by the time the younger generation figures out they have been duped, it's too late. We only have to look toward Europe as an example. Yet when some loom there, they still see success.

[CCTAU]

Just like you were programmed.

[GH2001]

It's June in Alabama, you're supposed to be burning up.  Just like you would have been in 1713 prior to the evil human destroying the earth

The colonialists had those evil F150s.