I say this as somebody who supported Rudy Giuliani during the
primary and has a libertarian streak on many social issues
(including gay marriage):
Kathleen Parker is absolutely nuts to blame the Republican
defeat in this year's election on "the evangelical, right-wing,
oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP..."
Republicans went into this year heavy underdogs, with an
incumbent president who an overwhelming majority of Americans
thought sucked. The election was a referendum on Bush, and if the
country wasn't already upset enough by his foreign policy, the
financial system collapsed about six weeks before the election.
Social issues were hardly debated at all during this campaign,
and to the extent that they were, Barack Obama felt the need to
woo evangelical voters at the Rick Warren forum, run away from
his radical pro-abortion record, and declare his opposition to
same sex marriage (even if he didn't support legislation to
prevent it). Republicans nominated somebody who was initially
seen as unacceptable to many social conservatives. It's true that
they also nominated Sarah Palin as vice president, but even if
you were to buy the argument that Palin cost McCain the election,
it's important to keep in mind that the main problem with Palin
was that a lot of independents didn't think she was ready to be
president, which raised question about McCain's judgment and
exacerbated fears about his age. If her social conservatism
turned off indepependents, then she wouldn't have experienced her
initial boom of popularity.
This is the extent of Parker's hard data:
Among Jewish voters, 78 percent went for Obama. Sixty-six
percent of under-30 voters did likewise. Forty-five percent of
voters ages 18-29 are Democrats compared to just 26 percent
Republican; in 2000, party affiliation was split almost evenly.
Unfortunately, my co-religionists typically vote overwhelmingly
Democratic, so I'm not sure what that's supposed to prove. And is
it any surprise that party affiliation among voters who came of
age during the an unpopular Republican presidency shifted to
Democrats? Why are social issues to blame rather than, say,
enviornmental issues, or the Iraq War? It's pretty clear that
Parker is basking in her role as a conservative who bashes other
conservatives. And no,
Andrew, I don't have a contempt for honesty, but a bias for
arguments that are backed up by facts and evidence.
