“It seems that, in order to fix the GOP, the answer (as you see it) is to marginalize Palin.

Right?”

Marginalizing Palin is only part of it.  We need to marginalize this entire specter of Blue Collar Republicanism for numerous reasons.  First, these people are not true conservatives.  They might be culturally conservative, but they are the first to demand big government help when it comes to things like economic protectionism, social security, etc.  They are FDR Democrats who are upset with the social liberalism of the Democratic Party.  Second, the Blue Collar Republicans represent a demographically dying breed.  This nation is becoming less blue collar by the day.  As more Americans go to college and get white collar jobs, they have little to no attachment to this outdated worldview.  Third, Blue Collar Republicanism is a morally and economically bankrupt way of life.  Lets look at the economic and cultural health of the blue collar areas.  Most have been economically depressed or decades, they are becoming filled with drug addicts and practically every other social ill.  Anyone with ambition flees at the first chance.

I know firsthand the problems with Blue Collar Republicanism because I come from an area in rural PA where this mentality is strong.  The people there think its great, but it is far from socially or economically healthy.  The underemployment rate during good times hovers in the 20 percent range probably regardless of the posted unemployment rate.  The area is completely dependent on transfer payments from other areas of the state (Philly suburbs) to provide basic services like roads, schools, and state police.  The area is becoming nothing but old people and druggies.  Anyone with any sense of ambition or desire to better themselves, fled after graduating high school.  Socially, these people may attend church more than my neighbors in the suburbs, but they are far from moral.  Alcoholism, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and now even crime are out of control.

This contrasts with the Philly suburbs where I attend law school.  I do not see drug needles and crack pipes when I walk down the streets.  I do not see pregnant teenagers when I go to the grocery store.  I do not see the grocery store filled with people with food stamp cards on the first of the month. [In Philadelphia?!? - o.g.]  I don’t, but most of my neighbors leave their cars unlocked, where as my mother left hers unlocked for 20 minutes on accident once and someone decided to rummage through the center storage compartment for change.

The reason I draw this contrast is simple.  The Republicans have embraced the socially and economically ill former and threw the economically stable and socially healthy latter under the bus.  Greene County has went Republican only 4 times since 1900 where as Chester County has went Democrat only 3 times since 1900, but the Republicans are content with seeking out economically and socially distressed places like Greene County where as Chester County, the richest county in the state, is too elite now.

The Blue Collar Republicans should just shut up, take their seat at the back of the bus, and get their own affairs in order before screaming at the rest of us.

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 18:45:52 GMT | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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