Partisan Identification and Voting
Fascinating look at partisanship, self-identification, and actual voting over at Reason. Myself? Paradoxically, I’d say my voting pattern has become more decisively Democratic even as my philosophy is more genuinely independent.
There are many issues where I differ from the dominant Democratic position. On a significant subset of those issues, I even think the dominant Republican position is preferable. It’s just that, on balance, I have a lot more “scary” disagreements with Republicans. That is, both parties have a lot of bad ideas, but the Republican bad ideas tend to scare me more (often a lot more) than the Democratic ones. Combine that with two hugely important facts on the ground: 1) the Republicans are in charge and running the ball with many of their scary bad ideas 2) the current administration and dominant Republican establishment either doesn’t actually believe or is unwilling to act on many of the good (or less bad) “Republican” ideas.
Fiscal conservatism. True fiscal conservatives are an awfully forlorn, isolated band these days aren’t they? There are a handful of moderate Democrats and Republicans, combined with another handful of “old school conservative” Republicans. But, in truth, fiscal responsibility has always been about as popular as healthy eating and exercise, hasn’t it? The idea that Ronald Reagan was a fiscal conservative is one of those ridiculous urban legends that will not die. Alligators in the sewer, aliens at Roswell, and Reagan’s small government conservatism. And last time I checked, Bush 43 was the biggest spender since LBJ, and maybe bigger.
Trade. The current crop of GOP leadership is typically solicitous of the classic agricultural subsidy welfare queens. Sugar and cotton throughout the GOP’s cherished and prized South, especially sugar in ever crucial and competitive Florida. And do I have to remind anyone of Bush’s blatantly pandering steel tariffs?
And so on. These are just a couple of issues where I’d actually agree with official traditional Republican rhetoric, but the reality of their governance is another matter altogether.
The really scary stuff remains a thorough lack of respect for civil liberties and a devotion to religion as a basis for policy. If the Democrats regain power someday, I might begin conscientiously abstaining, but as long as people like James Dobson and Ralph Reed remain close to the seat of Republican power, the GOP can write me off. I’m sure they’re worried about that!
There are many issues where I differ from the dominant Democratic position. On a significant subset of those issues, I even think the dominant Republican position is preferable. It’s just that, on balance, I have a lot more “scary” disagreements with Republicans. That is, both parties have a lot of bad ideas, but the Republican bad ideas tend to scare me more (often a lot more) than the Democratic ones. Combine that with two hugely important facts on the ground: 1) the Republicans are in charge and running the ball with many of their scary bad ideas 2) the current administration and dominant Republican establishment either doesn’t actually believe or is unwilling to act on many of the good (or less bad) “Republican” ideas.
Fiscal conservatism. True fiscal conservatives are an awfully forlorn, isolated band these days aren’t they? There are a handful of moderate Democrats and Republicans, combined with another handful of “old school conservative” Republicans. But, in truth, fiscal responsibility has always been about as popular as healthy eating and exercise, hasn’t it? The idea that Ronald Reagan was a fiscal conservative is one of those ridiculous urban legends that will not die. Alligators in the sewer, aliens at Roswell, and Reagan’s small government conservatism. And last time I checked, Bush 43 was the biggest spender since LBJ, and maybe bigger.
Trade. The current crop of GOP leadership is typically solicitous of the classic agricultural subsidy welfare queens. Sugar and cotton throughout the GOP’s cherished and prized South, especially sugar in ever crucial and competitive Florida. And do I have to remind anyone of Bush’s blatantly pandering steel tariffs?
And so on. These are just a couple of issues where I’d actually agree with official traditional Republican rhetoric, but the reality of their governance is another matter altogether.
The really scary stuff remains a thorough lack of respect for civil liberties and a devotion to religion as a basis for policy. If the Democrats regain power someday, I might begin conscientiously abstaining, but as long as people like James Dobson and Ralph Reed remain close to the seat of Republican power, the GOP can write me off. I’m sure they’re worried about that!
posted by wRONgainey at 9:42 AM
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