Of Republicans surveyed nationwide last month (sample size 2000), 23% want their state to leave the United States and another 19% aren't sure if this is a good idea or not. When 42% of a political party isn't sure if they want to remain in the United States of America or not, it is time to wonder if these are people who should have a large say in how our country is run. In the South, 48% of Republicans aren't sure they want their state to remain in the United States (even excluding the "not sure" percentage, in the South 33% of Republicans want their state to leave the United States). (More details here.)
Large percentages also believe a variety of factually absurd things. For example, only 42% of Republicans are sure that President Obama was born in the United States (only 39% of Southern Republicans are sure that President Obama was born in the United States).
Southern Republicans (those from FL, NC, SC, AL, MS, GA, VA, TN, KY, LA, AR, TX) are consistently more extreme in their views on every questions than any gender or age or ethnic demographic of Republicans, or Republicans in the Northwest, Midwest or Western regions (except on one question, "Should gay couples receive any state or federal benefits?" where Republican men were one percentage point more opposed than Southern Republicans).
Generally, non-white Republicans are the least extreme/least conservative in their views, followed by Northeastern Republicans (DC, ME, VT, NY, MD, PA, CT, DE, MA, NH, RI, WV, NJ), on issues other than gay rights. On gay rights, Northeastern Republicans and young Republicans (18-29) are most tolerant and women tend to be more tolerant than men.
It is fair to guess that white Southern Republicans thirty years old or older are an even more conservative, anit-gay and out of touch with reality demographic. They make up something on the order of a third of all Republicans in the United States.
Non-white Republicans make up about 11% of self-identified Republicans, and Northeastern Republicans make up about 11% of Republicans. The 18-29 age backet makes up about 9% of Republicans. About 44% of Republicans are women. About 42% of Republicans are in the South.
5 comments:
Excluding from the political process those who favor small and local government is certainly an effective way to game the system to ensure government gets even larger.
My intent was to imply nothing more than a suggestion that people not vote for Republicans because they are not patriotic.
And, since when do Republicans favor local government? See, e.g., Colorado Springs and Centennial, Colorado. Republicans do not favor local government.
Republicans have also not avoided big government at the federal level. George W. Bush, for example, significantly increased the size of the federal government, and "big government conservatives" are now an important wing of the party. One of the Republican slogans in the health care reform debate is "don't cut Medicare."
Reagan's Republican party is long gone.
Colorado Springs is merely favoring the smaller government of the family over the larger government of the Colorado Springs local government.
I am assuming that the 42% of Republicans who are secessionist-leaning are not in the "big government [neo-]conservative" wing of the Republican Party.
The good people of Colorado Springs are favoring not paying $1 per person per week, over having parks, rec centers, street lights, police and fire resources, suicide prevention, and bus service. The second biggest city in the state can be run effecitvely like an exurban ranchette.
Secessionist-leaning Republicans aren't necessarily opposed to big government. They just want to go back to the good old days of the Confederacy. Indeed, the limitations that the modern constitution imposes on government is part of what is driving their desire.
Those are worthwhile functions of local government. I guess there is distrust by the people of Colorado Springs that there aren't less needed functions that can be cut.
In a return to either the Confederacy or pre-Civil War little-f federalism, Full Spectrum Laboratories would never have been raided.
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