tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post113825330197976129..comments2024-03-28T18:57:15.124-06:00Comments on Wash Park Prophet: The Demise Of The Three Party SystemAndrew Oh-Willekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-1138469820327428302006-01-28T10:37:00.000-07:002006-01-28T10:37:00.000-07:00I agree with you that Democrats should stand for m...I agree with you that Democrats should stand for mainstream positions such as expanding access to health care and a living wage. Your point that a big part of the Republican party wants low taxes and less business regulation is also correct. And you have also helped to make my point. Let's say that social conservatives make up about 30% of the population (I would estimate that the number of social conservatives is about 35 to 40 of the population and that the rest includes a lot of social moderates not just liberals) and many of these individuals are working class folks who might otherwise vote Democratic. Can we afford to write off these voters especially if there are a lot of social liberals (or more accurately social libertarians) who might agree with Democrats on issues like choice, but will never stop voting for the Republicans because of the lower tax bill ? <BR/><BR/>I think that we have devoted far too much time and effort to chasing a relatively few but affluent group of voters who are socially liberal but economic conservatives while ignoring the significant group of voters who are social conservatives and economic populists. Democrats will continue to ignore to these voters at their peril. <BR/><BR/>As for the public's views on abortion, I agree with you that a majority of the population wants abortion legal in the first trimester. The problem for Democrats who take a hard-line pro-choice approach is that most voters also oppose late term abortion, support parental consent and probably have reservations about public funding of elective abortions. I am not suggesting that Democrats should become strongly pro-life (although I do think that pro-lifers should be welcome in the party) but we have lost red America large because of being seen as the party of abortion, gay marriage and gun control. And a lot of progressives fail to appreciate that under our federalist system every state has equal representation in the Senate. That means that what folks think in smaller states like Idaho and Arkansas is as critical to Senate control as New York and California. This tends to magnify the political influence of the "30 percent" considerably.<BR/><BR/>By the way, I don't agree with the Republican propagandists that support for intervention in Iraq is the defining national security issue. I do think that Democrats are perceived as weak on terrorism and national security. Until we can convince Americans that are willing to do what is necessary to stop terrorists (and that doesn't mean giving up all of our personal freedoms) but it will mean a tough stand against nukes in Iran and giving our intelligence agencies the tools to fight terrorism - with proper oversight.<BR/><BR/>Democrats need to stress economic issues and have a "big tent" to win a governing majority - so the narrowing of the ideological base of our party is nothing to celebrate. Politics (and effective governing) requires compromise.RightDemocrathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03612704627184425765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-1138375009780714622006-01-27T08:16:00.000-07:002006-01-27T08:16:00.000-07:00As I've noted before, Democrats are in the mainstr...As I've noted before, Democrats are in the mainstream on social issues and national security matters. Majorities favor legal abortion, leaving Iraq, universal health care, a higher minimum wage, and requiring warrants for wiretaps, to name just a few parts of the "progressive agenda" that are really mainstream.<BR/><BR/>Social conservatives are a minority of about 30% of the population. A big part of the Republican party is in it because they want low taxes and less business regulation.Andrew Oh-Willekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-1138332642336894562006-01-26T20:30:00.000-07:002006-01-26T20:30:00.000-07:00Idelogical polarization of the parties leads to gr...Idelogical polarization of the parties leads to gridlock and certainly has not favored the Democrats. Since liberals are a minority in most of America, Democrats has lost ground by moving left. You can ridicule the "mushy middle" but it is the center that determines the outcome of elections. I do think that there should be a difference between the parties in terms of the role of government and economics, but Democrats need to move toward the mainstream on social issues and national security matters.RightDemocrathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03612704627184425765noreply@blogger.com