By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Well, much to the chagrin of our Republican brothers and without any obvious help from the train wreckers themselves, their base just shrunk. For the first time in American history, more non-hispanic Caucasians died than were born. This demographic milestone hits the Right at the worst possible time. With the incredible shrinking number of minorities in its ranks (only 13% of Republicans identify themselves as a minority) GOPers could always rest assured of refilling their ranks with scores of Caucasians driven into a frenzy by racial fear mongering or to rage by claims fiscal foolishness or to just about any other emotion … just pick your own right-wing wedge issue. Couple that with the fact that last year over 50% of all babies born were non-Caucasians and that the Republican record with women is well … sad, very sad … and you’ve got a demographic disaster looming for the GOP.
Or do you? Let’s see how are our brothers (and a precious few sisters) across the ideological aisle are dealing with the problem. Why full speed ahead on blocking immigration reform (Sen. Ted Cruz); rushing to impose invasive ultrasounds in heartland places like Wisconsin (Gov. Scott Walker); budget cuts for the poor (Paul Ryan); more votes in the U.S. House on bills to ban all abortion procedures after 20 weeks regardless of rape or incest (Boehner & Cantor). These righties sure know how to woo a woman.
Are there any voices of reason on the deck of this Titanic? Well you’d hope so. The College Republicans, once the recruiting ground of bomb throwers like Newt Gingrich (in 1978 he implored them be “young, nasty people who h[ave] no respect for their elders”), now seems to be the crewman in the crow’s nest transfixed on the looming iceberg even as their older brethren play the same ol’ tune (Nearer My God to Thee was the reputed last song played on the ill-fated luxury liner–strangely appropriate now and then) that got them shut out in the last two presidential battles and lost the youth vote by 5 million votes. According to a new report by the baby Repubs, young people deemed “winnable” for Republicans increasingly are coming to see the GOP a ” closed-minded, racist, rigid, [and]old-fashioned.” (p. 69). Imagine what the “unwinnables” must think! The report also finds the GOP out-of-step with the under 25 crowd in terms of understanding young Americans reliance on social media and non-traditional news sources like Comedy Central’s’ The Daily Show to get news and hence their view of the world. Just as distressing, the Republicans are hopelessly tone-deaf to the attitudes of young voters on issues like abortion, immigration, and negative political advertising. Ignore them at your peril the collegians are screaming, but the Right just keeps chugging father right. Onward Christian soldiers!
You have to wonder how any political party can survive with shrinking numbers, unpopular views, and an institutionalized arrogance (that 47% line still resonates) a Roman emperor would envy. Maybe you don’t have wonder for very long. Ask a Whig. Oops there aren’t any.
And as for the Caucasian race in the U.S., it might be time to take a break from the rat race they so proudly created. “We’re jumping the gun on a long, slow decline of our white population, which is going to characterize this century,” William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution, told the paper. “It’s a bookend from the last century, when whites helped us grow. Now it’s minorities who are going to make the contributions to our economic and population growth over the next 50 years.”
Was that a chill I just felt blowing over from the country club?
Source: Washington Post
~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Mike Spindell:
what do you think of this statement?
“In business, the rise of the welfare state froze the status quo, perpetuating the power of big corporations of the pre-income-tax era, placing them beyond the competition of the tax-strangled newcomers.”
“what do you think of this statement?”
Bron,
I think it is an example of faulty logic based on pre-conceived notions. What do you think of it? The initial problem with it is that from my perspective the United States has never had a “welfare state”, As you know 32 years of my career was spent in Public Welfare and public assistance was never as Reagan portrayed it.
Russell:
are you new here? I guess you must read though.
Welcome, Russell. Gene H is a good guy, he just likes things a certain way. He isnt good with chaos. He likes order. I bet he places his shoes together in one spot. I wish I could be more like that.
Russell,
What you fail to realistically understand is you are in the stands, not on the field, regarding this matter. You are neither perpetrator nor object of the rule violation in question nor do you have any substantive say in the matter.
Gene,
Realistically was there a need to comment…. You don’t know what I know…. And I don’t know what you know…. But I do know how to defend myself when the field is level… And I do know how to make the field level ….
Russell,
Benefited? I’m not sure you understand the meaning of that word.
Again, and more plainly, hypocrisy isn’t very becoming.
As several others have noted, including other guest bloggers, (Mike and) I have been showing considerable restraint in the face of persistent ad hominem attacks that have lasted far longer than those made against you in the past. If this doesn’t meet your personal approval, that is immaterial.
As far as complaints being made? You are not privy to all channels of communication. You shouldn’t make assumptions.
As for which wolf you think I’m feeding, that is simply none of your business, but I’ll remind you there is a parable about stones and glass houses for your effort.
Any more questions?
Have some ice cream and think about that.
Gene,
You too have benefited from persistent attacks…. You knew where and whom to take your complaints to as well as I ….
You need to learn some restraint as has been stated by others… You get on a personal rant and you don’t really know when to stop… It’s like an addiction with all of this controversy… Don’t feed it….. Which are you feeding from Franks’ story…. Think about it before you respond….
AY,
I’ll remind you once again that that wasn’t what you were saying when you were the target of persistent ad hominem attacks in contravention of blog policy.
There are some people who appreciate rules and equal protection. I’d think that finding such people on a blog that devotes a large part of its subject matter to issues of Constitutional law would be unsurprising. I’d even go so far as to think it should be expected. If you have issues with a policy that judiciously benefited you well enough serving others, then you know where to make the complaint.
Gene,
There are some folks that ignore irritants…..
A man is more than one thing, however, I’ve been more than patient and judicious in trying to get you to follow the rules of the this forum.
Just an observation.
A good arbiter is patient, judicious, and tries to diffuse a volatile situation. Our self appointed Sgt. At Arms is the antithesis, who tends to pour gas on the fire. Just an observation that hopefully doesn’t cost me any demerits.
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads. I’m spending it in the Twin Cities helping our daughter move into her new home. Had dinner @ what might be my favorite restaurant, The 112 Eatery, 112 3rd St. in Minneapolis. It caters to other people in the industry, serving dinner past midnight so other chefs, cooks, servers cab have a few drinks and dinner after a long night. Few people work harder that restaurant workers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/06/12/gop-congressman-rate-of-pregnancies-from-rape-is-very-low/
You are so right, lotta. The GOP said it learned its lesson after last election’s Todd Akin fiasco but not really. A congressman made similar comments about rape again last week and sonogram probe bills are passing in the state legislatures again.
How will the Republicans counter the changing demographics of the country (from the article)?
Voter suppression and outright theft of elections. We’ve seen it already, it’s here to stay. Elections are the new cyber-battleground.
http://www.theprogressiveunion.com/did-anonymous-save-democracy-on-election-night/
__________
Gene H.: “MM, Maybe not, but the Dems for all their considerable faults haven’t been openly hostile to minorities, the middle class and the poor for the last 2-3 decades like the GOP.
*
Don’t forget women. The Republican war on women is going to have some serious repercussions. You won’t necessarily see it coming but women are going to carry a grudge and it will play out in the voting booth.
Given time most women are going to have to become ‘that woman’. Someone that had to jump through hoops to get a Plan B pill or contraception or an abortion or is going to know someone that did or is going to know someone that couldn’t due to the endless roadblocks the Republican’s threw up.
Women are going to die because of this war and other women are going to know about it. Or their going to have kids they don’t want and other women are going to know about it. Women are going to have to rebuild that underground of women’s knowledge that has fallen into disrepair over the last 35-40 years and it will just piss them off. They will carry a grudge.
Reblogged this on Collectables and commented:
The comments are as good as the article. Enjoy!
Fpltz,
Really now… Manufacturing jobs are gone forever in America….. Could have surprised me…. Now wages being paid at te same rate a different story….. Take for instance … Telecom job… I hear a plant in Texas is opening up and 1000 of workers are getting jobs…. In Ohio…. Alcoa has reopened its pressing plant…. But, naysayers said the Colonies wouldn’t make it either without English Rule…. Guess some things are left to history…. The Asian markets are losing some jobs to India…..
A side question…. In India they are making leather products…. The cow is sacred….. How do you suppose they do that…… Was looking at a pair of shoes I own…. Made in India…. Gunieune Cow Hide…. Just wondering who does the work…..
“Hamilton won that argument.” (Gene)
… end of discussion except perhaps to add how well Jefferson used it when the Louisiana Purchase showed up for Great Britain and Holland would never had lent us the money without the presence of the National Bank.. “The largest customer, the government, had many notable interactions with the Bank. One of the highlights of the relationship was the Bank’s efficient managing of the government’s fiscal affairs with respect to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.”
http://www.philadelphiafed.org/publications/economic-education/first-bank.pdf
ugh, double again – I need an editor 🙂
Mostly, I do not understand what you’re saying either. There are no jobs because it became easier (and cheaper) to ship them out. There will never again (in spite of the rhetoric) be manufacturing jobs again, that part of America is history.
Perhaps though, I suppose I do understand what you are saying, the same racist mantra again…
I’m just waiting for RWL to say something on the topic.
I’m sorry! Was all that critical scrutiny getting in the way of your specious argument injecting race and gender into an argument where it had no place?
Well you know what they say. There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don’t.
Now let’s wait and see what Mark has to say.