I'm hoping the Repubs try to do the "culture war" thing at the convention

[Mike Daniels]

Does anyone remember in 1992 when the Republicans had Pat Buchanan and a few other hard righters go up on the podium and declare that the nation was in a culture war and then go on to deliver a whole lot of other pandering to the lowest common denominator fears of their base?

What happened as a result? Middle america was so turned off by what was such extreme spit and bile hatred that some speculate that Buchanan's speech may have actually cost the Republicans the election.

If the Republicans want to announce another culture war at their convention I say "bring it on" and lets see if history repeats itself.

[lcordero]

1. The last place that they ever want to do this "culture war" thing

is in NYC.

[yardwork]

2. I think they've already done this

with the proposed Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages. Even if many Americans aren't ready to embrace equal marriages, most people don't like the idea of tampering with the Constitution to exclude people.

I think this has backfired badly, and will continue to be a big issue. Bush gained nobody who wasn't already going to vote for him, and lost a lot of moderate Republicans, not to mention gay/lesbian Republicans.

[vi5]

3. I posted the same thing a while ago....

Even people who disagree with a lot of cultural social issues we may stand for, don't want to see the response to it be this firebrand revival tent brimstone type thing as in 1992.

[Wapsie B]

4. I don't think Rove

would let them. They'll wrap themselves in 9/11 and the Flag, painting themselves as having a new vision for this country, being all things to all people. There'll be no mention of any culture war at the convention, at least were the TV cameras can see it. With 12 years of repug camelot with Ronnie & Poppy, and 4 years of chimpy controlling damn near everything and abortion is still legal, no organized student-lead prayers in public schools. I just have to wonder, won't the wingnuts finally realize that they're just being used?

[Zero Gravitas]

7. Rove is not as smart

as we give him credit for. How else to explain the cheap-gardeners immigration "reform" proposal coming out in an election year. That was guaranteed to piss off the base. Maybe he's just got too arrogant and is believing his own propaganda, or maybe he's just not that smart.

[hatrack]

5. I loved Molly Ivins' take on Pat Buchanan's 1992 convention speech

"Many people did not enjoy Pat Buchanan's speech. Perhaps it sounded better in the original German."

[yardwork]

6. I remember that speech

wasn't it the one where PitBull Pat talked about Zulus taking over the U.S? Some commentator responded, "The Zulus are not on the march."