Why is GOP platform not more moderate?

[wuushew]

Unlike the Democrat's approach which is based on the idea of not offending the most number of swing voters, the current Republican policies are as right as you can go on labor,environment and fiscal policies.

How likely that an single issue homophobes or gun nuts care nothing about health-care or minimum wage issues? Like us most of their voters are working men and women who should have some interest in secondary and tertiary issues. Since no one on the right is seriously considering a viable third party why would these voters fail to show up at the polls and vote Republican in the name of their pet issue?

[sw04ca]

1. Ideology...

...is part of it. After all, a lot of common men are not at all convinced that raising the minimum wage is always a good thing, especially since so few voters actually earn minimum wage.

As for health care, neither side has a workable model yet. The Republican plan is doomed to failure, but the Democrats haven't put much publicity into what they want to do. What people have heard are vague rumblings about a Canada-style health system, which would be an absolute disaster in the US.

[wuushew]

3. Yes but according to pollsters

most Americans agree with the Democrats on a large number of issues. Since any random sampling would also include Republicans, I don't know why an appeal to largest section of voters does not occur during the Republican primaries.

[sw04ca]

5. Charisma goes a long way...

..towards building bridges. Besides, I don't trust anything that pollsters tell me, partially because I blame the opinion poll for the downfall of democracy, and partially because of Benjamin Disraeli.

But charisma: Bush has a form of it, a sort of earthy, down-home charm that appeals to the voters. Looking at the last bunch of Democratic candidates for president, the 2004 candidate took a long time to look even a little relaxed, his VP was a southern Democrat (not a good thing in this day and age, where the south has gone totally Republican. Seen as kind of like a carpetbagger) whose eyes were more focused on running on '08 after a Kerry defeat. A famous race-baiter. A man who tried to start a war with the Russians. A man from the far left of the party and a woman from the far left of the far left of the party. And a man who was angry, but turned people off when he seemed too angry.

Harry Truman, LBJ, JFK, Bill Clinton, Andrew Jackson, FDR: Wherefore art thou?

[realisticphish]

2. they don't have to

they have seen that facism gets votes


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Moderate Dem]

4. No one actually ever reads the platform...

but the Republicans used it to strengthen themselves among the religious right.

The party in power never has to go as far to explain their message, and also has better luck at controlling their extremists. That's why the Democrats saw Michael Moore everywhere, but the right wing wackos like Judge Roy Moore were pretty well hidden away.

[bowens43]

6. they are theo-cons.

god , guts and guns

[wuushew]

7. Yes but look at the competeing interests

Good old nativist xenophobia and racism should win out against the small number corporate stooges that benefit from cheap labor.

You're telling me that all Republicans are in sync as to what they want even though many of them vote against their own self interests?