Schneider: The era of the conservative bloody shirt draws to a close
Posted: 10:06 PM ET
From CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider
ST. PAUL (CNN) — The question most viewers probably have on the next speaker, Rudy Giuliani, is How many times will he mention 9/11 in his speech tonight?
You know, there’s a phrase for what’s happening in this Republican convention: waving the bloody shirt. For decades after the Civil War, Republicans would win by “waving the bloody shirt” – calling on voters to remember the Union cause for which we sacrificed, and so many died.
After a few decades, it didn’t work anymore
We may be at that point now for the conservative bloody shirt.
The GOP needs to raise the excitement level among the party’s base. The problem is, it’s hard to rally the base without other people noticing. This is “us versus them” politics, portraying Democrats and liberals as somehow alien.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/03/schneider-the-era-of-the-conservative-bloody-shirt-draws-to-a-close/