Friday Open Thread [2.22.13]
Booman asks if Hillary can kill the modern GOP. If she wins Texas Arkansas and Kentucky (and recent polls show her leading all three states), that means she can win in North Carolina, Indiana, Montana, the Dakotas, Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri, and Arizona, and if she wins all of those states, and all the Obama blue states from 2012, yes, I think she can.
There are signs that a Clinton candidacy could be strong enough to force the Republicans to play defense in Texas. A recent Public Policy Polling survey found Clinton beating Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, and Chris Christie in the Lone Star State. My explanation for this is that hostility to Obama’s skin color is masking the true weakness of the modern Republican Party. In a very real way, racism is propping the GOP up and giving them a false sense of confidence that they are still a force to be reckoned with in national elections.
That’s part of it. If I am right, then any white Democratic nominee is going to start out in a commanding position in 2016. But Clinton brings something else. Her husband was able to carry states like Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri, and Montana, that have been hostile to the President Obama. Those states are critical to keeping the GOP a viable alternative to the Democrats. They can’t be playing defense in those states.
The question I have is, have those states moved irrevocably into the conservative camp during the W. and Obama years, or can Hillary Clinton bring those people back into the Democratic fold? And, is this something that only she can do, and not other likely candidates like Govs. Cuomo of New York, O’Malley of Maryland, Vice-President Biden, of Senator Mark Warner. You know, add your own dream candidate, since none of the ones I mentioned are likely to quicken the heartbeat of progressives.
Most analysts think Texas will be purple by 2024 and blueish by 2028. But the chairman of the state’s GOP is already concerned. […] So, the conundrum for a progressive is this. Is this real? Is Hillary Clinton uniquely suited to the job of destroying the modern Republican Party? Can she (and she alone) accelerate this process by as much as two presidential election cycles (or eight years)?
Setting aside the fact that the Republican party is destroying itself, while it is true that racism is propping the GOP up and “giving them a false sense of confidence that they are still a force to be reckoned with in national elections.”
It begs the question, is the GOP still a force to be reckoned with in LOCAL elections? If so, I doubt Clinton would have big enough coattails to destroy the Republicans Party.
The DNC is already starting to execute a plan to turn Texas into a battleground state. This is a great move on their part and I don’t think that they’ve done this kind of long-horizon organizing before. But it is the right place to start with the changing demographics.
Texas is going to be interesting to watch. We’ll also have to watch the GOP – can they get crazier? The poll yesterday had only 22% identify as Republicans. That has to worry them.
Boehner and McConnell will not be happy until that number gets to 12%.
I’m beginning to agree, J.
GOP is in a box. They are down to their most loyal hard-core base, which demands absolute purity. Failure to obey the base leads to primary challenges, which have been pretty successful. So they are stuck. They have to obey the base or lose their job. However the base they cultivated is out-of-step with the rest of the country. Reminds me so much of Mike Castle. He was happy to get those votes so he didn’t do much to create a bigger tent party. Then he got burned.
I think Hillary Clinton could shake up the GOP. She is above politics for now and quite popular. People remember the Clinton years fondly now. I think the presidency is hers if she wants it. It will be interesting to see those old, discredited Clinton rumors pop up again if she runs. Most people will tune that out.
It’s Handel’s birthday! Tune in your favorite classical station for some good-natured music that will probably make you feel better. I’m rockin’ WRTI right now. Once a year is about right for Handel.
Is this a joke or are you this detached.
Well, I am kinda getting into Handel but I wouldn’t say I’m detached.
Well, puck, “if” only once a year, follow up with his three movements of “Water Music…”
it may become the new theme of Delaware, as the ocean takes back what once was it’s own….
Listened to Handel Saturday, not my fave but still great stuff. As for Texas going blue consider Ted Cruz, he’s a real maniacs maniac and I find the comparisons to Joe McCarthy apt and appropriate.