NYT: Edwards Is Finding It Difficult to Shift G.O.P. Trend at Home

[kskiska]

With the fanfare of a concert tour, Senator John Edwards plans to return home to North Carolina today to cast an early ballot and attend a rally in his honor, accompanied by the rocker Jon Bon Jovi and thousands of supporters.

But if the polls are any indication, the voters of his state would sooner welcome President Bush than Mr. Edwards, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee.

Despite warnings by Mr. Edwards during the primary season that it would be an enormous mistake to ignore the South and his promises to "beat President Bush in my backyard,'' North Carolina seems to be falling in line with the rest of the South in the Bush column.

(snip)

Jack Fleer, a professor emeritus of political science at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, said Republicans had captured the region largely because its voters see the Republicans as kin on social and cultural issues, including opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage, and because it has large numbers of military personnel who view the party as stronger on defense.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/29/politics/races/29edwards.html

[kokomo]

1. Republicans haven't heard that Bush just "flip-flopped" on gay marriage?

[w4rma]

3. Fox News and Limbaugh probably haven't told them yet. (nt)

[saigon68]

2. HOPE THOSE IDIOTS LIKE THE DRAFT

It will be there soon.

Learn to shine shoes and march boys.. It will come in handy soon.

[aquart]

4. "Large numbers of military personnel"........

Jack Fleer may be in for a teensy surprise.

[loudsue]

5. LOL!!! Wake Forest University??? KKK/KristianKoalition/Knatzi heaven?

Check this out:

"voters see the Republicans as kin on social and cultural issues, including opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage, and because it has large numbers of military personnel who view the party as stronger on defense."

Let's rephrase that, by someone who lives in North Carolina:

"voters see the repukes as kin on hating the (stereotype of) black welfare queens and 'niggahs', and the librul commies who don't want war, and on hysterical issues such as baby-killers and fags, all as described by their preachers, and by their ignorant elected officials and neighbors (who, by the way, dropped out of high school 'cuz they didn't want to be told how to behave)."

There are two North Carolinas: One that votes with the racist hold-overs from days of old, and one that has used <wisely> the education that is available in this great state.

Until the racists, who lived prior to the days of the Civil Rights movement, die off, North Carolina will still be two people. There are great schools and universities in this state. I hope that, in the long run, education of the masses will prevail, and all the old school racists will die off. There are even DECENT people that live here, that were alive prior to Civil Rights, who "get it". They'll be voting with the Dems.

Of course, we have to get the idiots out of the churches, too, who are convinced by the rev. Sun Yung Moon and Jerry Falwell!!!

I keep trying to remember that the Civil Rights movement happened within my generation...and the dinosaurs from before this generation, and the ones in my generation who didn't LIKE the Civil Rights movement, never "got it", and haven't died yet.

When will the HUMAN BEING <species> of the present world FINALLY realize that ALL PREJUDICE IS TOTAL IGNORANCE!!?? ....and that doesn't just mean America! The message <meme> needs to be spread far and wide...

ALL PREJUDICE IS TOTAL IGNORANCE!!!!

No....John Edwards isn't an aberration...he's just not a racist, unGodly man. His opponents ARE.

:kick::kick:

Edited for spelling, and then to add:

North Carolina is still VERY VERY VERY close. Kerry/Edwards have been gaining steadily in this state. AND THAT SAYS A LOT!!!

[Democat]

6. If gay marriage is the biggest issue for those voters we can't win them

Racist and anti-gay voters are going to be hard to ever convince. It may take a generational shift for us to take those states back.

We should not pander to those who hate gays or have people who aren't "white" enough.

[depakid]

7. North Carolina is never going to change

it's as backward there as its ever been and the fundies are stronger and as numerous as ever. That anyone ever thought Kerry had a chance at that state is beyond me.

[NC_Nate]

8. All very good

points...I moved here in Feb. and was shocked by how close minded people were here..(Raleigh) However I have hope the we can steal NC this year.. There are a lot of Yankees that relocated here.. We're crossing our fingers...

My wife and I are going going to see Edwards and Bon Jovi tonight with another another couple...I'll upload some pictures when we get back..we got the better tickets so hopefully we'll get a few good ones... :toast:

[depakid]

9. My sister lives in Raleigh

and she's been telling me about how North Carolina is 'changing" for over 20 years now- yet every time I visit, it's the same experience- about all that seems to have changed is that the sprawl has grown out dramatically- and there's no decent public transit anywhere. Still the same mix of fundies- only the traffic's gotten worse. Liberal... er.. responsible ideas like land use planning don't seem to take root there, no matter how many transplants arrive.

I fully believe that if Jesse Helms were still around and running, he'd elected

[Lexingtonian]

10. stupid title for the piece

Despite what people say, this is going to be a turnaround election in the state. Democrats will get within striking distance of a majority.

Sure, it was a 56% Republican state in '00. But it's moved Democratic at a rate of ~1%/year since 1992. Liddy Dole won with 54% in '02 in what was supposedly a 'good' Republican year. Everyone likes to think that the personalities involved and 'issues' and such matter a lot, but nationally this motion in the base is generally far more important- only when candidates break down with their Party faithful in a bad way, or look grossly inferior to their opponent, do election outcomes not reflect the base makeup. Unfortunately you have a very unfied, centrally directed, state Republican Party- they'll run the state the same way with 51% as with 65%. There's not much of a break for you guys from their running things that way until our side has a majority.

Of I course I don't know about the relative partisan turnout efforts in NC this year. But I can say that the polling all looks like the base makeup in the state this election is ~52% R, 47-48% D, in near-perfect obedience to trend. Too bad for Bowles, running away from Clinton will not have done him any good. Better to be damned for what you really are, etc....

Y'all in NC have a rocky four to six years ahead of you as the Republican machinery in the state starts trying to find and motivate new voters, gets more extreme and more dependent on screwy issues, and then starts chewing up and spitting out its moderates and opportunists in earnest as it starts going off the rails. Make sure to pour copious amounts of sand into the gearbox whenever they're distracted. Keep in on Party building with young talent and good luck.