A Bad Economy Won't Turn Red States Into Blue States

[Yavin4]

If you think that the impending economic collapse will make the Red states change their ways, think again. They won't blame Bush, nor Congress, nor the Republicans. They will blame blue state liberals. Even in bad economic times, blue states will still have large cities, like NY, Chicago, LA, and SF where the wealthy will live. Red staters will re-direct their anger over a bad economy to the people living in blue states, and right wing politicians and the pandering media whores will prime this pump of anger.

[medeak]

1. they love martyrdom anyway.. n/t

[Philostopher]

2. Which is really sad ...

since blue states actually subsidize red states.

But I suspect you're right -- and if they refused to play the 'red/blue state welfare game' no doubt red staters would only be more hateful.

This from a 'purple' stater (Ohio hasn't always been a red state, and just barely was one yesterday, mostly by default) giving serious consideration to bolting to a blue state when the time is right!

[Placebo]

3. And the fact that VALUES trumped the ECONOMY...

as to how they voted in this election.

[K-W]

4. We don't need red states.

Only a great deal of time will change those.

All we need to do is build a strong political foundation in the blue states and grab a couple swing states.

There will always be a culture devide as long as some parts of the nation live very different lifestyles and have very different world views. But we are on the right side of history and we can win this battle.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. You are correct. We really need to wage a guerilla campaign

against the fundamentalists. Our party MAY have to make some concessions to moderate Republicans (I know I know some people will call me a sell out) but we MUST divide and conquer. We need FOOT soldiers in certain red states pitting white against minority and pitting rich against poor. We need to get INTO fundamentalist churches ourselves, small groups at a time and change the dynamics of them. We need to start DIVIDING these people against themselves if we hope to stand a snowball's chance in hell.

I'm not kidding. 20 or thirty committed ALabama Christians could join a conservative congregation and spread division...I'm not kidding. These people are BRAINWASHED and the only way to get to them is THROUGH them. We went through a similar period back in the 50's and during McCarthy.

WE've GOT to plant people places. We went through this also in the 60's. The south didn't desegregate. The NORTH went to the south and disrupted. We need to do this again only this time not on the basis of race but on the basis of class and religion.

[BootinUp]

6. What about the poor blue staters?

They won't have common ground with the poor red staters?

[DBoon]

7. They will start burning witches

Obviously unemployment is caused by pagan evil rites. The red states will just become more rigid and unyielding as conditions get worse.

[sandnsea]

8. Liberal taxes, regulations,

environmentalists, minimum wage, greedy unions, big government programs. You've got it. As long as we're fighting the minutia, even god, guns and gays; we're never going to win the war.

[orwell]

9. Throw the Bum Out

I strongly disagree.

If there is one thing that gets people to throw the bum/party in power out it is economic hardship. The reason "the bad economy" meme didn't work against * is that the economy, contrary to what many say here and what Kerry/Edwards were trying to say on the campaign trail, isn't close to being bad. There is no way in hell that low interest rates, rising home prices and sales, and next year projected GDP growth in the 3 to 4% range can be called bad.

If it was truly "bad" this bum would have lost by at least 5 percentage points.

[sonicx]

11. Kerry won voters who named the economy as their most important issue

Bush won people who named terror and morals as their most important issues (more named those than health care and economy).

[orwell]

12. Terra Card

This reinforces my point. If the economy were truly bad, nobody would name terror and morals as their most important issue.

Look at the Clinton 92 race and the economic backdrop in force to see what I mean. Back then it was the economy.

[pauliedangerously]

10. That's the whole idea behing the push for funamentalism...

...the peons are being conditioned to be satisfied with less. What noble creatures.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

13. As long as there

is no man on man action in their state they will be fine.

[democratreformed]

14. It is my personal opinion that part of the important job of churches

right now is to push the "poor" meme. You know, some Bible teachings portray being poor as being more Christ-like than being wealthy. Of course, at the same time they are teaching this, the church leaders are doing everything they can to get all the money they can. Right now, I honestly believe they are preparing people to accept poverty and struggle. Really, truly, I do.