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What will the GOP be like in 10 years?
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2013 Oct 11, 4:16am 87,356 views 242 comments
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freak80
2013 Oct 15, 6:01am
How are most of those red states doing? Yeah.... thought so.
The red states are the true welfare queens.
eah- the blue state model. Seeing as how California has the largest economy in the US, bigger than all 49 other states combined, with NY, and MA not far behind tells me that the "Blue" states know something about doing things right. Like making TONS of money.
How are most of those red states doing? Yeah.... thought so.
.. The Booming business/industries created in California were done by far more Conservative folks during a more Business friendly Pro Industry decades.
California today could not repeat the same boom years because of Anti-Business policies created by the Left.
its not all that surprising how the Lefties want to take credit for the Industry Booms of the 70s 80s and 90s while they have been against all the Corporations/Industries since the 1960s ....
anyway.. talk to former Sun Micro CEO / Co founder about Pro Business California today.
How are most of those red states doing? Yeah.... thought so.
The red states are the true welfare queens.
where former Californians have moved to during retirement years.
i guess they have no stomach for your Liberal Utopian Society.
The Great California Exodus
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304444604577340531861056966.html
.. The Booming business/industries created in California were done by far more Conservative folks during a more Business friendly Pro Industry decades.
California today could not repeat the same boom years because of Anti-Business policies created by the Left.
That has to be the biggest load of crap I've read in awhile. I think you need to crack open a few history books as well as actually look who founded today's most successful tech companies in the world.
where former Californians have moved to during retirement years.
i guess they have no stomach for your Liberal Utopian Society.
The Great California Exodus
Yes- that's fantastic for the states they are moving to who now get to take care of lots and lots of retirees. I'm not sure if your comment was supposed to make a point. If it did, I'm not sure.... hmmm. leseee... lots of retirees moving to other states... how exactly does that translate to jobs in research, tech, science, manufacturing, and education? That's right... they DON'T.
But hey- if others want to move to Arkansas, well that's totally fine with me. There are literally millions eagerly waiting to fill their places anyway and that will also help free up more housing.
That has to be the biggest load of crap I've read in awhile. I think you need to crack open a few history books as well as actually look who founded today's most successful tech companies in the world.
History books and real life.. i been working in SV tech for 3 decades. Where were you at ?
Where were all these pin headed liberals during the tech boom of the 70s 80s and 90s ?
anyway.. talk to former Sun Micro CEO / Co founder about Pro Business California today.
I'd say they were fiscally conservative and socially somewhat liberal. By todays standards ""conservative" since anybody who wants to reign in on spending and uphold personal responsibility is labeled a "right-winger" these days.
Yes- that's fantastic for the states they are moving to who now get to take care of lots and lots of retirees. I'm not sure if your comment was supposed to make a point. If it did, I'm not sure.... hmmm. leseee... lots of retirees moving to other states... how exactly does that translate to jobs in research, tech, science, manufacturing, and education? That's right... they DON'T.
the vast majority of SV company jobs are no longer in CA.. they too have been shipped out
to RED states as well.. all due to pro business environment. they cover all the R&D Manufacturing and G/A jobs we once had in Santa Clara..
my former employer AMD is no longer a CA based company.. pretty much all it is in Austin, Tx
with so much savings created from Tx.. Tx based companies have come to SV to acquire all the companies they need.. Dell and Texas Instruments have been acquiring companies left and right in the valley.
History books and real life.. i been working in SV tech for 3 decades. Where were you at ?
Where were all these pin headed liberals during the tech boom of the 70s 80s and 90s ?
Well, not sure what business activity that happened 30-40 years ago has to do with the current status of California and its current line of business. The Internet didn't even exist except in strictly research and government transaction form. Seeing as how a huge number of internet-based companies of today have zilch to do with that era. In tech, 5 years ago is ancient history. The type of product, research, trend, and general direction changes very quickly in tech and what happened 30-40 years ago isn't relevant.
What you are saying would be like someone from Detroit coming in and saying: " Back in the 50's, there were thousands of manufacturing plants and lots of cars being made there." That was then. This is now. Trying to make this lame argument that thanks to conservatives, liberals can thrive is pointless because it bears no real connection to the business environment of today.thomaswong.1986 says
the vast majority of SV company jobs are no longer in CA.. they too have been shipped out
to RED states as well.. all due to pro business environment. they cover all the R&D Manufacturing and G/A jobs we once had in Santa Clara..
Wrong. If we're talking about manufacturing, well sure. That business flew the coop a long time ago to first lower cost states, now other countries. And let me tell you as someone who actually made a rather serious multi-year attempt to relocate to one of those supposedly alternative "tech" cities like Austin and Raleigh Duraham.. well let me just say that yeah, there are tech jobs, but a very, very far cry from the number available here in the Bay Area. On top of that, the competition for those jobs is extreme ( due to their being less of them) and the type of work is from what I experienced at lower levels and lower levels of pay. I was looking at 50% cuts on average to my salary.
But even so- what's ironic about what you're saying here is that guess where the tech jobs that happen to leave the Bay Area go? They go to LIBERAL areas! Yes- Austin, Raleigh, Boulder CO, and so on are all in some cases liberal bastions in a sea of red state surrounding them. So even if you were miraculously right about all tech jobs being gone from SV, they aren't moving to red areas anyway.
In closing, if you are sooooo unhappy here.... then why not move to a red state yourself? I'm from a red state originally and I'm sure you'd just looooove it there. There's plenty of room and heck- it sure is cheap. Just get used to hot, humid weather, greasy, fattening food, and you'd also probably want to "like" pop country.
But hey- if others want to move to Arkansas, well that's totally fine with me. There are literally millions eagerly waiting to fill their places anyway and that will also help free up more housing.
Yes... we can see similar results from Detroit and many east Coast towns.. proud testimony
of the lefts pro industry position... if there is any...
Lefties are like parasites and locusts ready to strip the land bare of all industrial success.
Lefties are like parasites and locusts ready to strip the land bare of all industrial success.
Like I said before- the states that make the vast majority of the money in this country also happen to be blue states. Thus your comment above is moot and void.
Well, not sure what business activity that happened 30-40 years ago has to do with the current status of California and its current line of business. The Internet didn't even exist except in strictly research and government transaction form. Seeing as how a huge number of internet-based companies of today have zilch to do with that era. In tech, 5 years ago is ancient history. The type of product, research, trend, and general direction changes very quickly in tech and what happened 30-40 years ago isn't relevant.
What is the Internet but all the success created over the past 50 years.. You can also call it the Telecommunications Boom.. And if you aint got Semicondutors, Storage Devices, and Software..which was created decades past.. there isnt much of a point to discuss Tech
Telecommunications or Internet..
You cant even make a Semi / Disk drive plant in SV anymore.. the Govt regulations will kill you.
What you are saying would be like someone from Detroit coming in and saying: " Back in the 50's, there were thousands of manufacturing plants and lots of cars being made there." That was then. This is now. Trying to make this lame argument that thanks to conservatives, liberals can thrive is pointless because it bears no real connection to the business environment of today
My exact point.. Detroits success was not from Liberals doing.. but its demise to to Liberal anti-business policies..
tatupu70
2013 Oct 15, 6:41am
What is the Internet but all the success created over the past 50 years
Which built on the successes 50 years prior to that.. all the way back to the invention of the wheel. What's your point?
What is the Internet but all the success created over the past 50 years.. You can also call it the Telecommunications Boom.. And if you aint got Semicondutors, Storage Devices, and Software..which was created decades past.. there isnt much of a point to discuss Tech
Telecommunications or Internet..You cant even make a Semi / Disk drive plant in SV anymore.. the Govt regulations will kill you.
What does that have to do with anything? Explain. For example, if you flip open the hood of any new car or truck made today, regardless of manufacture, that vehicle will have parts in it made in the US, China, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Germany, and who knows where else. Just because those parts are not ALL domestically produced anymore doesn't mean the companies that make the cars are going out of business.
Like I said- economics is fluid. With that fluid characterization, business, technology, supply chains, management, and yes- even political ideology that might have once permeated a particular industry changes an what happened decades ago has nothing to do with today's business performance. So if you want to continue arguing, feel free, but the assessment that California has today's success thanks to these so-called conservatives of the past is a non-argument. Period.
Which built on the successes 50 years prior to that.. all the way back to the invention of the wheel. What's your point?
So you basically just suddenly ruined your previous point. If that be the case then you are now actually agreeing that political leanings has nothing to do with current business. Good. Now we can move on to more meaningful debate.
In closing, if you are sooooo unhappy here.... then why not move to a red state yourself? I'm from a red state originally and I'm sure you'd just looooove it there. There's plenty of room and heck- it sure is cheap. Just get used to hot, humid weather, greasy, fattening food, and you'd also probably want to "like" pop country.
What do you think Silicon Valley/ Santa Clara County was like back in the day which created the success story ? You think we were a bunch of Wine sipping Mozart listing Volvo driving fuck heads...
Christ.. hell no.. gun shoting, whiskey drinking rednecks.. and how many worked in Tech industry back in the 70-80s.. ALOT... why do you think we created Beer Bash Fridays...
From BBQ joints along El Camino to the Saddle Rack on Saturday night.. no different than a Texas city..
What do you think Silicon Valley/ Santa Clara County was like back in the day which created the success story ? You think we were a bunch of Wine sipping Mozart listing Volvo driving fuck heads...
Like I said... there are lots and lots of places like that where you can move to. The area I grew up in was/ and STILL is exactly like that. It might as well be the 1930's there except people have flatscreen TVs and "The innernet". So again- WHY not move to somrwhere that more closely aligns with your idea of paradise?
Like I said... there are lots and lots of places like that where you can move to.
you need not be concerned about me.. what are you afraid of ? only the truth displacing the idiotic liberal narrative..
What does that have to do with anything? Explain. For example, if you flip open the hood of any new car or truck made today, regardless of manufacture, that vehicle will have parts in it made in the US, China, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Germany, and who knows where else. Just because those parts are not ALL domestically produced anymore doesn't mean the companies that make the cars are going out of business.
there is no reason the same parts cannot be made in the USA. Why buy inferior made foreign parts when we can do a better job be it Autos or Tech equipment ? If your unable to see a vision or execute to make it happen, whats the point of calling yourself a entrepreneur claiming a Liberal policy would be better given all the failures of the past..
Thats the difference between the two.. one wants to create opportunity and growth
for all who want to participate while the other is a pacifist and defeatist leaving only govt run entitlement society.
No, actually I'm not really concerned about the point you were trying to make because to me it makes no sense. I also don't really care that much about what the situation is with liberals because frankly, the Bay Area is pretty liberal and that's not going to change. Even if it did- so what.
As far as my previous comments, Seriously. Every time I go visit my folks, it might as well be a different country or planet. It is the total, stark-opposite of the Bay Area. The overwhelming majority of the population votes Republican- no matter who's running. It seems that it is generally accepted that "Of course- EVERYONE votes Republican." Its sort of like the Bay Area, except its conservative and can be ALWAYS counted on to be as such.
I was there last year and I saw maybe a total of one or two Obama stickers. The rest were all-Romney. Lots and lots and lots of "Don't tread on me" bumper stickers. Lots and lots of bumper stickers that heavily leaned right.
Like I said- if there are those who simply can't stand liberal areas, well there are parts of the country that are very, very conservative where one who might lean right would never-ever have to worry about anyone ever disagreeing with them and be assured that each and every election would result in the vast majority giving their vote to whoever the GOP candidate might be. It would be an absolute environment of total political predictability.
That isn't to say the entire area would be conservative. liberals can still be found in larger numbers in the cities. But seeing as how the cities in my home state were real small and most of the state was rural, well so much more the means to always be comfortably within a conservative area.
Oh- about costs. My parent's home is worth less than half of a 1 bedroom condo in a not so great part of San Jose.
there is no reason the same parts cannot be made in the USA. Why buy inferior made foreign parts when we can do a better job be it Autos or Tech equipment ? If your unable to see a vision or execute to make it happen, whats the point of calling yourself a entrepreneur claiming a Liberal policy would be better given all the failures of the pa
Because in many cases making a particular part in the US doesn't make financial sense. Just because a part if foreign doesn't mean its inferior. Case in point: Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are all near the top of the overall quality and reliability charts. In fact, we've always imported some number of foreign-sourced components for manufactured goods as long as we've been a country.
But for example, you might have- say- a component that is made in Japan. That part might be imported to the US not because we can't make it. but perhaps because at the time a newer and more efficient factory happened to exist in Japan and so the costs were lower. Likewise we actually make quite a few parts for Japanese and European automakers because we might have better tooling and logistics for one plant in the US rather than a similar one overseas.
What's clear is that US automakers are doing very well and in the end its about the finished product. Ironically the most American cars you can buy are all Japanese brands, with the highest percentage of domestically produced content than any other make.
Like I said- if there are those who simply can't stand liberal areas, well there are parts of the country that are very, very conservative where one who might lean right would never-ever have to worry about anyone ever disagreeing with them and be assured that each and every election would result in the vast majority giving their vote to whoever the GOP candidate might be. It would be an absolute environment of total political predictability.
In the SFBA ... look at SF and Oakland.. huge cities with skilled people large population been around for 100s of years.. what have they done over the past 50 years but decline economically.
on the other hand, drive 40-50 miles south to Santa Clara.. the opposite is true.. Economic boom from 1960s to 2000...
Since year 2000 with greater anti business climate the South Bay is also facing economic challenges due to Govt polices and high costs.
you been brainwashed into thinking somehow Conservative economic policies dont work and somehow are less progressive not benefiting society as a whole.. History shows otherwise.
Likewise we actually make quite a few parts for Japanese and European automakers because we might have better tooling and logistics for one plant in the US rather than a similar one overseas.
And you will find many Auto makers rather work in Red states vs Blue states.. why is that ?
My previous point is simple.. we can do both if govt policies change to increase employment
domestic. Im still waiting for Maserati to be made in the USA.. and why not ?
Why should a Camero engine be made in Australia.. we can do that in the states as well ?
In the SFBA ... look at SF and Oakland.. huge cities with skilled people large population been around for 100s of years.. what have they done over the past 50 years but decline economically.
Whu? Sorry but that makes zero sense. Seeing as how SF is having a veriafiable boom, was barely scratched during the recession, and at this point has such a huge demand for housing due to the extreme amount of young professionals looking for work that now Oakland is also experiencing a sort of boom on its own as those people from SF move in, I fail to see how those areas have declined... because they ain't.thomaswong.1986 says
you been brainwashed into thinking somehow Conservative economic policies dont work and somehow are less progressive not benefiting society as a whole.. History shows otherwise.
No. I've read my history and what I am saying to you is that no- I am not saying that "conservative economic policies" can't work. But your assertion that the Bay Area has conservative economics to thank for today's success is a bunch of total baloney and rubbish.
And you will find many Auto makers rather work in Red states vs Blue states.. why is that
Easy. Because they pay their employees in those areas less. If you want to explain to me how lower wages are a shining benefit to red state economics then I would absolutely love to hear it.
My previous point is simple.. we can do both if govt policies change to increase employment
domestic. Im still waiting for Maserati to be made in the USA.. and why not ?Why should a Camero engine be made in Australia.. we can do that in the states as well ?
Like I said before- because companies that make cars are like any other. They do so to make money, and with that comes the decisions which help ensure those profits. If its cheaper or more advantageous to make an engine elsewhere, then why would you make it in the US if that proved to cost more and eat into company profits?
My Dad, Grandpa, Grandmas, were all Republicans also. My wifes Dad Granpa, Grandmas were all Republican. Each of them was relatively poor when they got out of high school (if they graduated high school), that they succeeded are like multiple American success stories.
Now the offspring are all Democrats, except for me. All the offspring are benefiting tremendously from the funds left by their Republican family members. Not one of them has a good work ethic.
They say that the Republicans have killed the middle class, why work hard.
None of them have jobs that are as useful to society, none of them have attempted to get educated like their Grandpas. (One Granpa has 2 degrees in Civil Engineering).
One Granpa works 40 hours per day in his mid seventies, and its hush discussion why the young ones dont work as hard as Grandpa.
That they have no jobis a condundren to them and to me.
1. We cannot tell if societal changes have been the cause of their not getting good jobs, because they don't apply to good jobs, and dont apply themselves in general.
2. We cannot tell that if they had a job like Grandma or Grandpa if they would be as successful because of #1.
In my family its proven: Democrats and the entitlemented attitude, humanities degrees, and lazy attitude reap what they sow. My concern is exactly like Jeffereson and Montesquie said would be a concern in a Republic if the people found that they could vote themselve free funds from the Public Treasury. I have to use such an old overused quote, but it is what has happened.
My Dad, Grandpa, Grandmas, were all Republicans also. My wifes Dad Granpa, Grandmas were all Republican. Each of them was relatively poor when they got out of high school (if they graduated high school), that they succeeded are like multiple American success stories.
Now the offspring are all Democrats, except for me. All the offspring are benefiting tremendously from the funds left by their Republican family members. Not one of them has a good work ethic.
They say that the Republicans have killed the middle class, why work hard.
None of them have jobs that are as useful to society, none of them have attempted to get educated like their Grandpas. (One Granpa has 2 degrees in Civil Engineering).
Two can play at that game.
I too came from a fairly conservative family. Me and my siblings are all democrats. We also make the highest incomes in the family. So I too could make up some crap that somehow ties my political leanings towards some sort of vague assertion about economic success.
Whu? Sorry but that makes zero sense. Seeing as how SF is having a veriafiable boom, was barely scratched during the recession, and at this point has such a huge demand for housing due to the extreme amount of young professionals looking for work that now Oakland is also experiencing a sort of boom on its own as those people from SF move in, I fail to see how those areas have declined...
walk down So of market.. hideous back in the 1980s to 2000 (even to year 2010)...
where was the boom ?
.
today, how much in concessions did the city make to LURE business into the city ?
Tax exemptions proposed to lure Twitter to SF's Mid-Market
Any other company that pays payroll taxes -- those with payrolls above $250,000 -- would also be eligible for the exemption, according to the proposal, which was announced just before today's board meeting and introduced by Kim at the meeting.
Correction: Several of them have a good work ethic, but several don't.
walk down So of market.. hideous back in the 1980s to 2000 (even to year 2010)...
where was the boom ?
.today, how much in concessions did the city make to LURE business into the city ?
Tax exemptions proposed to lure Twitter to SF's Mid-Market
Any other company that pays payroll taxes -- those with payrolls above $250,000 -- would also be eligible for the exemption, according to the proposal, which was announced just before today's board meeting and introduced by Kim at the meeting.
I can find any part of any city across the country and make the exact same claim. That doesn't mean the whole city is doing poorly financially. Not sure what point that was trying to make other than more pointless rhetoric for a point that too was also equally void of factual basis. Next...
. If its cheaper or more advantageous to make an engine elsewhere, then why would you make it in the US if that proved to cost more and eat into company profits?
are you sure its about profits or Govt regulations ? what else did the Founder of Sun say about the State of California (see above) ?
here is what Apple CEO said...again much of their products are from BLUE states, who are pro business.
BRIAN WILLIAMS:
Why can’t you be a made-in-America company?
TIM COOK:
You know, this iPhone, as a matter of fact, the engine in here is made in America. And not only are the engines in here made in America, but engines are made in America and are exported. The glass on this phone is made in Kentucky. And so we’ve been working for years on doing more and more in the United States. Next year, we will do
one of our existing Mac lines in the United States.
BRIAN WILLIAMS:
Let’s say our Constitution was a little different and Barack Obama called you in tomorrow and said, “Get everybody outta China, and do whatever you have to do. Make these, make everything you make in the United States.†What would that do to the price of this device?
TIM COOK:
Honestly, it’s not so much about price it’s about the skills, et cetera. Over time, there are skills that are associated with manufacturing that have left the U.S. Not necessarily people, but the education system stopped producing them.
Read more at http://www.cultofmac.com/204907/tim-cooks-interview-with-nbc-rock-centers-brian-williams/#OmdzW7iHTRQwhZLx.99
are you sure its about profits or Govt regulations ? what else did the Founder of Sun say about the State of California (see above) ?
You are trying to tie politics to overall manufacturing, which isn't going to fly. Manufacturing is one of the most internationally connected industries in the world.
I'll give you a perfect example. The current Buick Lacrosse. Believe it or not I am sort of a car nut so I read up on these things. The Lacrosse exterior was designed at one of the Detroit design studios. Why? Because the studio in question has had a long history and extremely qualified expertise in overall exterior product design. Makes total sense. The interior on the other hand was designed in a Shanghai studio. Why might you ask? One reason is because in China, Buick is the best-selling import brand and it is sold to a more upscale consumer. As such the interiors had been typically more upscale than the American models. So the interior was designed in the Shanghai studio. The car's powertrain was developed in Germany by one of GM's European divisions.
As you cans see, all of these decisions were made for purely logical, logistical, and obvious reasons: One studio had expertise in one area, another studio in another. Could the entire car have been designed entirely in the US? Sure. But would that have meant as good of a product in as timely of a manner? You see, as I previously mentioned before in business, money, NOT politics talks. Decisions are made for financial reasons.
We can't make everything in the US. It would be virtually impossible. Some countries have tried - as in some of the former communist blok countries- but as seen, these were enormous failures.
I can find any part of any city across the country and make the exact same claim. That doesn't mean the whole city is doing poorly financially. Not sure what point that was trying to make other than more pointless rhetoric for a point that too was also equally void of factual basis. Next..
SF-Oakland liberal anti - business bashing policies have not worked for decades. they certainly have woke up one day to see Santa Clara rise far above them economically..
You think the raise of California a global economic power came form San Francisco prime or Santa Clara County ? The two have been separate and opposite poles politically and economically for decades.
You try to open a Plant in California .... you can talk to Apple CEO or any other former SV company founders with some past experiences... its all the same.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/20/steve-jobs-biography-obama_n_1022786.html
"You're headed for a one-term presidency," he told Obama at the start of their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly.
As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where "regulations and unnecessary costs" make it difficult for them.
Jobs also criticized America's education system, saying it was "crippled by union work rules," noted Isaacson. "Until the teachers' unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform."
Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.
tatupu70
2013 Oct 15, 7:56am
TIM COOK:
Honestly, it’s not so much about price it’s about the skills, et cetera. Over time, there are skills that are associated with manufacturing that have left the U.S. Not necessarily people, but the education system stopped producing them.
If you believe that, you are much more naïve than I imagined. I work in manufacturing and there is no shortage of workers with the skills. There may be a shortage of skilled workers that will work for the wages Apple wants to pay... And that's why they go overseas.
We can't make everything in the US. It would be virtually impossible. Some countries have tried - as in some of the former communist blok countries- but as seen, these were enormous failures.
you missed China and Japan in your above comments.. and it has worked.
In the SFBA ... look at SF and Oakland.. huge cities with skilled people large
population been around for 100s of years.. what have they done over the past 50
years but decline economically.
And yet, by your own admission, home prices in the SFBA have not been declining for the last 50 years now have they?
So if the local economy is so directly related to home prices as you so often want to allude (coupled with your now severely outdated price chart), why haven't house prices in the SFBA been falling for the past 50 years???
So as I see it, you must either do one of the following Thomas either
(A) retract that comment that the SFBA economy has been declining in the last 1/2 century
or
(B) concede that the direction of home prices have little to nothing to do with your view of what constitutes a declining economy.
Incidentally, if you do respond to me, please respond directly to the points raised above. Please do not respond with your usual line of rambling, stream of conscious type retorts that address neither A or B above.
Consider this a test of your intellectual honesty and cognitive capacity here Thomas. So if you ever wish to be taken even remotely seriously here, please do what you can to respond to the points addressed. Good luck...
You are trying to tie politics to overall manufacturing, which isn't going to fly.
like any long term tech veteran will tell you .. its all about MFG.. even SW companies are tied
to Manufacturing.. SW for CAD is tied to mfg as is supply chain software.
overall mfg fuels the middle class and allows many to go beyond mfg. Heck there were many Engineers/Marketing/Finance-Accountant who cut their teeth on the mfg floor.. later to get degrees from night classes and go off into other professions. it was not unusual to see
this in Silicon Valley during the economic boom years.
IT SIMPLY WORKS..
And yet, by your own admission, home prices in the SFBA have not been declining for the last 50 years now have they?
So if the local economy is so directly related to home prices as you so often want to allude (coupled with your now severely outdated price chart), why haven't house prices in the SFBA been falling for the past 50 years???
they have been relatively flat adjusted for inflation. we did not have irrational behavior of RE as we seen since 2000.
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This is a semi-serious question. Some of you probably are well-aware that I am definitely someone who leans left. That wasn't actually always the case. My Dad, Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles were all staunch Republicans. I was sort of in the middle, as in I recall my Grandmother telling me that it was "Generally a good idea" to vote Republican at a very young age and so for a few years I simply saw them as the Good guys. It really wasn't until after college that I paid attention to much of anything political and so as time went on, I became more and more liberal in my views. I am projecting here, but I will speak for myself that many of those more liberal opinions came from my experiences being around people from other places and other backgrounds and from hearing their differing views and opinions. Where I grew up everyone had been there for sometimes over 200 years and things were more static. I am not trying to say that's all bad. With that came a very unique culture.
But moving on, I can't help but feel that the GOP has some growing pains ahead. Today I was watching the news and Ted Cruz was at some sort of social conservative event and the news channel was broadcasting what he was saying live. The rhetoric he was using was so far from being rational that it was painful. I also strongly believe that the views being expressed there were appealing only to a very small, far-right segment of the GOP constituency. To be fair, there are equally ridiculous far-left sections of the Democratic constituency that I also find ridiculous. Insomuch I believe that more than less of the GOP constituency is more moderate than far right.
But seemingly this far-right brand of Republican politics seems to take center stage all the time now. We're seeing this with the government shut down. While I didn't vote for McCain ( because of his decision as running mate) He along with a number of other GOP leaders seem to be some of the most reasonable people in this whole thing. How come people like he are not more decisive in this? I have a number of friends who are absolutely as Republican as they come. Yet they also have common sense and though we don't agree on things, they have my respect. They- like myself- do not agree with many of the socially conservative and asinine economic demands that the far right faction of the GOP has.
So when I saw Ted Cruz speaking today, I couldn't help but feel that the GOP needs to get this sort of idealogical divide under control. Part of me would be delighted to see the GOP fade into memory. But like it or not, you HAVE to have more than one party because that brings restraint and debate to government policy.
So with that said, where do you see the GOP in 10 years time? Let's try and keep this one civil.
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