September 28, 2009

Appealing to middle class white America has always been the mainstay for Republican politics. It also does not hurt to have the wealthy on your side for cash infusions.

In 2004 Republicans hooked America by hyping the War on Terror, even raised threat levels and constantly talked about terrorism and Bin Laden. They said they could continue to make Americans safe while their democratic challengers could not. It certainly worked because fear always works.

By the 2006 mid terms there were many Republican scandals and a big proportion of their base were turned off. Thought their political hook was that Democrats would raise taxes and were clueless about The War on Terror or the Iraq War, people just did not want to associate with a Party that couldn’t morally shoot straight, even if it was a secret vote.

In 2008, Obama capitalized on America’s disaffection with Republicans and he got millions of people to campaign and donate to him. It also helped that the Republican candidate for President was old, with no new ideas and his running mate was ignorant and incoherent. The Republicans had no political hook and Americans knew it.

The anti-Republican sentiment maintained its momentum and Congress changed as well.

Right now, Republican political hooks are taxes, deficit and health care. They are not for any of those things and don’t like to discuss the deficits they ran up and the impending tax bill for future generations to pay for two wars and the tax cuts for the rich. To them, that is the past. Their politics are now.

The way to blunt Republicans would be to pass a credible health care plan, reduce deficits and hope the Recession ends before next summer. Republicans cannot win against that.