As Left Wins Culture Battles, G.O.P. Gains Opportunity to Pivot for 2016

[DonViejo]

WASHINGTON — A cascade of events suggests that 2015 could be remembered as a Liberal Spring: the moment when deeply divisive and consuming questions of race, sexuality and broadened access to health care were settled in quick succession, and social tolerance was cemented as a cornerstone of American public life.

Yet what appears, in headlines and celebrations across the country, to represent an unalloyed victory for Democrats, in which lawmakers and judges alike seemed to give in to the leftward shift of public opinion, may contain an opening for the Republican Party to move beyond losing battles and seemingly lost causes.

Conservatives have, in short order, endured a series of setbacks on ideas that, for some on the right, are definitional: that marriage is between a man and a woman, that Southern heritage and its symbols are to be unambivalently revered and that the federal government should play a limited role in the lives of Americans.

Remarkably, some of these verities have been challenged not by liberals but by figures from the right.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/us/politics/as-left-wins-culture-battles-gop-gains-opportunity-to-pivot-for-2016.html?

[Renew Deal]

1. I've been thinking along these lines

That republicans are secretly happy to have these issues go away. They have been more open about removing the confederate flag, but also privately about marriage and less so Obamacare.

[randome]

3. That presupposes there are deep thinkers on the GOP side.

Or that someone is actively running the show.

I am convinced that no one is home.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"If you're bored then you're boring." -Harvey Danger[/center][/font][hr]

[Renew Deal]

4. Priebus was involved in the flag issue.

And I do believe that most are genuine about feelings on marriage and Obamacare, but not all.

Bush has been one of the few constructive ones on these issues. Will the party tolerate it or will they see it as the lack of discipline that brought then Roberts and Kennedy?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. It would be a mistake to believe all Republicans are stupid...

It would be a mistake to believe all Republicans are stupid and incapable of making political calculations... You can see it in the response of the so called mainstream Republicans to the recent SCOTUS marriage equality decision in which they argue that while we must abide by the SCOTUS decision there must be a space in the public square for those who support traditional marriage...


Any way there are still lots of cultural issues the Republicans are on the wrong side of.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. Yup, as we take more and more 'culture war' issues out of the equation, Republicans have fewer

stupid ideas to have to defend. That leaves us fighting over ideas that are more complicated for the average voter, more abstract issues. What does the average voter actually know about trade and ISDS courts and labour conditions? Are they going to sit down and actually talk about them, read up on history, or are they simply going to listen to 'people they trust' and support them? Lord knows, we see enough 'trust the President, he's doing what's right for America' type arguments even on this site. Not appeals to logic, but straightforward appeals to authority. If that's what we're getting here, you can bet we're not going to see a lot of high level campaigning on economic issues ever.

[BeyondGeography]

5. A reminder of why I will never spend another dime on the NYT

What a pile of perspective-free, promotional horse-race drivel. Social wedge issues have been driving turnout for Republicans in national elections since Nixon. Pat Buchanan and Lee Atwater, anyone? Any mention of Karl Rove's 11 gay marriage referendums in 2004 battleground states? Nah.

And the supposed GOP strengths on the economy and national security? Let's pretend GWB never happened like the article does.

This isn't David Frum's party. They won't be "free" until they dump trickle-down economics and tell Sheldon and the Koch Bros. to piss off.

My consolation is articles like this used to matter somewhat. Like the NYT, they don't anymore.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. LOL

What's the difference between a conservative and a compassionate conservative, the latter will say a prayer for you when you are uninsured and get sick.

“The stage is now cleared for the next generation of issues.Whether you’re gay, black or a recent migrant to our country, we are going to welcome you as a fully cherished member of our coalition."

-David Frum

Translation

"Gays , blacks, Latinos; we were on on your opponent's side in every battle and we lost but now we want you to join us."

Great way to rationalize that you and your pals were on the wrong side of history. Oh, there are many more battles to come.

[JaneyVee]

13. I was just coming here to write the same thing...

What garbage this article is. Liberal victories = good for GOP?? GTFOH.

[Volaris]

8. If this is really what the smart ones over there are thinking,

They're gonna get destroyed in the general election...
because coddling Bankers And War Criminals is what EVERYONE wants us to do for another 4 years.
sure, Reince. U go ahead and run with that hahahah

[Adrahil]

9. Remmebiier WHY the right embraced the culture wars.

It was part of the southern strategy.

The right sought (and suceeeded) at convincing working class voters, especially in the south, to vote against theor own economic interersts by levering social issues. During the 80's and early 90's, the right, through extensive use of talk radio and other media, managed to comflate coservative social positions with Republican policies int nded to benefit the rich. Attacks on social programs also began to ne about morality.

In that sense, it's important that the GOP continue to talk about social issues just enough to retain the activism of these working class dupes.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. From a crude political calculation it makes sense to divide people

From a crude political calculation it makes sense to divide people as long as after the dividing there are more people on your side. The Republicans are learning they are on the wrong side of the dividing. That's why they moved on to the next phase which is erecting obstacles to voting for those groups most likely to oppose them.

[Adrahil]

14. Yeah...

When the Southern Strategy was devised, I don't think the Repug leaders ever considered the long term survivability of their plan. Now they have conflated social conservatism with economic conservatism so much, it may be hard for them to separate them. It will be interesting to watch!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

15. I don't believe the burgeoning Latino population was on Kevin Phillips' radar either...

[PowerToThePeople]

10. I agree, more right wing voters will likely be at the polls now.

WE will have to work that much harder to retain these gains.

[Starry Messenger]

11. This writer doesn't seem to have much imagination.

I'm sure the GOP have lots more rotten ideas on tap.