Tonight's democratic debates

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Tonight's democratic debates

Well, he certianly campaigned that way, was represented that way, and had the support of the "conservative base".

You bet. No argument there. But, talk is cheap. What defines you is what you do, not what you say, if those two are inconsistent.

And, in the end, what were the conservatives going to do? It's just like with McCain. They'll turn out and vote for him...because he's more conservative than the other option.

As the old saying goes, "Democrats fall in love. Republicans fall in line." We don't get emotionally wedded to the person (you aren't going to see conservatives near tears, passing out, etc. like what you saw with JFK, RFK, and Obama). It's just not part of our make-up (although, at times, it would be nice if we were a TAD more like that--enthusiasm is contagious). We get worked up about the ideas. So we vote for whomever is closest to the ideal...regardless of how far-off the mark they may be, compared to what we really want.

Re: Tonight's democratic debates

We get worked up about the ideas.

Right. We vote for the cutest one.

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Tonight's democratic debates

We get worked up about the ideas.

Right. We vote for the cutest one.

Oh, that didn't come out right. I didn't mean Dems don't get worked up about ideas or that they aren't intellectual. It was meant more to be an observation on Reps. We (Reps), as a whole, don't tend to get enamoured with candidates with the same intensity and affection, on a personal level, that many folks do/did with of the most popular Dems. Even Reagan (certainly not then, and even not now, considered through prism of perspective and time) didn't have an "RFK"-effect. Our candidates just don't draw out from us a sense of enthusiasm about the person himself--his style, his demeanor, his attitude, his panache...we get lathered up when a person happens to reflect our principles.

This may be a bi-product of our unmatched ability to pick physically less-than-attractive and personally less-than-dynamic candidates. No one is going to swoon over Bob Dole or GWHB. Nixon js still a mystery to me--on every basic level, an incredibly unattractive, dour, frumpy, irritable personality with a grating voice and an interpersonal awkwardness that was reflected in every mannerism. Even GWB, one of our younger and most-fit candidates, certainly would not be mistaken for having the dashing looks of JFK or the charisma of Obama. You gotta love our guys purely for their policy stances...

The one exception I would note would be evangelical Protestant fundamentalists--at least those that I know (like my ILs)...but they are not the majority (by any stretch) of the party. This group of people, in my experience, really LIKE GWB as a person. Deeply and genuinely. My ILs think he hung the moon because he doesn't drink liquor and is a born-again Christian (never mind that he's a Methodist, which in my ILs' world doesn't really "count" as a serious Christian). And he talks a lot about prayer, and seems to be very honest about his reliance on God. This evokes what is the closest I've ever seen or heard of to a Rep "RFK"-like response to a person. But, again, it's not quite the same thing. Even the most enthusiastic evangelical fundamentalist GWB supporter doesn't get weak in the knees.

Reps are just a more reserved group of people as a whole, for better or worse. Of course, that could change...if Mark Walhberg ran for Pres on our ticket, for example (and no, I suspect he's a Democrat...).