Soon-to-retire U.S. Senator George Voinovich, has found the problem with the Republican party. It isn’t the message, it isn’t the corruption – it’s the southerners.
“We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.). It’s the southerners. They get on TV and go ‘errrr, errrrr.’ People hear them and say, ‘These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?’,” Voinovich said.
I remember when Jim DeMint showed up in Ohio campaiging for Sherrod Brown. I remember when Tom Coburn came into Columbus and made Governor Bob Taft do that bad deal with the coins. Yeah, those damn southerners.
The Ohio Republican party died the day George Voinovich was elected governor. The state ran a surplus in the billions during the late 90s, yet he refused to cut taxes. The state is now a tax and regulatory nightmare, much of which came to fruition during the reign of Voinovich and his moderate Republican offspring. Taft modeled much of his administration after Voinovich’s big government ways, as a result he had some of the lowest approval numbers ever recorded for a sitting governor, even before his infamous perp walk in front of the judge and the subsequent thrashing he helped bequeath on Republicans across the state during the 2006 election.
Former Senator Mike DeWine became a former Senator by behaving much like George Voinovich. If there was a loyal conservative base out there, he found a way to alienate it. Darby wildlife refuge? Here comes Mike to piss off the farmers. Gun rights? He’s right there. Gang of 14? You wondered if DeWine was Sherrod Brown’s biggest fan. It was easy – Strickland and Brown ran to the right of the Republicans on key issues, they won big. Meanwhile, typical of loser Republicans, they blamed an ever-conservative base, talk radio, the lochness monster and Super AIDS.
When Taft, DeWine and Voinovich became the faces of the state Republican party, the Ohio Democratic headquarters consisted of a shack in downtown Columbus with two rooms. Four years later, the Democrats hold virtually every meaningful office by running to the right of many Republicans. On the beat, I’ve talked to many a Republican state rep or senator, and to a man most say they have voted for more of Democrat governor Ted Strickland’s legislation because he’s more fiscally responsible. When the amnesty vote came down, Voinovich predictably thumbed his nose at the base while Brown voted against it. Lets not forget Voinovich’s brilliant tear-induced logic against John Bolton, a man Voinovich feared would mean certain death for his children (no kidding). Voinovich went on to be a national joke, Bolton was nominated for the Nobel prize.
Maybe Voinovich actually believes this. Maybe he’s some classist, soft geographical bigot who’s out of touch. But I sum it up to that old JohnFN axiom – the only real difference between Democrats and Republicans is Democrats love their base while the Republicans loathe theirs. It’s especially true in Ohio.
UPDATE: One commenter at Hot Air had this explanation for the southern vibe going through the Republican party. I thought it made sense.
There is a logical reason for this:
The conservative fiscal policies the South hung on to made them attractive for job creation once the coasts and the Rust Belt started getting too expensive. I worked 5 years in Texas at a job that was originally created in California.
The South is where the productive middle class went when they could no longer pay 400,000 bucks to live in a pool cabana in California or Massachusetts. What was left in the so-called “blue states” were the guys who don’t make any money, didn’t know how their money was made, or feel really guilty about how they made their money—and as a wag on this board pointed out, those folks vote Democrat.
So yeah, the GOP is Southern because the productive middle class is increasingly Southern. T’aint nuttin wrong wid’dat!
The Republican party is becoming more southern because more Republicans are moving to the south?
I blame the Zinfindel I just had…kiss me arse Voinovitch you panty waist RINO! Go be a democrat you BLEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!
We need more Republcans to be like the now retired Democrat from Georgia, Zell Miller.
I’d settle for another Joe Lieberman. Only Democrat I’ve ever voted for, and I did it twice. (Two out of three ain’t bad, right?)
Joe’s a pretty good man. Generally conservative, but still for the most part counted among the libs.
He’s absolutely a liberal on social issues. But where I live, the fact that he has some conservative beliefs means he’s the best I can do.
The state is such a mess. DeWine wants to run for Attorney General. Strickland’s approval numbers are collapsing since he began slashing the budget (librarians poll in droves apparently) – we all know how Democrats do once they quit handing money out. Kasich is running for Governor and Portman for U.S. Senate, but the Republican brand is so diminished at this point, it will take record turnout or a really crappy economy to get them into office.
At my old job, I often suggested the best way for some actual regulatory reform was to burn down Columbus, starting at the State House, then work our ways to Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton. I never got much support.
Visionaries are always rejected at first, JohnFN. Keep thinking outside the box!
From what I understand about the Buckeye state, the really crappy economy part won’t be too much of a problem.
As for the Sherman-esque MO, give my dad a call. He’ll start in Toledo and head to Cleveland, you start in Dayton then Cincy, and you can meet up in Columbus. For God’s sake, though, spare Athens (for more than the ironic connection to Georgia). Wouldn’t want to wreck the annual Halloween tradition.
If you want to have fun, go to Athens and find a conservative townie and ask about the college students – you’ll hear an hour-long rant about the brats taking local residency and voting in huge tax increases every year they never have to pay because they don’t have incomes. Seriously, what a way to run a government.
Sounds eerily familiar to rural college towns. Just lovely.
I don’t know if more Republicans are moving to the South. Maybe. I grew up in Nashville, TN and it’s completely different than when I left 10 years ago. The population has boomed. Companies have moved down there. What was once farmlands are now suburban utopias. However, I had a lot of friends who live down there who were poster children for social conservatism who voted for Obama. I think a big aspect overlooked during the presidential campaign was the appeal to evangelicals arguing Dems are more “Christ-like,” because of their stance on social justice. There’s also an emerging pacifist movement down there. A new Social Gospel is taking hold in the Bible Belt. There are a lot of authors who’ve addressed politics and Christianity in the last few years, who side with the Dems- Jim Wallis, N T Wright, Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, etc. These folks appeal to the wealth-guilt of a lot of the nouveau riche down there. They also think voting “D” means your smarter than the stereotypical “R” voting redneck. Thing is, the middle-class that moved there, raised kids who are now upper-class, ie school teachers and policemen raised doctors and lawyers. So, the cycle continues. The Obama campaign knew this and sent out guys like Shaun Casey…http://karenluttrell.blogspot.com/2008/10/meet-new-face-of-obamas-theology.html.
That’s an interesting analysis. I am afraid you are mostly correct. The Democrats seem to just be more fluid, more adapting to a changing local climate and manage to turn the tables on the Republicans better. Christianity always struck me as something liberals can easily exploit, I would argue that Christian ideas of social justice are not at all like the liberal/progressive ones; however, they can be easily twisted to appear as such.
Then again,we have shits down here like Lindsey Grahamcracker….the wise Latino
Best speech I ever saw,Fritz:Zell Miller at the 2004 GOP Convention…”What are you going to do,Senator Kerry…throw spitballs?”
I remember a time (though it was way before my time) that the problem with the country was the Democrats in the south. From antebellum days right up to the Civil Rights Act, there were too many southern Democrats in the party.
This is just a blame game.
We – the Republican Party – got pantsed in the national elections last year, and we haven’t done much to rehabilitate our image or our popularity since then, as such some people inside the party are throwing stones, trying to blame it on other people inside the party. There’s basically two predominantly ‘republican regions’ in the US – the South and Midwest, so obviously the Midwest has to say “It’s not our fault we lost! It was those damn hillbillies!” And of course the Southerners will eventually get around to saying “It’s not our fault we lost, it’s those damn farmers!”
None of which matters. The population of the southern states is now over 100 million, more than a third of the country. The population of the midwest is like 60, million and falling rapidly. As a region, they’ve got rapidly falling political value, and The South is rapidly increasing. So dude can scream all he wants, but it’s not going to change the fact that it’s a cheap trick to distract people from the fact that his boat is sinking.
Meanwhile, typical of loser Republicans, they blamed an ever-conservative base, talk radio, the lochness monster and Super AIDS.
I didn’t know lochey was a Dem.
Too many southerners? That don’t make no sense. To quote Mother Teresa, “that’s like saying there are too many flowers”.
I heard from a Republican political consultant, who lives & works in Ohio and who also happens to be black, that there is not a little outright bigotry, if not racism going on in the Ohio GOP. The Ohio GOP refused to get behind Ken Blackwell in 2006, and on one occasion, the consultant I mention heard GOP muckity-mucks saying, “We’re not going to let that n****r win.”
When I think of Republicans, who happen to be black winning at the national level one of the first names I think of J.C. Watts from Oklahoma.
“But the South is full of racist rednecks,” screams Mz. Garofalo. I found this list at Wikipedia of African-American Republicans. Note how many come from Southern States.
My response to Mr. Voin-whatever: God bless the South.
BTW, has anyone seen Sweet Home Alabama? Yeah, I’m a dude and its a romantic comedy, but it is a romantic comedy a conservative and someone how respects the South can love.
I heard from a Republican political consultant, who lives & works in Ohio and who also happens to be black, that there is not a little outright bigotry, if not racism going on in the Ohio GOP. The Ohio GOP refused to get behind Ken Blackwell in 2006, and on one occasion, the consultant I mention heard GOP muckity-mucks saying, “We’re not going to let that n****r win.”
I’ve heard that charge as well, unfortunately.
As an Alabamian, I didn’t like SWEET HOME ALABAMA. (Actually, hated, loathed, despised . . . )
WE AIN’T THAT OBSESSED WITH THE CIVIL WAR!!! (I also thought it was not very funny in my opinon, the humor fell flat -at best and the characters were consistently annoying.) They seemed to push that joke about as far as they could, and then some more to the point it seemed condescending in the worst way. The kind of way in which you have a person TRYING to be pro-Alabama, but has never been south of Mason-Dixon. (Probably like how blacks feel when a white guy tries to impress them by acting hip.)
But maybe I will have to watch it again.
It is also fun in how it depicts
You even a casual listener to Drive-By Truckers, Kit? I love their songs about the South, Alabama in particular. Well, the songs that aren’t bitching about Reagan or Bush that is.
Never heard of them.
Great band. Highly recommend Decoration Day, The Dirty South and their magnum opus Southern Rock Opera.
Oh, and favourite Alabama parody: MY COUSIN VINNY.
It works from the point of view of a cisiting smart-ass and not-too-bright Yankee and his crash with the very different culture.
Seems like something based a 3 day to 1 week trip to the South by some Californian or Alabamian.
MY COUSIN VINNY works because, if a smart-ass New Yorker like Joe Pesci (note: even he is a stereotype) visited the South for about a week, that is probably the experience they would have.
Which is why it would not be surprising to believe that the writer came up with the movie while travelling through the South. Not staying here long, just driving through. Also, the fact that MCV went through most of the movie (maybe ALL) without mentioning the Civil War, Segregation, or Racism gives them high points. (The only reference to incest was by a Yankee, in a room full of Alabama cops)
Movies like Sweet Home Alabama, however, try to portray the home life.
Here are somethings about the South for Hollywood writers who are thinking of
-Mobile homes often smell wierd and the wallpaper and floors and ceilings often have an ugly yellow color.
-During tornado season, mobile homes are Death Machines (just ask the weather channel)
-Despite what you may think, we are not obsessed with a war that occured a little over 140 years ago.
-If a person goes from living in a mobile home in the Sticks with a father on minimum wage to living in an Apartment in SoHo making millions a year, unless that person utterly abandons his/her loving and hard-working family like the Prodigal son, that is not something to be ashamed of, it is actually called, I believe, the American Dream.
Despite what you may think, we are not obsessed with a war that occured a little over 140 years ago.
Although I do still have family that refer to it as the War of Northern Aggression and can’t say Yankee without spitting. They just don’t talk about it very often.
The sad fact of the matter is that the Midwest has *always* been more racially biased that the South. “Why,” you ask? Because the Midwest has always been overwhelmingly white (Excepting the indians, and of course they killed most of them off.) The 1980 Census of North Dakota showed FIVE black people in the entire state.
Conversely, the south has *always* been more multiracial than most of the rest of the country. South Carolina and Georgia have always had predominantly-black populations, Louisiana occasionally has, and of course they’ve got the whole ‘french’ thing going on. There’s been massive hispanic populations in Florida and Texas since forever. There’s a massive Indian population in Oklahoma, smaller ones in Florida and North Carolina. That’s not to say that the south hasn’t had a long and embarasing history of racial problems, I’d never claim to diminish that, but simple exposure to people who don’t look like you – on a daily basis – eventually helps you to see them as people, and not just a color or a political bloc. Certainly, there’s been a hell of a lot of progress made in the last fifty years, yeah?
In the Midwest, this is less the case, I think. I mean, there are more members of the KKK in Indiana alone than there are in any three southern states combined.
The south has a higher concentration of conservatives than on the coasts or Midwest. Naturally, the party will contain more Southerners. Bonehead.
I drive around metro Detroit and there are still bozos proudly driving their stupid Prius or Volvo’s with obnoxious Obama stickers on them. We have a 17%+ unemployment rate with no signs of slowing down, and a lot of people in Michigan STILL blindly support Democrats. There has not been a Republican Mayor of Detroit since 1962. How’s that working out? There are plenty of people who want to elect the current Lt. Governor for the top job in the 2010. Can you believe it? Michigan has been in recession for over SIX Years and people still want to elect him Governor. He’s part of the problem!
Sorry about the ranting….
Anyhow, if 17% unemployment is not enough to sway Democrats, nothing will. So Mr. Bonehead Voinovich, take the support where you can get it and don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
John Kasich can win this election. Make no mistake and Ohio will come back. Best thing to happen in Ohio is the crappy economy. Lets see how this plays out but really give Kasich a chance. He is an amazing guy and a good guy.
Stephanie, I’m with you. John Kasich IS impressive. He knows why he believes what he believes, and doesn’t wither “under fire”. He’s beginning to strike resonant chords in a lot of people around here. The thing is, Ohio will have to elect socially and fiscally CONSERVATIVE legislators if the turnaround is to happen. (No RINOs allowed.) Kasich will be fairly helpless if the legislature doesn’t support him.