Remember the 1992 election and the "culture wars"....

[vi5]

That was when Clinton was getting hammered for wanting to allow gays in the military...and then he was getting hammered for the mealy mouthed don't ask don't tell compromise. He couldn't win from the right and he couldn't win from the left.

And the republicans were breathing anti gay fire and brimstone, especially at the convention. And at that point, their actual candidate (Bush 1) was fairly moderate on cultural issues and it was just the side shows (like Buchanan, etc.) who were doing the fiery pulpit speeches.

Now it strikes me that back then the gay issue was even more taboo, and the actual president/republican nominee was more moderate.

And we all remember how that turned out.

The fact is that even people who aren't "pro-gay" are turned off by the fire and brimstone rhetoric. It hurt the repub party back then, and it may hurt them more even now since it's not the party underlings who are doing this it is their main guy.

I'm not saying anything is a lock or a done deal. I'm just saying that they overstepped their bounds once before on this type of thing and they are in danger of doing it again.

[Gman]

1. Yes, but

they are also very good at clouding things up for the election. As for the convention, the entire convention will be targeted at the GOP base. That means expect a tent revival like atmosphere. During the campaign after the convention, expect to hear a lot of Jane Fonda-Kerry comparisons and very little about anything else about their radical agenda.

[vi5]

2. Thats my point....

I remember distinctly that the general consensus was that the revival tent atmosphere of the '92 convention was a big factor in them losing that election.

I'm not saying it will happen again, I'm just saying that it COULD.

[Gman]

5. Pat Buchanan's speech about

"our way of life" is specifically credited with mortally wounding their chances.

[NNN0LHI]

3. They threw it out as a bone for the deep thinkers in their party

Just to keep the money rolling in. Television evangelist's do the same shit and it works every time on the mouth breathers.

Don

[RandomKoolzip]

4. I think yer right...

The plan to amend the constitution is going to backfire on them, "big time." The moderate repubs are only loyal to the party because of 9/11, and seeing the ugliness of the base is going to peel a lot of those votes away, I bet.