Is social conservatism a problem for GOP
Charles Blow's op-ed in the NY Times suggest Republicans lost because of social conservatism.
In fact the reason the Republicans have lost votes in 2006 and 2008 is that they have lost credibility on fiscal conservative issues.
The fact is that social conservatives are usually successful when they try to contain abortion as oppose to banning it. Sensible restrictions like the born alive act were effective in making Obama look very callous this go round even if he still won on other issues. If he tries to puish the Free to Choose Act he will be throwing away more political capital than Clinton did with his gays in the military fiasco.
...What election was Blow watching? Even Obama ran in opposition to Chuck and Larry getting married. In three out of four states voters voted to ban gay marriage. Those measures actually got more votes than the Republicans did in states like California and Florida. In 2004 Abortion also was a decisive factor in the Bush win.While the ideals of fiscal conservatism like lowering taxes and smaller government are timeless tenets, strict social conservatism is troglodytic because it desperately clings to outmoded mores and rigid restrictions.
It forces the right to fight the wrong battles. Instead of reaching out to young people and minorities, it gets hung up on keeping Chuck and Larry from getting married.
...
In fact the reason the Republicans have lost votes in 2006 and 2008 is that they have lost credibility on fiscal conservative issues.
The fact is that social conservatives are usually successful when they try to contain abortion as oppose to banning it. Sensible restrictions like the born alive act were effective in making Obama look very callous this go round even if he still won on other issues. If he tries to puish the Free to Choose Act he will be throwing away more political capital than Clinton did with his gays in the military fiasco.
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