Lindberg: It’s a Center-Left Nation
Tod Lindberg, Hoover Institution fellow and generally paid-up rightwinger, says we should draw the obvious conclusion from the fact that left-of-center politicians keep winning elections:
Here’s the stark reality: It is now harder for the Republican presidential candidate to get to 50.1 percent than for the Democrat. My Hoover Institution colleague David Brady and Douglas Rivers of the research firm YouGovPolimetrix have been analyzing data from online interviews with 12,000 people in both 2004 and 2008. It shows an overall shift to the Democrats of six percentage points. As they write in the forthcoming edition of Policy Review, “The decline of Republican strength occurs by having strong Republicans become weak Republicans, weak Republicans becoming independents, and independents leaning more Democratic or even becoming Democrats.” This is a portrait of an electorate moving from center-right to center-left.
The only thing I would say to this is that nobody should underestimate the possibility for rapid change. If the economy is doing well in 2012, people are going to say to themselves “man, things sure were screwed up before Barack Obama showed up and fixed everything” and he’ll win in a landslide. But if the situation remains grim, then people will think “man, life sure has sucked under Barack Obama” and they’ll show him the door. And of course, wild swings are possible. Ronald Reagan swept into power in 1980 amidst serious economic problems. By 1982, things were worse than ever and the GOP suffered big electoral reverses. But by 1984, the were back on the upswing, it was “Morning in America” and he got re-elected by a huge margin.
22 Responses to “Lindberg: It’s a Center-Left Nation”
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November 17th, 2008 at 9:19 am
First, I’d like to thank my white brothers and sisters for their intelligent comments. (What is race but extended family?)
Second, I’d like to say that the Obongo election will scare some sense into white liberals – many of whom are now realizing the evil he intends. I’m not saying he’ll start gas chambers for European Americans (I’m sure he’d like to) but things are going to be difficult for whites. Recently a good friend was turned down from a management position because he’s a European American.
We European Americans now need our own civil rights movement. We need our own MLK.
————
SIGNATURE:
The white patriot’s Coat of Arms: gens alba conservanda est (the white race must be saved)
—-
T.S. Eliot: “White Trash” is a white person who fornicates with a non-white.
—-
BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA’S DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST EUROPEAN AMERICANS.
Obama has supported:
(A) Reparations. Redistributing money from European Americans (whites) to blacks, mestizos, and Asians.
(B) Criminalizing white parents who refuse to let their children practice miscegenation.
(C) Using “hate crime” laws to silence any criticism from European Americans.
(D) Using Third World immigration to overwhelm European American majorities.
(E) Maintaining anti-white affirmative action programs
(F) Creating a mandatory “America Serves” community-service program to indoctrinate and deracinate young European Americans
—-
From evolutionary philosophy email list: “Children of mixed, white-black, marriages identify 99% of the time as black and detest European Americans (whites). Why? They almost always look black (eye color, hair texture, nose shape, lips, skin color, etc.). Obama wrote: “I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother’s white race.”"
November 17th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Shrinkage and impoverishment of the Great American Middle Class is what is sinking the Republicans. Until they get a grasp on how us ‘working people’ either blue, pink or white collar, are suffering under Reaganomics, they’ll have nothing meaningful to say to us. Income inequality is only being acknowledged by a few Republicans. That Jindal fella in Louisiana maybe might have a future as Presidential candidate if Obama fails?
Questions remain though on Obama’s leadership. Will he be Republican-lite like Clinton or a true social democrat (which is what’s needed imo). He’s inheriting a financial disaster before it’s pain is being felt unlike President Hoover who had three years to turn it around and failed. Obama could become the next Hoover, if ignoring Paul Krugman’s, Robert Reich’s and others on the “left’s” advice (and those are moderately center-left economists). The need for a massive economic Surge for the middle class and small business (and local govts.) is critical.
Again, I remind you all, the pain hasn’t even been hardly felt yet. Krugman’s estimate of a mere 8 to 9 percent unemployment next year could be merely brave optimistic platitudes to ensure that panic doesn’t ensue. Thomas Friedman’s encouragement of Buy, Baby, Buy to the consuming public is an elixir that only the upper middle classes and top 10 percent can afford. Or else it’ll be tax, baby, tax. Obama needs to avoid caution and trying to please the Republicans who hope for his failure.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:37 am
oh yeah, forgot to add:
ignore the troll-robot at top of comments. He posted the same drivel on another thread unrelated to the topic at hand.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Data Dave,
Jindal would be horrible.
He supports the Third World invasion of the U.S — not from Mexico, but from India (H1B increases)
I think everyone here should read CAMP OF THE SAINTS
http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Saints-Jean-Raspail/dp/1881780074
Also:
“Indians Aren’t That Intelligent (On Average)”
By Professor J. Philippe Rushton
http://www.vdare.com/rushton/070926_indians.htm
November 17th, 2008 at 9:45 am
What the HELL is going on here?
Prompt action by MY is needed. Hello? Code Blue! Ban these people NOW.
November 17th, 2008 at 11:00 am
What the HELL is going on here?
We white supremacist trolls are merely taking back what’s ours: center-left policy oriented blog post comment space. Join us…joooooooooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiinnnn uuuuuuuuuusssssss…..
November 17th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
It’s clear that things in 2012 will be worse than they were, say, a year ago. But it’s an open question whether voters will blame the Obama administration. In 1982 the situation, at least in terms of unemployment, was much worse than in 1980, and republicans suffered. On the other hand, unemployment in 1984 was still high by historic standards, and in fact around the same levels as it had been when Reagan came into office, but voters credited the Reagan administration for what improvement there was, with encouragment from Reagan’s campaign. What mattered was that people felt better.
So it’s not true that voter behavior is merely a barometer for economic conditions. It matters whom voters blame for their troubles, and in what direction things are perceived to be headed.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
So it’s not true that voter behavior is merely a barometer for economic conditions. It matters whom voters blame for their troubles, and in what direction things are perceived to be headed.
By that logic, we’ll get massacred in 2010 and 2012 because things ain’t getting better, they’re getting a hell of a lot worse.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
The Federal Reserve did a courageous thing in the 1980s by jacking up interest rates way, way high. It is what prevented us from going the way of Weimar Germany. The recession was horrible, but it got rid of a lot of rot and liquidated the bad to allow the good to prosper.
That’s what we need right now – liquidationism (which, by the way, was NOT Herbert Hoover’s policy, whatever Andrew Mellon might have supported). unfortunately, our debts to foreign countries are so bad I don’t know whether we can afford it.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
The Federal Reserve did a courageous thing in the 1980s by jacking up interest rates way, way high. It is what prevented us from going the way of Weimar Germany. The recession was horrible, but it got rid of a lot of rot and liquidated the bad to allow the good to prosper.
That’s what we need right now – liquidationism (which, by the way, was NOT Herbert Hoover’s policy, whatever Andrew Mellon might have supported). unfortunately, our debts to foreign countries are so bad I don’t know whether we can afford it.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:16 am
actually, Andrew Mellon was dealing with Deflation and called just for Glaivester’s solution: a mere famine or two. A few million starving deaths…like in post USSR will do just fine to embitter the public even more. Fortunately only the most pig-headed right wingers like Phil Gramm and Newt Gingrich aren’t calling the shots this time. Having suffering through Reagan’s downsizing of the working class I hope that’s not the case…but it sounds like GW Bush is giving us worse. Fortunately, he’ll be gone soon.
Keynesian economics will be the elixir. Then we can deal with the resulting inflation after a semblence of full employment is reached. (I admit optimism in saying this.)
November 18th, 2008 at 1:57 am
I recently wrote a blog entry on the topic of the 2012 election. My basic point is that, from the evidence of history, it’s hard to unseat an incumbent president, even a very unpopular one. I’ll reprint part of the post here:
Here is the full post:
Click here
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Washington — Budget shortfalls are looming larger in several U.S. states as the year draws to a close and revenues drop with the economic slowdown, officials said.
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