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Presidential Elections - Analysis and Discussion => Presidential Election Trends => Topic started by: The world will shine with light in our nightmare on May 17, 2013, 09:31:16 PM



Title: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: The world will shine with light in our nightmare on May 17, 2013, 09:31:16 PM
Just something that popped into my head.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: Snowstalker Mk. II on May 17, 2013, 10:07:22 PM
"I was going to vote for Obama, but then Bill Maher made fun of Christians on his show."

I don't think this is very common, and one of the most strongly religious groups in America (black evangelicals) is also the most strongly Democratic.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: The world will shine with light in our nightmare on May 18, 2013, 08:10:52 AM
Well, I'm not suggesting that Bill Maher is solely responsible for the rural/white exodus, just that he adds to the perception that liberals view all Christians and people from rural areas as dumb, uneducated hicks.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자) on May 18, 2013, 10:12:41 AM
The contempt some urban Democrats display toward rural interests definitely doesn't help the donkeys, especially since a fair number of suburban voters like to idealize a bucolic rural lifestyle that never was.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: Beet on May 18, 2013, 10:43:08 AM
Well it ain't this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgJC4Pu_tbo


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: Person Man on May 18, 2013, 12:15:59 PM
Probably. What will be interesting is to see how the Democratic Party changes as they more and more realize that those who benefit the most from policies so longer support them. I can see Social Security and Unionism no longer being something that you have to support as a Democrat 20 years from but see things like strengthening universal healthcare, education and public transportation taking its place. This "poor-rich" divide has been becoming a "rural-urban" divide since the 60s.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: Indy Texas on May 18, 2013, 05:26:10 PM
I don't think it makes them dislike Democrats so much as it makes them resent their wealthier, city-dwelling white counterparts and the Republicans then use that to their advantage.

They dislike blacks for allegedly being welfare mooches. They dislike Hispanics for allegedly taking their jerbs. They dislike white liberals for looking down their noses at them and ridiculing them - not allegedly but in reality.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: H. Ross Peron on May 19, 2013, 11:26:24 PM
Obviously. Remember that some of the most liberal Presidents and politicians in American history-WJ Bryant, Harry Truman, and LBJ belonged to conservative Protestant sects.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: they don't love you like i love you on May 20, 2013, 08:00:11 AM
LBJ belonged to a fairly liberal church (Disciples of Christ)


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: H. Ross Peron on May 20, 2013, 09:58:09 PM
I always thought the Disciples were a conservative sect.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자) on May 20, 2013, 10:25:50 PM
I always thought the Disciples were a conservative sect.

Nope.

They originated out of the 19th century Restoration Movement, most of whose descendants are fairly conservative, but they are a liberal ecumenical faction of it.  They have a congregational structure and other than a general belief in immersion baptism, there isn't anything I'd consider "conservative" in their practices.  They were the first major mainline church to have a woman leading them.  I also wouldn't be surprised if there were a merger between the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ sometime in the next decade or two.  They already allow ministers ordained by one to lead a church of the other.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: DC Al Fine on May 21, 2013, 08:11:08 AM
Yes, it's the Democrat equivalent to the GOP's issues with Asians & Hispanics. If the GOP was winning elections, I'm sure the blue avatars would be lecturing the red ones about it.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: You kip if you want to... on May 21, 2013, 10:43:42 AM
It's the whole 'liberal New York elite' thing that Palin and similar love to bash.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: Frozen Sky Ever Why on May 21, 2013, 05:44:55 PM
Taking the question literally, no, I don't think anyone really cares that much what a comedian says, much less base their vote on it. However, Maher types certainly do turn people off the party.


Title: Re: Do comedians like Bill Maher hurt Democrats with rural/white voters?
Post by: Person Man on May 22, 2013, 05:51:00 PM
Yes, it's the Democrat equivalent to the GOP's issues with Asians & Hispanics. If the GOP was winning elections, I'm sure the blue avatars would be lecturing the red ones about it.
What do you think was happening between 9/11 and the foreclosures? Republicans were saying that Democrats don't "get" the "average" American and that with "average" America aging, this country was going to trend more and more Republican.

Now, its the opposite. Fewer people are "average" and as a result, Republicans are losing.