Phyllis Schlafly advice to the GOP: "Get more white!"

[TNF]

The moment that the Pubs become protectionist, is the moment that Torie ceases to be a Pub. If the Pubs abandon basic free market principles, they cease to have any raison d'etre whatsoever, other than perhaps to flail away in a psephological death spiral to effect the Rick Santorum agenda as it were.

I don't see it happening at all, quite frankly, though politically speaking it would be a smart move for the Republicans to return to their roots. There's no way the Democrats could beat them on that issue, none whatsoever, especially if the Republicans followed through with it. A nationalist, protectionist GOP would essentially be unbeatable, if you ask me. They would capture working class white voters who are currently disengaged from politics, pick up a big chunk of the labor vote, and probably win over the Latino vote, especially if they emphasize social conservatism and all that jazz.

Umm...most Latinos are not "socially conservative" in the way that (most) white Evangelicals are.

I understand that. White evangelical conservatism is very distinct from Catholic social conservatism, which is what I was kind of getting at.

[All Along The Watchtower]

The moment that the Pubs become protectionist, is the moment that Torie ceases to be a Pub. If the Pubs abandon basic free market principles, they cease to have any raison d'etre whatsoever, other than perhaps to flail away in a psephological death spiral to effect the Rick Santorum agenda as it were.

I don't see it happening at all, quite frankly, though politically speaking it would be a smart move for the Republicans to return to their roots. There's no way the Democrats could beat them on that issue, none whatsoever, especially if the Republicans followed through with it. A nationalist, protectionist GOP would essentially be unbeatable, if you ask me. They would capture working class white voters who are currently disengaged from politics, pick up a big chunk of the labor vote, and probably win over the Latino vote, especially if they emphasize social conservatism and all that jazz.

Umm...most Latinos are not "socially conservative" in the way that (most) white Evangelicals are.

I understand that. White evangelical conservatism is very distinct from Catholic social conservatism, which is what I was kind of getting at.

And I'd go further and argue that the kind of Catholic social conservatism practiced by (mostly) white people in America is not particularly appealing to Latinos, either, despite the shared religion!

[Likely Voter]

Perhaps some Pubs think that the rising immigration and influx of Latinos will get whites in the West and Midwest to vote GOP like whites in the South.  It wont happen but I could see them sitting around a table and looking at the stats and dreaming they could get all whites to vote for them the way they do in Alabama.

[opebo]

Perhaps some Pubs think that the rising immigration and influx of Latinos will get whites in the West and Midwest to vote GOP like whites in the South.  It wont happen but I could see them sitting around a table and looking at the stats and dreaming they could get all whites to vote for them the way they do in Alabama.

They don't need Alabama levels of dominance of the white vote.. I think they need much less than that in the Midwest.  Anyone have a figure?

[Indy Texas]

Hispanics are mostly moderate on issues.  The 40% of whites who vote for Obama are unionites, hippies, and latte libs.  It's asking the GOP to move farther away from the Teabaggers not closer.

I am none of those things, sir.

[jaichind]

On the whole I think this is a good idea for GOP.  It is much easier to try to get to 63% of the White vote from 59% in 2012 than to go from 27% to 45% of the Hispanic vote.  Of course it really depends on where this extra White vote will come from.  Also there seems to be an aversion on the part of the GOP to project themselves as the "Party of Whites" so I suspect they will not take this approach.  To bad though because I think that is the way forward for the GOP.

[All Along The Watchtower]

On the whole I think this is a good idea for GOP.  It is much easier to try to get to 63% of the White vote from 59% in 2012 than to go from 27% to 45% of the Hispanic vote.  Of course it really depends on where this extra White vote will come from.  Also there seems to be an aversion on the part of the GOP to project themselves as the "Party of Whites" so I suspect they will not take this approach.  To bad though because I think that is the way forward for the GOP.

Yes, flat-out stating that your party is the party of the dominant yet decreasing-in-numbers "race" is surely a winning strategy.

[King]

It is much easier to try to get to 63% of the White vote from 59% in 2012 than to go from 27% to 45% of the Hispanic vote.

Bush won 45% of the Hispanic vote in 2004.  It's not impossible.

Even still, this strategy is dead in the long term.  63% white vote would likely lose by 2024 if not 2020 to 90% black/75% Hispanic Democratic candidate.

[Indy Texas]

The moment that the Pubs become protectionist, is the moment that Torie ceases to be a Pub. If the Pubs abandon basic free market principles, they cease to have any raison d'etre whatsoever, other than perhaps to flail away in a psephological death spiral to effect the Rick Santorum agenda as it were.

I don't see it happening at all, quite frankly, though politically speaking it would be a smart move for the Republicans to return to their roots. There's no way the Democrats could beat them on that issue, none whatsoever, especially if the Republicans followed through with it. A nationalist, protectionist GOP would essentially be unbeatable, if you ask me. They would capture working class white voters who are currently disengaged from politics, pick up a big chunk of the labor vote, and probably win over the Latino vote, especially if they emphasize social conservatism and all that jazz.

A party that embraces policies that would cripple this country's economy and marginally benefit some white men in a handful of states at the expense of every single other person in the country is dead on arrival.

[pbrower2a]

Hispanics are mostly moderate on issues.  The 40% of whites who vote for Obama are unionites, hippies, and latte libs.  It's asking the GOP to move farther away from the Teabaggers not closer.

I am not a latte drinker, I do not belong to a union, and I am not and never have been a hippie.

If Republicans return to norms of the 1960s and 1970s, then the Hard Right will be very unhappy.

[old timey villain]

Just did some research on this lady because I hadn't heard much about her and didn't want to judge too quickly, and all I can say is ugh

She is a Harvard educated lawyer who apparently spent her life's work making sure other women weren't afforded the same opportunities she was given, by fighting against the Equal Rights Amendment. Her biggest criticism of the ERA was the speculation that it would make selective service mandatory for women. Wow, talk about a chicken hawk. "Draft as many men as you like to fight the commies but don't you dare bring us delicate women into the fray." For the record, I don't want selective service at all, for men or women, but at least I'm consistent.

Also, her son is the founder of conservaepedia. ugh.

[PJ]

Hope they follow her advice.

[Badger]

Hispanics are mostly moderate on issues.  The 40% of whites who vote for Obama are unionites, hippies, and latte libs.  It's asking the GOP to move farther away from the Teabaggers not closer.

I am none of those things, sir.

Neither are remotely close to 40% of the whites I know (or frankly even most Obama voters I know).

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I don't think Ms. Schafly is suggesting that the GOP reach out to urban liberals - I think she is under the impression that there is a giant bloc of whites who would show up to vote if only the party were to adopt all of her positions.

[King]

I don't think Ms. Schafly is suggesting that the GOP reach out to urban liberals - I think she is under the impression that there is a giant bloc of whites who would show up to vote if only the party were to adopt all of her positions.

Keep in mind, she's cut from the same cloth of the GOP that thinks Romney and McCain lost because they weren't conservative enough.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I can't agree with her on this one. We need to reach out to the Hispanic communities. Moderating on economics would not be a wise idea.

[pbrower2a]

I can't agree with her on this one. We need to reach out to the Hispanic communities. Moderating on economics would not be a wise idea.

What do Hard Right economics offer except lower pay and less consumer choice?  i

[TNF]

The moment that the Pubs become protectionist, is the moment that Torie ceases to be a Pub. If the Pubs abandon basic free market principles, they cease to have any raison d'etre whatsoever, other than perhaps to flail away in a psephological death spiral to effect the Rick Santorum agenda as it were.

I don't see it happening at all, quite frankly, though politically speaking it would be a smart move for the Republicans to return to their roots. There's no way the Democrats could beat them on that issue, none whatsoever, especially if the Republicans followed through with it. A nationalist, protectionist GOP would essentially be unbeatable, if you ask me. They would capture working class white voters who are currently disengaged from politics, pick up a big chunk of the labor vote, and probably win over the Latino vote, especially if they emphasize social conservatism and all that jazz.

A party that embraces policies that would cripple this country's economy and marginally benefit some white men in a handful of states at the expense of every single other person in the country is dead on arrival.

You know nothing of protectionism if you think it would cripple the economy to benefit only "white men."

[The Mikado]

I find it hard to imagine the GOP doing all that much better with the white vote than they did in 2008/2012 barring landslide circumstances where it doesn't matter anyway.  At a certain point you're getting into squeezing blood from a stone territory.

Romney got 59% of the white vote.  How much better can that get before you run into a brick wall of the groups that will never vote Republican ever?  63%?  65%?

[pbrower2a]

The "white vote" is less monolithic than the Right wishes. The white Christian  middle class is largely R, but that can fade as it recognizes its economic interests increasingly align with those of Asian, Latino, black, and non-Christian parts of the middle class. It may find the superstition of the groups that the Hard Right has championed increasingly unacceptable.

     

[WalterWhite]

This woman was a prophet.

This is actually their best chance.  She's quite a smart old devil.

She has a great point that white turnout was very poor the last two elections (slightly poorer than black turnout I believe), and if both turnout could be increased slightly and the Republican margin could be increased by a few points the Democrats would lose massively on the electoral map:

That is almost exactly the 2016 electoral map, with only Minnesota, Michigan, and ME-II flipped. This woman might have been onto something all the way back in 2013!

[Drop Billionaires, Not Bombs]

For a moment I thought Phyllis Schlafly crawled out of her grave to become a GOP consultant and presumably boast about Roe being overturned. Glad that's not the case here.

[WalterWhite]

The moment that the Pubs become protectionist, is the moment that Torie ceases to be a Pub. If the Pubs abandon basic free market principles, they cease to have any raison d'etre whatsoever, other than perhaps to flail away in a psephological death spiral to effect the Rick Santorum agenda as it were.

I don't see it happening at all, quite frankly, though politically speaking it would be a smart move for the Republicans to return to their roots. There's no way the Democrats could beat them on that issue, none whatsoever, especially if the Republicans followed through with it. A nationalist, protectionist GOP would essentially be unbeatable, if you ask me. They would capture working class white voters who are currently disengaged from politics, pick up a big chunk of the labor vote, and probably win over the Latino vote, especially if they emphasize social conservatism and all that jazz.

Indeed, three years after you posted that message, a certain celebrity disrupted GOP politics and brought an ounce of protectionism into the party. This allowed the party to make inroads among white working-class voters.

[Don't Blame Me, I'm from Massachusetts]

The moment that the Pubs become protectionist, is the moment that Torie ceases to be a Pub. If the Pubs abandon basic free market principles, they cease to have any raison d'etre whatsoever, other than perhaps to flail away in a psephological death spiral to effect the Rick Santorum agenda as it were.

I don't see it happening at all, quite frankly, though politically speaking it would be a smart move for the Republicans to return to their roots. There's no way the Democrats could beat them on that issue, none whatsoever, especially if the Republicans followed through with it. A nationalist, protectionist GOP would essentially be unbeatable, if you ask me. They would capture working class white voters who are currently disengaged from politics, pick up a big chunk of the labor vote, and probably win over the Latino vote, especially if they emphasize social conservatism and all that jazz.

Indeed, three years after you posted that message, a certain celebrity disrupted GOP politics and brought an ounce of protectionism into the party. This allowed the party to make inroads among white working-class voters.

That and Torie kept good with his word about becoming a Dem the moment the GOP became protectionist at least on the national level.

[GP270watch]

 She's wrong what the GOP and America will do is actually absorb millions of Latinos into a white identity. I already see it happening with some family members and friends I grew up with. The ones that marry a white partner will essentially be white going forward, most likely. It's even happening with Asians too.

 It's going to be very hard for Republicans to make non-GOP white voters more GOP because of people like Phyllis Schlafly. Single white women are turned off by abortion crazies like herself and what she did to the conservatives, who were mainstream pro-choice not very long ago. You're not going to win a large percentage of the LGBTQ+ white population with the message from the GOP, something also poisoned by people like Schlafly.

 So the only way for the GOP to continue winning elections with a white voters strategy is to grow or slow-down the shrinking white population by changing the definition of whiteness, something that America has routinely done throughout its history with large waves of immigration from the Germans(Schlafly), Irish, Jewish, to Italian immigrants.