Can Republican Party Be “Safe For Smarties Again”?
I have been accused of being elitist and smug when it comes to the fact that I want the best educated and cerebral people running for office and winning elections. I want ‘the smarties’ running government. But the dumbing down of our culture at every turn makes me aware that too often the Velveeta crowd is in control, and far too many are comfortable with that outcome. Therefore I have been interested in conversations about how to turn the tide on such thinking. One way forward is to change the Republican Party into a place for ‘the smarties’ again.
Letters To The Editor today consisted of a series of responses to an argument that the Republican Party needs to stop being so populist and aiming for culture wars, and instead rise up with intelligent arguments in order to broaden its base, and thereby be better prepared to win national elections. In part some of the letters included these segments.
Although a registered independent, I have voted Republican in the last six national elections, despite the fact that I am definitely a pro-choice woman. What the Republicans don’t realize is that their “base” who are antichoice have no one else to vote for but a Republican. They are not going to go left and change parties because of this one issue.
Marion Zola, Beverly Hills, Calif.
###
I’ve managed to devise a distilled GOP platform I am confident can succeed: Taxes & Terrorism. The young urban professional shopping alongside me at a Manhattan Whole Foods is as afraid of the “Two T’s” as I am but cannot bear to vote for the party that makes issues such as abortion and gay rights as visible as issues such as our economy, our paychecks and our national security.
J.J. Weinstein, New York
###
In my opinion, Sarah Palin and the incoherent rhetoric put forth by her and people like her are not what young voters want from the GOP. They want intelligent people like Rep. Paul Ryan who can make intelligent arguments to respond to the agenda put forth by the Democratic Party. As a young voter, I hope the GOP wakes up and starts getting more policy-oriented in their opposition, with less populist outrage.
Aaron McCamant, Fort Worth, Texas
