GOP Liabilities, and (a brief and simple explanation) why the Democrats are Winning.

Since 1996 the basic issues/tactics of the GOP as seen by me, David Dickens come down to 5 major strata.

Their success at using these are also the very reasons why a vast swath of the American Population is now finding the GOP and it's message so hard to swallow. In short, their strengths have become their greatest weaknesses.

Here they are:

1. Divide and Conquer using the following issues
   • Abortion
   • Gay Rights
   • Taxes (ie swearing not to tax at all)
   • Christianity (not religion in general)
   • Gun-rights
2. Scare the electorate crapless about terrorism and world threats.
3. Hammer and pound at the notion that the "media" is liberal.
4. Raise themselves as the flag-bearer for "family values".
5. Infuse themselves with corporate money and lobbyists who look after GOP/Corporate interests

And herein lies the problem with these tactics in 2007.

1. The divide and conquer srategy isn't working with these issues with an explanation of why.
   • Abortion
     • After 20-odd years of GOP rule the electorate is wary of not only opposing abortion but also the hand-in-hand opposition the GOP has against any measure that would help to keep ALREADY SEXUALLY ACTIVE teens from becoming pregnant in the first place.
     • The two positions are from a wholly empirical standpoint, totally illogical.
   • Gay Rights
     • Advances in science and psychology are making it clear that homosexuality may not be about "choosing to sin" after all. Homosexuals, who are after-all fellow citizens of our country, have a genetic or psychological disposition it turns out, and therefore denying them rights is tantamount to discrimination against something as clear as the color of ones skin, or disability.
   • Taxes
     • Taxes pay for the roads that Wal-Mart uses to get you cheap lead-painted toys from China.
     • Taxes pay for the street signs and traffic signals that allow you to get to work safely every day.
     • Taxes fund the troops that fight for your freedom.
     • Taxes help offset the costs of new technological advances (ie the internet you are reading this on now)
     • The electorate is starting to see the light on this issue as our commuting times climb, and we fall behind on infant mortality and education.
   • Christianity
     • Catholics are weary of WASP-Y declerations of certitude found in many of the stump speeches made by supposedly "Christian" politicians
     • Jewish citizens are offended by the constant babble about "Taking the Christ out of Christmas" when they are standing in line trying to buy Channukah gifts for their children.
     • More Secular citizens who pay their taxes and vote who view people like Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell and Oral Roberts as hypocritical have a hard time swallowing what these folks say...and the closer they get to Capital hill...the more nervous it makes these citizens.
   • Gun-Rights
     • Virginia Tech
     • Columbine
     • Heritage High School Shooting
     • Buell Elementary School Shooting
     • Santana High School Shooting
     • Granite Hills High School Shooting
     • Appalachian School of Law School Shooting
     • Red Lake High School Shooting
     • Amish School Shooting in Lancaster PA
     • Success Tech School Shooting
     • Murder Rates in any major U.S. City
     • Westroads Mall Von Maur Department Store Shoting
     • People are tired of it...and their patience is growing thin.
2. Scaring the electorate crapless about terrorism ain't gonna get them nowhere neither.
   • The people now see that the war in Iraq was a distraction and a mistake that may have kept us from scoring a decisive victory against Terrorism.
   • Citizens did not miss the fact that the big ticket lobbying that brought down Abramoff and other GOP congressman were all defense contractors...hmm.
   • Woodrow Wilson
   • Franklin Delano Roosevelt
   • John F. Kennedy
   • Murtha
   • Webb
   • -and a bunch of retired military guys whose names you do not yet know but will.
3. The Liberal Media
   • Citizens are starting to wonder "if the media is so liberal...then why did the current Administration get such a pass in the build-up to the Iraq war?"
   • Citizens are starting to wonder, "If the media is so liberal...then why didn't they tell us all about the K-street project when it wasn't even being hidden from view by the GOP?"
   • Citizens are starting to wonder, "If Fox news is the number one cable channel...and if Talk Radio is almost completely dominated by right-wing pundits...then what are they complaining about?"
4. "Family Values" has also now become a problem.
   • Larry Craig
   • Tax cuts for the Rich
   • Mark Foley
   • The Bush Daughters
   • The Terry Shiavo intervention
   • Paying companies (with Taxpayers money) to export jobs overseas, turns out is not so good for families.
   • Standing by and allowing the terrible mortgage market to unfold, ain't so good for families either.
   • No one likes a hypocrite.
5. Infusing themselves with Lobbyists and corporate money.
   • Turns out getting a thousand or so great big ol' donations from large corporations and lobbying interests is a wash when the internet made it possible for average every-day Joes and Jody's to give millions and millions of tiny donations.
   • The media finally started reporting about the K-Street project
   • Corporations it turns out, are businesses set up to make money, sometimes at all costs and the citizenry knows it.

What used to be plusses are now liabilities for them...and all of the GOP candidates are jockying to embrace the very things that are the reasons that Americans are sick of the GOP to begin with.

The 2008 Presidential election is, at this point, the Democrats to lose.