Three years ago, Warner persuaded voters in an overwhelmingly red state to put him in office with a NASCAR-loving, pro-death penalty, pro-gun rights, fiscally conservative campaign. Since then, he has backed some restrictions on abortion, signed more than a dozen gun rights bills, balanced the state's books and persuaded a Republican legislature to help him pass a $1.5 billion tax increase.
Now, as Democrats lick their wounds 1,452 days before the next presidential election, some are wondering whether Warner could work the same magic across the South, providing the party a presidential candidate who could appeal to the conservative, heartland voters who helped reelect President.
Widely perceived as having won the election for Bush, the Religious Right is flexing its new found muscle. Meanwhile, the pundits are getting irritated.
Karl Rove says 'Moral Values' Carried Bush
The American Family Association doesn't like the fact that Mary Cheney is flaunting her sexuality:
The religious right is determined to get Specter.
Please post more examples of pundits saying the Values Voters aren't important. I'm loving this stuff.
We need to calm down about the religious right.
The republicans are now the majority party and they are primarily responsible for what happens. If they've learned anything in their steady rise to the top they will moderate. Otherwise, they will overreach and self destruct.
Liberals and progressives will not become extinct.
Lyndon Johnson won in a landslide in 1964. The democrats had held the presidency for 6 of the prior 8 terms (I believe they also controlled the congress for most of that time as well - correct me if I'm wrong).
Yet in four short years the democrats self destructed spectacularly over an unjust and immoral war.
Things can change quickly in politics. I believe we must prepare ourselves.
We'll have to catch up to the republicans in practicing "post-modern politics".
We must learn how to be effective as a minority party, but we must also hold fast
to our core beliefs, win or lose.
From an article in the New York Times "Conservative" groups - the Concerned Women of America and The Family Research Council - are mounting a letter writing and phone calling campaign to oppose Senator Specter's appointment to the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
This will be an interesting early test of the "Values Voters" new influence.
· WI-08: Wingnut plans to run as "conservative independent" (desmoinesdem)
· 50 percent of southerners say Obama better president than Bush (desmoinesdem)
· What Yesterday Says About Young Voters (Mike Connery)
· Max Blumenthal on the dysfunctional movement driving the GOP (Mike Connery)
· IA-Gov: Culver launches second tv ad (desmoinesdem)
· Hilarious Vid On Why We Must Vote No On Issue 2!! (Cliff Schecter)
· NY-23: Scozzafava Drops Out! (lipris)
· NY-23: Pataki Goes Rogue, Endorses Teabagger Darling Doug Hoffman (lipris)
· Dunne Considering Run For VT-Gov (Nathan Empsall)
· McGovern Grandson Looks to Challenge Thune in 2010 (Jonathan Singer)
· IA-03: Two potential challengers for Boswell (desmoinesdem)
· NJ-Gov: Daggett Goes After Christie and Corzine (Jonathan Singer)
