What is the party for fiscal hawks (you know, folks who don't want to screw future generations by maxing out government debt up to a point just short of economic implosion), who want effective and efficient governance, with a reasonable social safety net (even if that means the government will continue to take about the same share of the GDP as it does now), and a tolerance for diversity in this country?
In many states that party is the GOP. There have been many periods where one or the other of the national parties has been philosophically disconnected from a number of the state parties. In the 60's and 70's the national Dems were far apart from their southern states' parties. Dems in those states would ask where a socially conservative working class voter should go. In the last decade this has been a particular problem for the GOP. It is exacerbated by the dominance of national cable news over local media as the source of information for voters.
Thirty years ago the lines in IL were sharpest between Chicago and its suburbs with the rural and small cities areas downstate as swing districts. That reflected the holdover from the disconnection of Dems from rural working class voters in places like southern IL as they became a more urban-centric party. Today the lines are sharpest between Chicago and downstate with the suburbs as swing districts. This reflects the confusion for voters who are looking for economically responsible but socially supportive government.
