SurveyUSA: Majority of Oklahomans deem Casino Themed prom night "inappropriate"

[Franzl]

oh yes, gambling is evil.

Along with homosexuality, gambling is far more dangerous that terrorism, too.

[Franzl]

What's wrong with gambling?  It's a tax on the stupid, if there wasn't a tax on the stupid, the rest of us would have to pay more taxes.  I want much much more gambling.  Every gas station should have a slot machine or 10.

I hope you're kidding?  Gambling just like Drinking and all kinds of drugs destroys families by taking food OFF the table.  Nobody can deny that.

Prohibition!!!

[Franzl]

Talk like that will lead to the democrats being irrelevant due to having a platform consisting of giving the religious right whatever they want socially and pushing a socialist economic agenda.

It's the only way to win in Mississippi. That's a pretty darn good reason, huh?

[Franzl]

If the republicans keep moving to becoming a blue-collar christian democratic party(think European style Christian Democracy), the unions and the Republicans would be a far better fit. Remember that blue-collar voters are social conservatives so the unions aren't really a good fit for the democrats as is.

Huh?

[Franzl]

Remember that the rich/yuppies tend to be democrats and the working class(the white ones at least) tend to be republcian.

Now obviously if you only count whites, then they will be somewhat more republican, but in general, that's simply incorrect.

Not sure what counts as "working class" for you, but I'll present the following from the national exit poll:

under $15.000: Kerry 63-36
15k-29k: Kerry 57-42
30k-49k: Kerry 50-49

and now for the very rich:

150k-199k: Bush 58-42
200k+: Bush 63-35

[Franzl]

If the democrats dropped the talk of protectionism/social justice they'd win more voters than now.(Basically, if a party is both socially and economically leftist it can be attacked by opponents on both populist grounds

Umm, do you have a different definition of populism than I do?

[Franzl]

One usage of Populist means anti-elitist. The other usage more common on here is usage of it to describe social conservatives/economic statists

Explain how left-wing economics can be seen as anti-populist

[Franzl]

Basically, if a party is both socially and economically leftist it can be attacked by opponents on both populist grounds(damn college kids librul homo elite) or classist grounds(uppity  poors).

This was, in fact, your statement

[Franzl]

That post was about how if a party is left on both scales it can be attacked in 2 ways. To succeed in US politics it's either economically left or socially left for workable coalitions.

Not necessarily.

You have said that the Democrats, in order to become a viable party, would need to minimize their economic leftism. You have stated that if they stopped speaking out against free trade, for example, it would help them in the long run.

But it's precisely ths level of populism in America that helps Democrats with these kinds of arguments. I'm a democrat, I support free trade, to be honest. But many working class people (the type you claim are republican) support the democrats for one reason. They believe (correctly) that their policies will help them (at least more than the republicans').