has the end of the cold war given the democrats an electoral advantage?

[freepcrusher]

Even though I think Sean Trende is a right wing hack, he does make some good points in his book "The Lost Majority". If one notices, from 1952 to 1988; the republicans had a winning formula for presidential elections which was to rack up big margins in the suburbs and to peel off key ethnic groups (especially catholics).

If one notices, the difference between 1988 and 1992 has been huge in analyzing elections and 1992 was the beginning of states no longer being winnable for republicans and has created the "blue wall" of 242 electoral votes.

1992 was also the first election after the fall of the berlin wall and the dissolution of the soviet union. Does anyone here agree that the creation of the "blue wall" has its roots in the end of the cold war? Republicans could no longer run on the issue of keeping america safe or accuse democrats as appeasers and had many people who voted republican out of anticommunism (like Markos Moulitsas) started voting less republican.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Could very well be possible...

[Person Man]

Although the Cold War arguably has marked the end of any need to have a mobilized national government. Perhaps the entire New Deal coalition was simply kept together by the infrastructure and manufacturing demands of fighting Hitler for 5 years and the Communist the next 40. Then again, antiterrorism might be the new anticommunism....but with no successful terrorist attacks or mass murders of say 20 people or more in the last 10 years...and the ending of our wars, it appears that issue may have been the last "hurrah" of the anticommunist sentiment as many people hope that there could be a pro-US political victory in countries that still pose a threat to the US.

Liberals may argue that Nationalism is out of date while Conservatives may argue that the need for strong Government and social inclusion and unity may be out of date.

[Nichlemn]

Then in one of Sean Trende's RCP articles]=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/05/08/romneys_path_is_not_necessarily_narrow.html]RCP articles he debunks this myth.

[The Simpsons Cinematic Universe]

Republicans could no longer run on the issue of keeping america safe or accuse democrats as appeasers and had many people who voted republican out of anticommunism (like Markos Moulitsas) started voting less republican.

No, for the neoconservatives, the new communism is Islam/terrorists and whatnot. They can play the same line as always with a new object.

[tpfkaw]

Yes, indirectly, due to the decline of the California defense contractors (and therefore the loss of California's Republican lean, the key to the "lock").

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I certainly think much of the "peace" of the 90s that is attributed to Clinton had more to do with the end of the Cold War.  The rise of the Democrats from 1992-present has mostly coincided with that and isn't so much a result of it.