Thursday, March 27, 2008

How'd "relative insularity of the state GOP" occur?

I'm rather certain I've used this classic from Ward Sutton before. I think it applies to what Danny at Doc's Political Party wrote that follows:
The real story here in Alabama may be the relative insularity of the state GOP from the troubles affecting the national GOP. Bush may have “just killed the Republican brand,” but not so much in Alabama. For example, while Bush’s approval rating nationally is 30% in a recent Fox poll and 29% in a recent CBS poll, his approval rating in Alabama is a relatively remarkable 44%. Our Republican senators Sessions and Shelby garner 60% and 59% job approval ratings, and Republican Governor Bob Riley polls a most impressive 69% approval rating. In Alabama, it is the Democratic Party that is taking hits for its connection to the two-year college scandal, though it remains to be seen to what degree this will affect any election.
The Alabama Democratic Party is all too often wrapped up in conflict, cowardice, caution, cronyism, and confusion. The default position is Republican Lite for many of the "leaders" so that may very well explain why the GOP's numbers remain relatively high here in Dixie. Instead of going after the Republicans, our "leaders" tend to be "centrist weenies". And that's on a good day. On the other days, they roll along in that strange arrangement where the AEA and ADC seems to pretty much call the shots. Neither group troubles me in principle but more so in principal.

As long as our "leaders" think and perform like Joe Turnham and Nancy Worley and Joe Reed and ... I suppose the Alabama GOP will remain in relatively good shape. If you can't bloody a radical nitwit like Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III then there's little hope for this bunch that can't shoot straight. John Gunn

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