Real America and the occupation
by digby
I know that this is an unpopular observation at the moment, but it’s still true:
Alex Lundry is the director of research at the Republican firm TargetPoint Consulting, which specializes in segmenting and targeting voters based on their consumer and social behavior. Some months ago I asked Lundry what one piece of information, apart from partisan registration, he would most want to know about someone to predict whether he or she usually votes Republican or Democratic. He didn’t hesitate for more than a moment. “Whether there is a Bible present in their home,” he said.Gallup data released today helps explain Lundry’s answer. Gallup confirmed that the Republican Party continues to hold the most appeal to the most religiously devout, especially among whites. The results underscore the extent to which the two parties’ electoral coalitions continue to revolve around cultural affinities and attitudes rather than class, even amid the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.
I keep having this feeling that liberals believe that the ground has shifted so substantially that these old fault lines are no longer operative. It’s possible, but it’s not showing up yet. People are very attached to their tribal identities and it’s going to be very hard to shake them loose.
The Occupy movement has a new goal — shut down the Iowa caucuses.
The state’s protesters are inviting fellow Occupiers from across the country to “occupy” the campaign offices of the Republican presidential candidates and President Barack Obama in the first-in-the-nation presidential caucus state, The Des Moines Register reports.
“You go inside, or if they won’t let you in, you shut ’em down. You sit in front of their doors,” Frank Cordaro of Des Moines, the man credited for the idea of the “First in the Nation Caucus Occupation,” told the Register. “Who knows? It could be a very big deal.”
FWIW, I have mixed feelings about this. I think it’s good for OWS to address the politicians. But the one thing I think shouldn’t be messed with is the voting process itself. After all, we’re all appalled at the conservative program to restrict the vote around the country and standing in the way of average voters exercising the franchise seems like a dicey approach.
But I could be wrong. A lot of people think this is going to be a very exciting action that will draw out a strong response and advance the discussion. So, I guess we’ll see. Iowa is right in the heart of Real America and ought to provide some insight.
Update: As far as I can tell from subsequent news stories, there is no plan to occupy the caucuses, just the campaign offices. Two very different kettles of fish.
.