The Frontier Lab’s Switching Behavior study, which identified four core events that preceded disaffiliation from the Republican label, has been picked up by everyone from Sarah Palin and Sean Hannity to Vicki McKenna
Yesterday morning, I joined Philadelphia’s Rich Zeoli show to discuss the study’s findings — and the implications for an ever-entrenched Republican establishment.
Listen here: Anne Sorock on Rich Zeoli radio show
Read more about the study on The Frontier Lab’s website, or take the Facebook poll to vote on the event that most closely mirrors your own experience with the label, “Republican.”
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Comments
Most people are more a-political than you think. They’re not members of a “club.” They don’t want bumper stickers on their cars. And, they’re not angry.
One of the misfitting things for republicans is the NASTINESS you get to see being spit out by “true believers.” And, if you don’t agree with them, then they name call. Or here? Hit the thumbs down button. Yeah, riight, you’re Julius Caesar. Down voting is one of your specialties.
And, then you wonder why people won’t call themselves as belonging to ANY political group. Let alone the old country clubbers, who invited in the evangelicals. (Inside the tent you should see all the spitting going on.)
LBJ, because he was a democrat, said it best: You always want people to pee outside the tent. You don’t need theses fluids spritzed on “fellow-members.”
Yes, republicans know how dissatisfied a majority of people were starting around 2006, with Dubya. You could call it the result of a “housing bubble.” But in actuality the party stopped. Was over. And, the house came crashing down.
Then Obama won. Like Pauline Kael said of Nixon: “None of my friends voted for him.” And, likewise, the republicans think they’re far smarter and they saw the man who got elected as a Kenyan. (Politicians need thick skin for a reason.)
They also need a cause that connects to a majority of voters. And, for Obama? The republicans left the field wide open for him to win twice.
We’re coming to 2014. Where just how angry Americans are will show up in the voting patterns across 50 states. You see trends emerging? Funny. I just keep hearing all the old tunes being replayed.
I guess it will be the “next big thing” to watch? And, it’s entirely possible those who decide not to vote, doesn’t distribute evenly to both parties?
Carol, you just love to spout your opinion, and when people disagree by giving that comment a thumbs down, suddenly they are Julius Caesar giving your life in the opinion arena a thumbs down?
People’s opinions are like those orifices in the backend of their bodies. Sometimes (with appropriate reasoning) people agree, and sometimes (with illogical reasoning) they don’t.
As to the “join the club” mentality, you should check out “The history of War” by John Keegan. He refers to it as a tribal mentality, and our history as a species is rife with tribalism.
And for the record, your comment received a “Thumbs down” from me, so you can assign a name to one of the people who disagree with your illogical reasoning.
“Sometimes (with appropriate reasoning) people agree, and sometimes (with illogical reasoning) they don’t.”
Disagreement correlates with illogical reasoning?
A seriously bizarre contention.
“Disagreement correlates with illogical reasoning?”
Do you advocate agreement with arguments which are illogical?
There is a correlation, for those who value logic anyways.
This is great stuff. I’ve been sending the Frontier link to lots of people.
Great report, Ann. It perfectly describes why I left the Republican Party fifteen years ago. I posted the link and some quotes on another forum and all I got in return was: “Ross Perot…Ron Paul…” What those folks were really saying to me was, “Go along with our wishy-washy GOPe candidates or it’s your fault when they lose.” I say it’s their fault for choosing losers like Bob Dole or Mitt Romney in the first place. (Disclaimer: I held my nose and voted for both Dole and Romney anyway.)
I hope you send an autographed copy of the report to Karl Rove.
One reason why lo-fo voters identify with the Democrats is superficial but probably consequential: it’s that the very word “Democrat” with a capital D sounds more “democratic,” thus more in sympathy with average people.
A lot of voters don’t have much understanding of what a “republic” is, so they also don’t know what a “republican” is in principle. It might ring too much like “plutocrat” in lo-fo ears (and some of them might vaguely recall “publican” as a bad thing).
Democrats of course hammer in the republican = plutocrat idea. And when someone criticizes the Democrats, they might haul out a dictionary definition (in the same way people quote dictionaries to defend those who call themselves “liberal”): “We’re democratic so we’re on the side of the little people.” Republicans are the people who oppose the “democratic” Democrats, so the lo-fos conclude that Republicans are fundamentally against them.
Guilty as charged!
I re-registered “NPP” [California – No Preferred Party] a few months back in March. Cali has wide open primaries — with one, single exception — POTUS. I gladly forfeit my POTUS primary vote. I will not be a member of this ongoing RINOpalooza and I will not affiliate myself with utter cowards, Obama sycophants, and Holder lickspittles. The likes of John McCain, Lindsay Graham, John Boehner, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie etcetera ad nauseam gives me cause to choke and wretch on the unconscionable betrayal and acute loathing they so blatantly inflict upon the U.S. Constitution and the United States of America. They are among the Enemy Within . Period
RNC + GOP = DOA
I consider myself a Jeffersonian Democrat. That means until Lincoln I was really a republican. You can look it up.
Oh – and I consider myself born 150 years too late.
This post is fantastic; I started a comment but discovered that I had so much to say that I’d be better off just writing a post of my own. I’ve been intrigued by this for a while (and am also reluctant to describe myself as a Republican; when I do self-identify politically, it’s always as a “constitutional conservative”–never, or hugely rarely, as a Republican), and the four points you discuss (nerd that I am, I listened to the audio three times!) go a long way toward explaining something that I’ve puzzled over since last November.
You don’t read too much about what I’m going to say but I’ve seen it discussed a few places by a few authors – some more conspiratorial than others.
Some say there really is only 1 party – not Dems or Reps, just one “big government” party, a good old boys club which has been going on for quite a few decades.
Some good presidents sneak in – like Reagan, but more and more Rs (like both Bushes) have “Dem-light” policies.
Both parties WANT big government, big perks, big paychecks, big payoffs, big bills and big power.
They get rich when they go to Washington because the rules change – they don’t have to use the public health care, they get paybacks from business folks, donors, supporters, lobbyists and of course inside information for trading.
Some Rs have more republic values than others (like Cruz, Paul, etc)…
GWB loved America – and I supported him mostly – but his big government spending paved the way for Dem-faux-black candidate to get in.
D*mn that media is completely on Left and d*mn that current faux-potus wasn’t eligible to serve…
the big government party keeps growing like a huge hydra – you chop a head or two off and several nasty ones grow back.
Sigh, its very demoralizing – and I don’t even reside in my beloved USA right now!
All you can do is vote T.E.A. party principled candidates in all elections local and federal. Educate your friends who aren’t paying attention and hold all your elected officials accountable.
Took decades for this big gubmit growth to fester and will take a few more to cleanse the cancer.
keep up the fight and the faith!
That would be Angelo Codevilla and the party would be the “Ruling Class” (as opposed to the “Country Class”). Have you read his America’s Ruling Class — And the Perils of Revolution?
The GOP is really a big tent that doesn’t describe people very clearly. We have so many different sub-groups I am a libertarian-leaning conservative who tends to vote Republican. I doubt I’m the only one who identifies more with their perspective than a party.
The GOP is really a big tent that doesn’t describe people very clearly. We have so many different sub-groups. I am a libertarian-leaning conservative who tends to vote Republican. I doubt I’m the only one who identifies more with their perspective than a party.