"Inside the GOP" (from democracy corps) - useful research.

[Laelth]

This is essential reading for all of us who want to understand the current state of the Republican base. It's very interesting, and well worth your time. The "cloud" graphics are particularly enlightening.

http://www.democracycorps.com/attachments/article/954/dcor%20rpp%20fg%20memo%20100313%20final.pdf

Reposted from the following thread with the permission of dreamerBoy (who posted it therein): http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=329019

Apologies if this has been posted previously.

-Laelth

[Laelth]

1. Important excerpt below:

We expected that in this comfortable setting or in their private written notes, some would make a racial reference or racist slur when talking about the African American President. None did. They know that is deeply non-PC and are conscious about how they are perceived. But focusing on that misses how central is race to the worldview of Republican voters. They have an acute sense that they are white in a country that is becoming increasingly “minority,” and their party is getting whooped by a Democratic Party that uses big government programs that benefit mostly minorities, create dependency and a new electoral majority. Barack Obama and Obamacare is a racial flashpoint for many Evangelical and Tea Party voters.

-Laelth

[erinlough]

2. Interesting article thanks.

We have to know who we're dealing with.

[Laelth]

3. My pleasure. n/t

-Laelth

[Laelth]

4. Kick for the AM crowd. n/t

-Laelth

[pampango]

5. "Evangelicals who feel most threatened by trends embrace the Tea Party because they are the ones who

are fighting back."

Understand that the base thinks they are losing politically and losing control of the country – and their starting reaction is “worried,” “discouraged,” “scared,” and “concerned” about the direction of the country – and a little powerless to change course. They think Obama has imposed his agenda, while Republicans in DC let him get away with it.

Evangelicals. (1/3 of the base) Social issues are central for Evangelicals and they feel a deep sense of cultural and political loss. They believe their towns, communities, and schools are suffering from a deep “culture rot” that has invaded from the outside. The cen- tral focus here is homosexuality, but also the decline of homogenous small towns. They like the Tea Party because they stand up to the Democrats.

Tea Party. (just over 1/5) Big government, Obama, the loss of liberty, and decline of responsibility are central to the Tea Party worldview. Obama’s America is an unmitigated evil based on big government, regulations, and dependency. They are not focused on social issues at all. They like the Tea Party because it is getting “back to basics” and believe it has the potential to reshape the GOP.

Moderates. (1/4 of the base) Moderates are deeply concerned with the direction of the country and believe Obama has taken it down the wrong path economically. They are centrally focused on market-based economics, small government, and eliminating waste and inefficiency. They are largely open to progressive social policies, including on gay marriage and immigration. They disdain the Tea Party and have a hard time taking Fox News seriously.

Nice find, Laelth. Thanks for posting.

Interesting that climate change could be the next big issue that alienates republican moderates from the fundamentalist/tea party types.

[Laelth]

6. My pleasure. Glad you found it useful. I did. n/t

-Laelth

[DireStrike]

7. K&R

I would love to see a similar study done on the Democratic party.

[Laelth]

8. So would I. n/t

-Laelth

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Kick - very interesting, and here's a summary from the Bill Moyers site:

To Understand the Shutdown You Have to Grasp the Mindset of the GOP Base

Fear of a changing society is one thing that unites all three factions. The battle over Obamacare, write the study’s authors, “goes to the heart of Republican base thinking about the essential political battle.”
...
But there are also deep divisions within the base, according to the analysis. Evangelicals still focus overwhelmingly on social issues. They think gay rights are the biggest threat to our society, but they also worry about the loss of what they see as an idyllic small-town culture. They feel besieged as the cultural ground shifts beneath them, and see themselves as a beleaguered, “politically incorrect” minority.

Tea partiers display a libertarian streak, and are far less concerned with social issues. They are staunchly pro-business. But there’s an easy alliance between these two groups – which make up well over half of the GOP base – because Evangelicals think the tea partiers are fighting back, and vice versa.
...
Unlike the tea partiers and Evangelicals, the moderate faction desperately wants lawmakers in Washington to find a common middle ground. They are less likely to worry about unauthorized immigration than the rest of the base, and some went so far as to speak positively about immigrants’ contributions to our society and economy.

http://billmoyers.com/2013/10/05/to-understand-the-shutdown-you-have-to-grasp-the-mindset-of-the-gop-base/

That quarter made up of moderates is up for grabs, if the Democrats can persuade them that the evangelicals and tea-partiers are hopelessly nuts. They'll listen about immigration, and climate change, and they still believe in some form of government apart from the evangelicals desire to govern people's sex lives.