If Al Gore was president....

[UGAalum94]

Sure if they vote, they aren't going to vote for Hillary, but I think there's a chance that they just won't vote.

If the party abandons their positions, I think they may try to punish the party to flex their political muscle.

[shinerbock]

I suspect that Hillary being on the opposing ticket will get the evangelicals to the polls. I think whoever gets to the general among Rudy, McCain and Romney will win.

[UGAalum94]

Hillary's rhetoric is less of a complete turn off to them than you think. I don't know if they hate her enough to vote for a pro-choice or pro-gay marriage candidate just to vote against her.


I think Hillary's actual positions would turn them off that much, but she and Bill both have the gift of saying things that make them seem more moderate than maybe they are.

[shinerbock]

Less than I think? No offense, but I don't think you're gonna provide me with any new insight into the minds of evangelical voters. I guess we'll have to wait until 08, but I'd be happy to examine how much of that vote Hillary got when its over...

[UGAalum94]

Sorry, I'm bad about judging how a comment is going to seem. I didn't mean to seem like I was schooling you in evangelicals. I think were in the same area of the country. Our frame of reference is pretty similar, I suspect.

I don't think they will vote FOR Hillary. I think they won't vote at all if they think the GOP fails to respond to their issues.

Imagine Rudy is the GOP candidate. I don't think there a single social issue that he will take the evangelical position on. They won't be jonesing to vote for him.

I think that it's possible or even likely, that Hillary, if running against him, would keep her rhetoric moderate enough that it doesn't piss them off enough to go and vote AGAINST her. I agree that it's unlikely that they will vote FOR her.

If the rhetoric of the candidates is the same on the issues, AND the GOP's position seems to reflect having pushed the evagelicals out, I think they might stay home.

[UGAalum94]

Double post, whatever.

I wanted to note that I suspect that if Rudy were the GOP guy, then the party will pick up votes from social liberals who want lower taxes and less government expansion than I suspect we're going to get in the next two years. So I'm not saying that without pandering to evangelicals the GOP will lose.

I don't know. I just think the GOP will face the same kind of internal issues that the Democrats will. Dems issue: netroots/moveon left vs. center. GOP issue: evangelical right vs. center.

I think that if both parties go toward the center, the GOP runs more of a risk of alienating a core group. (But maybe they'll throw some provocative initiates on the state ballots in fall of 2008 to get them to the polls.)

[ASUADPi]

Now I know there are other Dem hopefuls but I find it interesting that Hillary wants to be the first 'female president'; Obama wants to be the first 'African-American' (although I just learned today that his mom is white and dad was african american, totally didn't know that). And what's his name from New Mexico wants to be the first "hispanic" president.

Can I seriously just have a president who doesn't want to be a "first" and actually, I don't know, be good?!?

I guess I'm asking for too much. LOL.