[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: Political dark matter

[Email subscription to blog articles]

Posted by Mary Madigan:
Political dark matter
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1174576643.shtml


   Judith at Kesher Talk [1]ponders a politically unknown quantity -
   Giuliani supporters:

     Who are we? Good question. Giuliani's popularity has the pundits
     scratching their heads precisely because they can't label the
     constituency which is driving it. It is like dark matter in the
     universe - identifiable by what it is not. Do they call us liberal
     hawks? Centrists? Neocons? Neo-neocons? Civ-cons? Moderates? What
     was the label which explained Clinton's election? "Socially
     liberal, fiscally conservative." Since 2001, add "hawkish on
     foreign policy."

     Whatever they end up calling us - I'm going to mix my science
     metaphors here - we are a supersaturated solution within the body
     politic, ready to crystallize around a label of convenience (as
     they are all), or a person, which will enable us to focus our
     clout. Rudy is the person, the label is not yet defined and perhaps
     doesn't need to be.

     What is interesting about his candidacy is that the more easily
     definable voters ("conservatives") and us "dark matter" folk share
     enough serious worries - like terrorism and fiscal discipline -
     that they don't mind being associated with us. Since we share the
     same concerns they "get" us better than the pundits, who do not
     understand either group, since they keep saying let's you and him
     fight and continue to be surprised when we refuse. Their
     stereotypes are such that they can't imagine that "traditional
     values" conservatives might want a president who knows how to be a
     jerk. They think social conservatives have never seen transvestite
     clowning in a comedy revue. They forget that Rudy would not be the
     first Republican president with "blended family" problems. They are
     surprised by pragmatism in those they had written off as fervently
     ideological...

   There's a lot of [2]unknown out there...

References

   1. http://www.keshertalk.com/archives/2007/03/giulianilabel.php
   2. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40F10FE3E550C728DDDAA0894DF404482