"I hear you loud and clear, Barack Obama. You don't represent the country that I grew up with. And your values is not going to save us. We're going to take this country back for the Lord. We're going to try to take this country back for conservatism. And we're not going to allow minorities to run roughshod over what you people believe in!" -- Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert (R), at a Tea Party rally in Arkansas.
^At this point, I'm pretty rarely shocked by anything that comes out of the mouths of state legislators. There's just so many of them, and I doubt many people give much thought to their votes in those races.
And yet they are in many ways, reflective of the base that elects them. This is why it will be hard for Repubs to pivot anywhere along the social-cultural-ethnic lines and pick up more votes. The money guys may want it, but the elected officials know that the more enlightened they get the more a wingnut challenger will step in and win the primary. Death spiral.
Part of your point is because the Repub's gerrymandered so hard to win seats. By redistricting and narrowing electorates to the more hardline, conservative elements population centers they've all but forced themselves to be hardline to keep the seat. If they hadn't, they could afford to be more centrist. Go figure trying to find a loophole bit them in the buttocks.
Amazing! Some of the conservative posters on here that are in bed with these guys must feel so sleazy and gross.
