To the editor:
The days of old, gray-haired white men dominating politics in America is coming to an end, and with it will go the commanding presence of the Republican Party in the federal government and many state governments. The GOP is attempting to hold back a tsunami of societal change, and it is failing.
The recent midterm elections, as well as other barometers of change, indicate that on every issue that Americans are seriously concerned about, the GOP is on the losing side of public opinion. This includes immigration policy, abortion rights, legalized pot, man-made global warming, gun rights, same-sex marriage, women’s rights and health care. The results of the midterm elections make it clear that the grand old party is fighting a losing battle on all of these issues.
The mainstay of the GOP is with older, white, rural voters. It has lost or is losing young and educated voters, urban voters and more recently, suburban voters. These are expanding blocs of voters, while the older rural white voters are a shrinking bloc.
The GOP had the worst midterm results since Watergate. One reason was a 200 percent surge in young voter turnout (18-29 year olds). More than 100 women, including women of color, were elected to Congress. This set an all-time record, making the upcoming congress the most diverse in history. The GOP fell to just seven women senators, less than half the Democrats 17. In the House, the GOP will drop from 23 women to just 13 come January.
The GOP’s hold on political power through gerrymandering districts, cutting voter hours, reducing polling stations and unfair voter I.D. laws is being challenged across the country. The increasing pressure among the electorate to remove obstacles to voting and to ensure that every vote counts will eventually force Republican legislatures to back away from these undemocratic efforts to control the vote in its favor. When that happens, Republican fortunes will fall like a house of cards.
The GOP coalition is shrinking and aging, while the Democratic coalition is growing and getting younger. Conservatives are fighting a losing battle to preserve existing conditions, institutions and policies. That is a dark road to travel in an age of extraordinarily rapid, unprecedented societal change.
Jim Curry
Franklin
