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September 20, 2004
Neo-Republicans
In today's OpinionJournal's Political Diary (sub. req.) Holman Jenkins takes a look at Republican Jack Orchulli's chances of unseating U.S. Senator Chris Dodd. In his analysis titled Fashionable Republican Jenkins points out:
Mr. Orchulli, 57, takes pride in presenting himself as "socially liberal, fiscally conservative," reputedly the sweet spot in the electorate today (though somehow voters frequently fail to confirm this wisdom by their behavior when they actually vote).
Voters "frequently fail to confirm this behavior when they actually vote"!?!? I beg to differ.
Jenkins need look no further than the state in which Orchulli is running: Connecticut. Republican Governor Jodi Rell, who fits the "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" label, was elected as Lieutenant Governor in 1994, then reelected to the post in 1998 and 2002. She replaced John Rowland (another pro-choice Republican) as Governor on July 1st of this year after he stepped down from the office. These Republicans are getting elected in a state where Bush only received 38.4% of the vote in 2000.
It is also hard to ignore two states whose all important electoral votes are a lock for Kerry: California and New York. Here again, despite the fact that Democrat voters solidly outnumber their Republican counterparts, the electorate has put into the Governor's office two Republicans. And again, Schwarzenegger and Pataki both describe themselves as socially liberal and fiscally conservative.
I know there are areas of the country this libertarian leaning political message would not fly. Yet it is hard to overlook the fact that in states that Democrats will no doubt win in their quest to regain the White House, the message put forth by these socially liberal Republicans seems to be resonating.
Posted by Peter Mork at September 20, 2004 10:03 PM
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