Who or what are the GOP's "constituents"?

Question

I know the Republicans in the three branches of the Federal Government do a terrific job of catering to lobbyists. But lobbyists can only give them money, not votes. So which voters feel "represented"?

For example, when the GOP blocks a bill aimed at giving healthcare to poor kids and paying for it by taxing tobacco, who is sitting at home saying, Boy, I sure am glad we sent that guy to Washington, he definitely knows what my values are. Or when the House's energy policy is held up because it cuts government subsidies for private oil companies - aren't conservatives supposed to oppose subsidies on principle? Or is it just subsidies for Clean energy that they can't live with?

It seems to me like the only people being represented here are Big Oil, Big Tobacco, and smokers who care more about cheap cigarettes than about their kids getting cancer from second-hand smoke. But maybe I'm not seeing the Big Picture. Could one of you loyal conservative voters please explain it to me?

Answer 1

Republicans in the 3 branches? Sorry you can't count the Judicial branch. They don't run for office and it would be highly unethical for any judge to accept money from lobbyists.

Answer 2

What I find extremely curious is the number of middle and lower class people who vote for Republicans. Since Ronald Reagan, the Republican party has been waging class warfare on behalf of the top 1% of the population in income, giving it extensive tax breaks. Meanwhile, in over 25 years, the mean income for everbody else has dropped when adujsted for inflation, with people working longer hours to get that diminishing income. This again is the result of Neoconservative Republican economic policies. How can you vote for a party that is slowly destroying you? I'm staggered by the number of people on Yahoo Answers who seem to have swallowed Republican talking points hook line and sinker.

Brian: There is a majority of judges in the Supreme Court who were put there by Republican administrations wanting judges who reflected the Neoconservative outlook. Why do you think the Supreme Court intervened in the 2000 election to give it to Bush? The judiciary is now a Republican puppet.

Answer 3

GOP = Grand previous occasion The Republican occasion (in many cases suggested using fact the GOP, for Grand previous occasion) is one in each and every of the two important political businesses contained in u.s.' 2 occasion gadget; the Democratic occasion is the different. considering 1856 Republicans have gained 23 of the 38 presidential elections which they have contested, alongside with 7 of the final 10; eighteen of the twenty-8 U.S. Presidents considering 1857 have been Republicans. besides to controlling the administrative branch considering 2001, the Republican occasion has held majorities contained in u.s. Senate very almost constantly using fact the 1994 election. They gained u.s. abode of Representatives from the 1994 in the process the 2004 elections, dropping administration in 2006.

Answer 4

I love chainsaw's list:

lower taxes - Unemployed for two years, I have spent the last year being chased by the IRS for a 150 dollars they found I owed them because a a technical oversight ON THEIR PART. Bush's IRS are the same old Nazis, and most people's taxes have not gone down in any real way. They may pay less over here, but then, local and city taxes must go up to cover shortfalls... republicans reducing taxes is a great piece of baloney theater, but it's entertained the rubes for years.

Second on his list: limited government. Limited in what way? Bush's presidency is imperial. He has created an enormous machine that is literally snooping on the entire population.

Next we learn that Republicans want to defend the country, which includes closing the borders. Republicans ran two branches of government for a decade, and still we had 9/11, and the borders remained uncontrolled. Anyone who lives in Texas knows that illegal immigration is good for business in that state, and in California, and those are, last time I checked, powerful Republican states.

Personal responsibility rounds out chainsaw's magical list. Personal responsibility... does that apply to Alberto Gonzales, or Bush himself. Or Dick Cheney? Cheney shot a man in the face, and the MAN HAD TO APOLOGIZE TO CHENEY!!!!
Bush was asked during the last election to name one mistake he'd ever made. He couldn't think of a single one!!!!!! Alberto Gonzales runs our justice department, but was unable to answer a single question about their functioning since he took office. He couldn't effing remember a single thing!!!!! If you or I lied on the witness stand, there'd be a simple name for it: perjury. But Alberto is not personally responsible to the Law.

So these qualities, Mr. Chainsaw, are what the GOP base value.

Excuse me while I barf all over this inconvenient document here. It's called the constitution, but it's been demoted to 'a god-damned piece of paper' by the little emperor himself.

Answer 5

ok..I'm a conservative..not even close to being rich..I live in the country..a lot of people here are conservatives..it's our values that make us conservatives..we believe that people shouldn't depend on the government for anything other than things that we can't provide for as individuals like building roads, schools, law enforcement, and a strong military..we see others wanting the government to take care of them from the cradle to the grave and that's not what the government should be doing..we don't believe in big oil but how else are we going to get it..I don't smoke so I don't care about tobacco..quit taxing us..we have enough taxes..the government should only spend what it brings in taxes..I hope may have been a little help

Answer 6

It's smokers who are are against higher taxes on tobacco. And the employees and stockholders of the tobacco companies. And people who are unrelated to the tobacco industry, but who just generally oppose the government taking excessive amounts of money from people and giving them nothing in exchange. As if theft becomes moral somehow just because it's the government that is doing it, or because you don't approve of the people from whom you're stealing.

And second-hand smoke doesn't cause cancer. Plus, not all smokers smoke around kids.

Taxpayers are against "giving" healthcare to people because they're the ones who are going to have to pay for the "gift." Money doesn't just grow on trees.

People support subsidies for oil companies because it keeps gas cheap, and increases the security of America's oil supply, which is important to the economy and national defense.

Now, can you justify to me how Democrat politicians are so beholden to trial lawyers that they oppose reforms to eliminate frivolous lawsuits? Like how people can sue for damages if they were exposed to asbestos, even if the exposure didn't cause them any health problems.

Answer 7

there is a myth in this culture that lobbyests are evil. The fact is the lobbyests are the people. People organize themselves and send representatives to talk to policitians so they know their position. The only way to shut down the lobbyests is to stop the people from talking to their politicians.

And thats exactly what the politicians want. They want to silence lobbyests, because then they dont have to listen to the people. They can do what they want and ignore the wants of the people.

Why is it people refuse to see politicians for what they are? Selfish arogant people whose number 1 job is to protect themselves. Do you think they would go after anyone if it benefited them not to?

Answer 8

Actually, big corporations buy off both parties.

The GOP base wants

Lower taxes
Limited government
Defense of the country-which includes closing the border
Personal responsibility

Answer 9

actually, Brian, justices of the supreme court can take up to $200,000 in gifts every year.

granted, some of the most liberal members of the supreme court are republican appointments (souter and stevens).

Answer 10

A representative's 'constituentes' are the people in his district (a senators, those in his state) - /whether they voted for him or not/.