The Reagan coalition of libertarians, fiscal conservatives and social(Christian) conservatives has been dead since Bush took office; libertarians are seen as a lunatic fringe and the social conservatives tell the fiscal conservatives "where ya gonna go?".
But as I look at Obama's current tax policy recommendations, which would raise the maximum federal marginal rates (all taxes, not just the income tax) to just over 50%, I have to think that the Clinton Democrats are being killed off by Old Labor and other nemeses from the dark past. If Obama's elected, besides the stake it would drive through the pustulent heart of Al Sharpton, it would solidify the demise of centrist democrats, once again putting the kinds of Dems in the white house that Republicans know how to win against: with a Reagan-esque coalition....
Of course, it would come at the cost of social architects on the Supreme Court, and that's not good. The current court's bad enough already--even Scalia's making decisions on policy rather than constitutionality....
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McCain, on the other hand, is a populist, and not likely to provide judges that we would find to our taste.
The fundamental difference, as I see it, is that it's neither social NOR fiscal conservatives driving the Republicans, but instead, the Rockefeller, Country-Club Republicans... and they have no actual beliefs to play with. Left-wing liberals have been wiping the walls with the countryclubbers for years...
Yep. I don't see anything in the rhetoric that looks like that's gonna change, either.
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