The recently announced Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum may be an unremarkable politician whose appeal has been strongest among social conservatives, but he’s right about one thing: The Republican Party needs to stop thinking of itself as an “establishment” party. Santorum, author of “Blue Collar Conservative,” suggests that the GOP seek out a new class base from among the vast majority of voters who feel the economic system is stacked against them. These voters could be persuaded by a demonstrably populist program to support Republicans.
To make such a transformations, the Republicans must somehow deprogram themselves from their Pavlovian support for the agenda of big money, a platform, as Mitt Romney learned, unpalatable to the vast majority of Americans. This shift may be eased by the fact that so much of the country’s wealth – including the super-rich on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley and among Big Media – has aligned with the Democrats. The movement of former Obama administration officials into these industries shows the durability of these linkages.
Geographical Imperative
Ultimately, politics is a ground game played over the geography of the nation. Political philosophy may animate activists, but economic realities define voter self-interest. Republican regions tend to be those with strong energy, agricultural and manufacturing industries. In contrast, the Democrats derive their support from the new “progressive” economy – based on entertainment, media, software and finance as well as a burgeoning nonprofit sector – concentrated along the ocean coasts. These interests have thrived under Barack Obama, and the prospect of eight more years of progressive rule means more subsidies and greater opportunities for everything from green energy to urban real estate speculation, as well as a satisfying blend of social and environmental liberalism widely embraced in these industries.
