Gary Pearce posted on March 13, 2013 07:57
Two months in, two things are striking about the Republican regime in Raleigh: how fast they move and how mean they seem.
This is a recipe for a Democratic revival, if – and it’s a big if – Democrats get their act together.
Too many politicos – Democrats and Republicans – assume that little will change in Raleigh for a long time, because of gerrymandering and money.
But politics moves fast. Public opinion is a powerful tide, and it can turn suddenly. After almost every election, the so-called experts look back and say: “Wow, I didn’t see THAT coming.”
The Republicans’ mistake is to assume that their present power stems from solid public support. As the presidential election showed, they can be sorely out of touch with the public.
Like Mitt Romney, hard-core Republicans assume that most good Americans – or at least 53 percent – believe the rest are moochers and takers.
But the Great Recession has had a different impact on many people’s opinions. It was summed up the other day by an older fellow, white and somewhat conservative, who said: “I don’t believe in giving things away, but there are people hurting out there.”
Or the comment of a Raleigh professional, also male, who said: “The Republicans just don’t seem to care about people who need help.”
Add that to the seeming callousness toward women, young people and anyone who’s not old, white and male, and you have a recipe for more rapid political change that anyone anticipates.