The Pendulum Returns
Even the NY Times is noticing that the Republican party is in acendency. Sunday's paper carried an article entitled Buoyed by Resurgence, G.O.P. Strives for an Era of Dominance. Of course, the party's future is built on recruiting young. This is from the NYTimes weekend magazine article The Young Hipublicans:The College Republican National Committee, a group that mobilizes students to campaign, has tripled its membership since 1999 to an all-time high of 1,148 chapters.Even Canada seems to be jumping on board:[...]
They [Elliot and Boland] describe themselves as defenders of ''individuality'' and ''freedom'' against a campus, and world, overrun by groupthink liberalism and pious political correctness. They also share a belief that despite the common perception of youth being synonymous with progressive, liberal ideals, the true spirit of their generation is solidly, if quietly, conservative. The polls bear this out. According to the U.C.L.A. Higher Education Research Institute, which has been tracking the attitudes of incoming freshmen at hundreds of colleges nationwide since 1966, student conservatism is increasing in many areas. Asked their opinion about casual sex, 51 percent of freshmen were for it in 1987; now 42 percent are. In 1989, 66 percent of freshmen believed abortion should be legal; today, only 54 percent do. In 1995, 66 percent of kids agreed that wealthy people should pay a larger share of taxes; now it's down to 50 percent. Even on the issue of firearms, where students have traditionally favored stiffer controls, there has been a weakening in support for gun laws. ''We're at a record low on this item,'' says the U.C.L.A. Institute's associate director, Linda Sax, an associate professor of education at U.C.L.A. ''We've seen a decline over the last four consecutive years.''
A new media poll says the Tory election platform is resonating with voters -- and could turn the coming provincial election into a horse race.On the other hand, South America continues a leftward direction with the "election" of the latest Argintine President.The Compass poll, aired on Global TV last night, shows 43% of voters like the idea of mortgage interest deductibility, 37% favour teacher strike bans, 34% support getting the homeless off the street and a full 55% want more tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
Blog post #92 in category
Politics
posted 25 May 03