Bucks County Herald – October 30, 2008

Colin Powell, Michael Smerconish, Madonna

Dear Friends,

Good morning. If you had told me ten years ago that three of the four Philadelphia suburban counties would have Democratic congressmen, I would have said, “You must be kidding!” But that’s exactly what’s happened. Patrick Murphy in Bucks, Allyson Schwartz in Montgomery, and Joseph Sestak in Delaware have turned Republicans out of office. Only Chester County’s congressman remains in the hands of the GOP.

My friend Terry Madonna is a professor at Franklin and Marshall College and created a famous and accurate polling system. He says that the reason why the Republican Party is in trouble in the suburbs is because it has turned abruptly to the right. That, incidentally, is one of the major reasons why General Colin Powell shocked the McCain camp by endorsing Barrack Obama 10 days ago.

It is also the identical conclusion that Michael Smerconish reached in his Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed column (Oct. 19). A native Bucks Countian, Smerconish is a morning talk show host on 1210 AM. I listened to them as they discussed why these suburban Philadelphia counties now have more registered Democrats than Republicans.

The profile of the typical Philadelphia suburban voter is one who is fiscally conservative but moderate or liberal on social issues. These voters don’t appreciate any political party telling them what to believe or how to run their lives.

You can understand why, in frustration, Christine Todd Whitman wrote her best seller, “It’s My Party Too.” The former New Jersey Republican Governor quit the Bush administration for the same reason that General Powell did.

Putting it another way, as the national Republican Party turned right and became less tolerant, suburban voters turned left.

I watched General Powell give his reasons for an Obama endorsement on Meet the Press. Powell was particularly critical of the Republican Party for its tactics to vilify “otherness.” He cited a tombstone in Arlington Cemetery, which displayed the Muslim religion symbol, rather than the Christian Cross, or the Hebrew Star of David.

“Why shouldn’t an Arab American have the same chance to become President,” Powell asked? “Wasn’t that soldier who gave his life for America just as loyal and patriotic as any other?”

Powell’s absolutely correct, I think.

Madonna’s October 22 national poll revealed the following: Obama leads 49 % to 38 % among registered voters; Obama leads among women (51 % to 41 %); those between 18- 34 years of age (58 % to 28 %); Catholics (48 % to 41 %); non-Hispanic blacks (89 % to 3 %); independents (47 % to 38 %); and those living in the Northeast (50 % to 40 %).

McCain holds the advantage among those over 55 (50 % to 41 %); non-Hispanic whites (52 % to 40 %); fundamentalist Christians (56 % to 34 %); military veterans (67 % to 30 %) and Southerners (48 % to 44 %). Male voters divide about evenly.

Eighty two percent of registered American voters believe that the country is off on the wrong track, and 40 % say that they are worse off financially this year than last. The economy (47 %), moral values (10 %), and the Iraq War (10 %) are most often mentioned as the issues influencing presidential vote choice.

Obama leads McCain among registered voters who are primarily concerned with the economy (61 % to 24 %) and the Iraq War (54 % to 31 %) while McCain leads among values voters (76 % to 13 %). Looking at McCain’s marital record, this last statistic is difficult for me to understand…but then again, what do I know?

Finally, here’s advice from Chris Wilson who wrote this tongue in cheek column for The Week Magazine (Oct. 24). “Where can conservatives go if Obama wins the election,” he asked? “Which country?

“Israel has a strong aversion to “Islamofascism,” unbeatable biblical history, and a strong defense,” Wilson opines. “Poland is fervently anti-communist, and is now both enthusiastically capitalist and devoutly Catholic. The Cayman Islands, which have no taxation, offer wealthy Republicans the ultimate in free-market economics. And Switzerland is a paradise for gun ownership, with every home armed for national defense.

“So take heart, Republicans,” Wilson concluded. “No matter what happens, you have alternatives.”

And so have I.

Sincerely,

Charles Meredith