Fascinating Report on Conservative Republicans

This report by the Democratic Corps is really fascinating. They conducted surveys and focus groups with conservative Republicans and Independents to find out what their attitudes are about President Obama, the media, and other things. The authors identified some beliefs held by conservative Republicans and described the pattern that sets them apart from other Americans.

The self-identifying conservative Republicans who make up the base of the Republican Party stand a world apart from the rest of America, according to focus groups conducted by Democracy Corps. These base Republican voters dislike Barack Obama to be sure – which is not very surprising as base Democrats had few positive things to say about George Bush – but these voters identify themselves as part of a ‘mocked’ minority with a set of shared beliefs and knowledge, and commitment to oppose Obama that sets them apart from the majority in the country. They believe Obama is ruthlessly advancing a ‘secret agenda’ to bankrupt the United States and dramatically expand government control to an extent nothing short of socialism. While these voters are disdainful of a Republican Party they view to have failed in its mission, they overwhelmingly view a successful Obama presidency as the destruction of this country’s founding principles and are committed to seeing the president fail.

Though the group that conducted the research works for the Democratic Party, the analysis seems even-handed. For instance, they report that they did not discover a racist theme among the conservative Republicans, but rather a kind of feeling that they didn't care about Obama's race, they just didn't trust him or like his beliefs.

The findings were broken into sections, for instance one section was titled Anger Toward Obama Driven by Doubt and Fear Over his Agenda and Methods. The self-identified conservative Republicans really believe that Obama has a secret agenda for undermining the founding principles of American tradition. The focus groups revealed that "they explicitly believe he is purposely and ruthlessly executing a hidden agenda to weaken and ultimately destroy the foundations of our country." He is seen as the puppet of an elite group of rich liberals who put him into power, and they believe he lies to exaggerate the threats to the country in order to get support for his policies. He uses the technique of telling people what they want to hear regardless of what is true, so they will accept his bizarre policies. This especially works on younger people who are attracted by ideas like "change" and "hope."

The conservative Republicans were concerned about the speed with which Obama has worked since going into office. "They believe Obama is pushing his agenda at record pace because he does not want the American people to know what he is doing. The decision to tackle so many major issues at once early in his term is born not out of necessity, but out of secrecy and political calculation. And the media is once again a key part of this strategy, refusing to expose information that might slow down his legislative march."

They were convinced that Obama is purposefully driving the country into debt so that people will become dependent on government and it will have total control over them. Constitutional rights will be easily eliminated, and people will be too weak to fight back. "Fear of government control is at the heart of virtually all of the concerns raised by these voters about Obama’s agenda, and it is literally a fear of two things – government and control. They see government as inefficient, ineffective, and corrupt and believe it preys on the middle class and ‘hard-working Americans.’ ... Even more concerning than the waste and corruption of government for these voters is the inexorable movement of government toward controlling an ever increasing share of our economic marketplace, as well as our individual lives."

The conservative Republicans involved in this study saw Obama's ultimate goal as transforming America into a socialist nation. "In their minds, this is the key to truly understanding the Obama presidency and what is happening in our country today. Everything goes back to government control and Obama (aided by Democrats in Congress and the liberal media) seeking to systematically strip away individual rights and insert government into every aspect of our daily lives." Corporate takeovers and bailouts give credence to this theory, and the idea that Obama's "policy czars" have unchecked control is part of this belief. But the real crown jewel is Obama's proposed changes to the health system, which is proof that he is trying to change the USA into a socialist country.

The report stresses what it calls a "shared identity" held by the conservative Republicans. As the authors say, "Democrats may joke that Republicans seem to live on a different planet sometimes, but in some important ways, these Republicans would happily agree." They feel that they are an oppressed minority that is constantly mocked by the media and by other Americans. "This creates an almost siege-like mentality, in which these conservative Republicans are always on the defensive, at all times looking for any slight against them and their beliefs and seeking to link it back to a broader effort rooted in the liberal media."

Of course these conservatives have special knowledge about what's really going on. They get this knowledge from Fox News, which is the only objective source of information. Liberals, it is well known, control all the other major media outlets. Sometimes the Republicans will watch another channel just to see how the liberals are distorting the truth; this shocking bias only reinforces their beliefs and conviction that Fox is "the truth teller."

Interestingly, the conservative Republicans held mixed opinions about Rush Limbaugh. Though his opinions are correct, his flamboyance and arrogance sometimes detract from the message. There is no such ambivalence though about Glenn Beck, who "received nothing short of adulation from these voters, particularly the women. They believe he embodies the best of conservative media – determination to unearth the stories the liberal media tries to bury, love of country, and refusal to be intimidated, even as the liberal media unleashes waves of attacks on his past and his credibility." Isn't this fascinating? These conservatives admired him for risking his life to stand up to the liberal powers -- they literally believe his life is in danger because of his commitment to telling the truth. They also took remarkable measures to make sure they and their families never missed his show.

This group feels that they are part of a movement that is building in the country. "The attacks they suffer for their values and the special knowledge they share as a result of their devotion to conservative media and active rejection of mainstream media are ultimately meaningless if it does not help defeat Obama and his hidden agenda. This is where the sense of collective purpose is greatest. They see a nascent movement building, still not fully realized or activated but with a growing number of people watching and listening, growing increasingly frustrated, and looking for ways to stop the growing threat they perceive." The tea parties were a big part of this identity; the report notes that focus group participants spoke in the first person when describing attendees of the tea parties, even if they themselves did not attend.

Though these respondents identified themselves as Republicans, they "see the Republican Party as ineffective and rudderless, controlled by a class of political professionals who have lost touch with not only the people but the conservative values that should guide them." They do not intend to leave the party but do not see it as having an effective strategy for defeating the Obama agenda. Generally these people agreed with the beliefs of George W. Bush and felt he was a good man, but they were embarrassed by his presidency and disappointed that he let government grow and get out of control. And, of course, the worst of it is that his weakness as President set the stage for the rise of Barack Obama.

So who did these conservatives see as the best spokesperson for their cause -- Gingrich? Huckabee? No, you guessed it already, they love Sarah Palin. "They see in her the uncompromising personal conviction and integrity that they admired in Bush, but with an authentic conservatism that reflects her personal background ... They disagree on her viability as a candidate for national office, but they do not disagree on her ability to lead. Some say she needs to get more experience or take on responsibilities that will burnish her credentials and reassure uncertain swing voters while others maintain she has nothing to prove and is already more experienced and qualified than the current incumbent ... The one point they all agree on is that Palin was a victim of an unprecedented smear campaign. Reflecting in many ways their feelings about themselves as a group, they say Palin was targeted by the liberal media like no other figure in modern history because they both feared her and hated her for her unwavering values and beliefs." Yeah, she's their girl, all right, a true victim.