Why Educated Republicans Can't be Honest

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Brad DeLong claims that when he talks to his GOP friends about the basic elements of the Affordable Care Act they seem to like each of the major elements. On the other hand, they are unable to state that they like the Obama plan. He can't seem to find an explanation. Perhaps it makes sense in an historical context. When the GOP loses the presidency they have resorted to a tactic of delegitimizing the democratic president. They did this successfully in the Clinton administration by turning both Clinton's into demons (with a little help from Bill at the end). This has been their approach with Obama as well. This has worked especially well in the South where many are unable to deal with the reality of a black president. This is especially true when the black man does not fit their stereotype, and is much smarter and better educated than they are. In the South racism underlies much of the criticism of the Affordable Care Act. Extending Medicaid benefits to a larger number of low income citizens translates into providing "undeserved" benefits to minorities. The problem that Brad's GOP friends have is that the GOP is no longer the party of North Eastern patriarchs. The party has become dependent upon the votes of southern whites and rural Americans even when most of its campaign contributions come from the educated part of its base.