Upper Providence and Radnor the new bastions for Unions and Minorities?

 

After last month’s election, Senator Santorum spoke of his disappointment of the Delco results for Bush. Commander Sexton lashes back with the stereotypical hogwash of ‘it’s the minorities and unions.’

The only two municipalities that went for Bush in 2000 and swung to Kerry in ‘04 were Radnor and Upper Providence ; the reverse only occurred in Aston. If these are trends led by “minorities and Unions,’ Mr. Sexton has a bizarre demographics chart. Yes, there is no doubt that the wonderful people of places such as Chester and Yeadon came out in record numbers to support Kerry. However, the reality of the trend and the legitimate fear of Senator Santorum is that the Delco Republican machine is showing a little wear. The Democratic Party has moved to the center under Clinton , while maintaining the liberal base and has earning the support of many suburban moderate Republicans. Now with right wing extremists like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, Santorum and Toomey leading the Republican Party these northern moderate Republicans see themselves as closer to Democratic values: fiscal responsibility, war as a last resort, a positive international policy, true support of the jobs for the middle class, good public education and real health care reform for all.

In two years the trend will continue, particularly if the Democrats put up a strong moderate to oppose Senator Santorum. Yes, the Democrats may not win the hard south for quite a while, and that’s okay; the void left by the Dixiecrats who opposed a woman’s vote, black votes, interracial marriage on ‘moral biblical grounds’ have  become Republicans the last 40 years.  In the long run, the party of equality, tolerance and non-intrusive government will win out. The party that respects all of us as equals will emerge triumphantly, since people in there hearts know that this is how a democratic government should be implemented.

As a Democrat, I can only hope that Mr. Sexton, Mr. Judge and Mr. Reilly only recognize minorities and unions as their weak spot in the coming years.

 

Bill Thomas

Vice Chairman - Mid-County Democrats