Here's one potential reason why the GOP elevates so-called culture wars in elections: Republicans and white Christians largely think things were better for Americans in the 1950s than now.
Driving the news: New data from a wide-ranging report released by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and Brookings Institution gives insight into the country's partisan fault lines around identity and culture.
Certainly they were, tRump wasn't leading the republican charge. There was a president who understood who was a real war veteran not a real shirker coward who uses daddy's money to evade the military.
Things WERE better for racists, pseudo-Christians, and people who could "act right".
The reason things were better for whites was strong unions & excellent Taxation of the rich, something Repugs most certainly Do Not want now, so duuuuuuuuh you asshats!
Our parents, Democrats or Republicans were members of the GREATEST GENERATION. The men went to war & women went to work in factories to keep America safe from the Nazis. They made dangerous sacrifices for the greater good. After the wars Moms came home & had babies & raised their kids with values. Dads to work to support the family.
Today the Republicans won't even get a vaccine to keep others safe from COVID-19. It's all about the money.
Yeah, in the 1950's they still had to worry about polio. When the vaccine became available, nobody refused the vaccine.
There are still two variants of polio in India and Africa. Mostly because their "leaders" didn't (and some still don't) trust that the vaccine would be beneficial.
In the 1950s, women were stuck at home pregnant and waiting on their husbands and children, black citizens could not vote, and industry was badly polluting our land, air and water.
This was the best era to white male Republicans?
Women could not work in professional positions. Women were paid 60% of what white men earned in equal positions. Now it's not much better. In 2021, women earn just 71% of what men do in equal or commensurate positions. For blacks and minorities, it's much worse: they are paid 66% less.
Very few women were accepted into colleges. Women were only 2-3% of college graduates. Women could not open a bank account without their husband's or father's permission. There was no birth control.
Blacks who tried to vote were threatened, beaten, and killed. Their families were also harmed. Sometimes their homes were burned down. Often, they lost their jobs or were thrown off their farms.
Whites used violence to intimidate blacks and prevent them from even thinking about voting. Still, some blacks passed the requirements to vote and took the risk. Some whites used violence to punish those “uppity” people and show other blacks what would happen to them if they voted.
1965- Voting Rights Act aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) to the Constitution of the United States.
In 2021, Republicans are still passing laws to prevent minorities, Democrats and poor people from voting. And banning abortion to keep women barefoot and pregnant.
Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964- prohibits not only intentional discrimination, but also practices that have the effect of discriminating against individuals because of their race, color, national origin, religion, or sex in employment in companies with 15 or more employees. There are now also protections for physical or mental disability, reprisal and, most recently added, sexual orientation.
Environmental Protection Agency, established in 1970 - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a federal government agency, created by the Nixon Administration, to protect human health and the environment. The EPA creates and enforces environmental laws, inspects the environment, and provides technical support to minimize threats and support recovery planning.
1972- Title IX law- transformed women's sports. Title IX gives women athletes the right to equal opportunity in sports in educational institutions that receive federal funds, from elementary schools to colleges and universities. While there are few private elementary, middle school or high schools that receive federal funds, almost all colleges and universities, private and public, receive such funding.
Certainly for some. High earners were taxed at almost 80%. Getting roads built and bridges replaced was much easier.
In the 1950s there were many people be moaning the fact that things weren't the same as when they were kids picking cotton and only going to school until the 8th grade.
Most mothers stayed home during that era so there were lots more home-cooked meals but probably a lot less meat.
There were miles and miles of houses where people bought their first house in my hometown but that house probably only had 800 square feet.
In other words, I can't imagine very many of those Republicans giving up their larger house with the dishwasher and central air for what their parents had and it's a package deal.
It was great for White males, not so much for everyone else. It was great for churches. If you didn't attend church at that time, especially in smaller towns it could be very problematic for your business, if you owned one, or your career if you worked for someone else. It was a most fucked up time in many ways for most people.