"One-Size-Fits-All Conservatism" Chafes

Nick Confessore of TAPPED from The American Prospect Online understands that the southern-fried, moralistic, pro-corporate conservatism dominating the national Republican party doesn't fit with South Dakota's more traditional leave-me-the-hell-alone flavor of conservatism. Why doesn't the GOP?

THE GREAT PAINS.

There's an interesting article in South Dakota's Argus Leader today on concerns by state Republicans that the national party has not been too helpful to their efforts. I think the headline -- "National GOP hurts S.D. Republicans, lawmaker says" -- overplays the idea, though.

What's going on is not that the state is becoming liberal (although the southern conservatism that dominates today's GOP is historically rather foreign to the plains-state conservativism one gets in a place like South Dakota), but rather a welter of factors all combining to make life difficult for Republicans there. For example, national Republicans, including those GOP leaders who have come calling to help out their South Dakota brethren, aren't pandering as well as they could be. (They've flip-flopped on country-of-origin labeling, military base closings, and the like.)

I'm not sure if this has any long-term meaning for the state's Democrats, but in the short-term, it may help preserve the currently all-Democratic congressional delegation come November.

If you want to help the GOP "preserve the currently all-Democratic congressional delegation come November," feel free to click here or on the photo of the young lady to the right.