Author Topic: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?  (Read 6630 times)

Offline LauraGigs

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,447
    • My Design Portfolio
Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« on: October 31, 2006, 09:00:03 pm »
I don't know, but from the direction of any threads touching on national issues, our crowd here at Bettermost seems a bit more progressive than a random cross-section of folks.

But would that be true for the two we adore?  Hmm... what would be their issues?  (Today gay rights are on the table, but that wasn't true in the 60s and 70s.)

Personally, I suspect they would have leaned GOP. What are your thoughts?

Offline David In Indy

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 18,447
  • You've Got Male
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2006, 10:15:26 pm »
I think you are probably correct Laura.  Jack and Ennis lived in the rural West, and I'm sure nearly everyone had a very conservative mentality... especially in the 1960's.

I would like to think they would support gay rights, and I think they probably would have, if they were aware of such a concept back then. But, with the exception of gay rights, they probably were very conservative. Ennis more so than Jack.
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

Offline JT

  • Brokeback Mountain Resident
  • ****
  • Posts: 248
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2006, 11:44:05 am »
I think Ennis in the beginning would vote GOP for sure, but maybe more moderate in the end.  Jack, on the other hand, would probably lean more toward the left.  After all, he's not that religious and except for marrying, doesn't do things that are too "traditionally" conservative.  But that is to put them on today's issues.

Offline LauraGigs

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,447
    • My Design Portfolio
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2006, 01:22:41 pm »
Yes — interesting points, David & JT!

The thing about rural folks (and southerners, even transplanted ones such as Jack) is that (relatively) leftward political leanings didn't necessarily reflect in outward behavior. Where I'm from at least, that generation had "Dyed-in-the-wool Dixie Democrats" who were socially indiscernible from Republicans.

On one hand, you have a pair of guys with little use for the "fire and brimstone crowd" and who can relate to poverty and the underdog. On the other hand, they may have bought in to the more macho image of the Right, and its claims that the Left "are trying to take away our guns, our hunting rights" et cetera.

Offline Front-Ranger

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 30,288
  • Brokeback got us good.
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2006, 01:31:19 pm »
A very interesting topic, LauraGigs. Thanks for creating it! I don't think Ennis would have voted at all. I think Jack would have been one of those Texas Democrats that we used to have. Maybe Ennis would have voted after Jack was gone. It could have been part of his coming out of the closet. I imagine Alma Jr. would have nagged him to get registered and taken him to the polls. Of course, he would register as an Independent.

Those Wyomingites can be quite enlightened. I believe they had the first woman governor and were the first to legalize voting by women, that's why it's called The Equality State. They probably had to allow women to vote because the population's so small!!

p.s. where are the radio buttons??
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline LauraGigs

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,447
    • My Design Portfolio
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2006, 12:50:23 pm »
I love your analysis, Lee.

Sorry — this is one of my first topics and my first poll — I just worked the voting bugs out (as the USA is still doing after 230 years) . . .     ::)

Offline ednbarby

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,586
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2006, 01:48:58 pm »
I look at this in kind of a weird way - I see the question as how would they have voted, hypothetically, in *yesterday's* election.  I see them both as being either registered Republicans or not registered at all.  My very blue-collar (and fiscally conservative but socially relatively liberal) brothers didn't register to vote until they were well into their 30s, and then they both registered as Republicans.  If they were registered, I see them voting all Dems in *this* election.  Here's why:  Last night I was watching C-SPAN all evening and really enjoying listening to the people all over the country who were calling in to say who they voted for and why.  Time and time again, people, mostly men, called into the Republican phone line (you could call that if you considered yourself a Republican, another line if you considered yourself a Democrat and another line if you were "Other") and said something like "I just voted Democrat, and across the board, for the first time in my life.  I'm sick of all the lies and corruption and I'm sick of the war."  As soon as that trend emerged, I knew our team was gonna win it all.  There were also several Republican callers who said they split the ticket by voting all Democrat for Congress and Republican for Governor and other local government.

So in short, I see them registering as Republicans because that's just what you did in both their families (I was once - gasp - a registered Republican myself for that very reason), but voting more and more Democratic as time goes by due mostly to their shared, I think, distaste of the fire and brimstone crowd.

« Last Edit: November 08, 2006, 01:50:39 pm by ednbarby »
No more beans!

Offline Front-Ranger

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 30,288
  • Brokeback got us good.
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2006, 03:36:31 pm »
Interesting, I heard on the radio today that married men (18% more of whom voted Republican in 2004 than Democratic) were evenly tied between Democratic and Republican in yesterday's election.
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline nakymaton

  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,045
  • aka Mel
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2006, 03:56:41 pm »
Interesting, I heard on the radio today that married men (18% more of whom voted Republican in 2004 than Democratic) were evenly tied between Democratic and Republican in yesterday's election.

Heh. I heard that too.

Ever read or seen Trojan Women? (I think that's the name of the play...)
Watch out. That poster has a low startle point.

Offline nakymaton

  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,045
  • aka Mel
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2006, 04:49:14 pm »
BTW... Wyoming's lone Representative race is being decided by fewer than 1000 votes. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/WY/H/01/index.html

That's a lot less than the population of Riverton.

Which county does Ennis live in again? I don't have my atlas handy.
« Last Edit: November 08, 2006, 04:51:04 pm by nakymaton »
Watch out. That poster has a low startle point.

Offline delalluvia

  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *******
  • Posts: 8,289
  • "Truth is an iron bride"
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2006, 09:37:26 pm »
I don't think they would've voted at all.  Not Jack ('nothing I can do about it up here') and certainly not Ennis ('if you can't fix it you gotta stand it').

Offline David

  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *******
  • Posts: 5,097
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #11 on: November 10, 2006, 09:40:54 am »
Y'all are wrong so far.     Jack and Lureen are business people.    They would no doubt vote Republican.  Note how Jack was complaining to Ennis about all his taxes being eaten up? 

Ennis would vote Democratic.  He has always been poor and surrounded by folks who often need a Federal hand out.   Farmers often rely on Federal money for their crop sudsidies.  Not to mention maybe even welfare and other local funds for the working class when things get real bad.


Offline delalluvia

  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *******
  • Posts: 8,289
  • "Truth is an iron bride"
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #12 on: November 11, 2006, 01:01:26 pm »
Y'all are wrong so far.     Jack and Lureen are business people.    They would no doubt vote Republican.  Note how Jack was complaining to Ennis about all his taxes being eaten up?

Excellent point, but Texas in them days was one of the last of the yellow dog Democratic states.  I suppose I was thinking Jack before he got married. 

Quote
Ennis would vote Democratic.  He has always been poor and surrounded by folks who often need a Federal hand out.   Farmers often rely on Federal money for their crop sudsidies.  Not to mention maybe even welfare and other local funds for the working class when things get real bad.

Again, I suppose I'm thinking Ennis before he got married.  Before he was in any precinct long enough to have an address where he could be registered to vote.

Offline David

  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *******
  • Posts: 5,097
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #13 on: November 11, 2006, 08:23:51 pm »
I understand your points.   Jack being the optomist and "more gay" of the two might be thought of as more independant and Democratic.    Ennis being brought up in the conservative Mid West might be Republican minded.     

But I'm going to stick with my original post and say that Jack & Lureen were Republicans and Ennis (if he voted at all) would vote for the common man and stay Democratic.

Offline JT

  • Brokeback Mountain Resident
  • ****
  • Posts: 248
Re: Election Time in the USA... How would Ennis + Jack have voted?
« Reply #14 on: November 17, 2006, 04:03:15 pm »
I'm starting to see Ennis not voting at all.  But if he does vote, it could go either way.

As for Jack, I still see him voting for Democrats but Laureen for Republicans.  Remember that husbands and wives can and do vote differently sometimes.  Laureen was a business person but Jack, although married to her, wass not.  Finding that parka and meeting Ennis was far more important than the business.  When Jack complained to Ennis, it seem more like he was talking about Laureen's obsessions with making money and less about himself.  He on the other hand, sees no point in making it.  Just my thoughts.