How the GOP needs to change, and how it doesn’t
Tuesday was a brutal night for Republicans.
Incumbent presidents are tough to beat, but Barack Obama was about as vulnerable as they come. The economy is stagnant; his signature legislative achievement is unpopular; his party weathered sharp losses in the midterm elections – by now, you know the litany by heart. Yet Mitt Romney appears to have flipped only two states Obama won in 2008 (pending the final result in Florida).
When political parties lose brutally, a lot of new conventional wisdom crops up. Some of it’s right, some of it’s wrong. Here’s an early take on which is which:
1. Republicans have to move toward the left.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. There are two major political parties in this country in large part because they represent two sets of durable, mainstream beliefs. Sometimes one or the other does a better job of representing its beliefs, but neither ideology will be permanently defeated. Which leads me to …
2. The GOP has to ditch the tea party.
Wrong. Just two years ago, the GOP stopped Democrats’ congressional super-majorities in their tracks thanks to tea partyers. America hasn’t changed dramatically in that time, even if a successful tea-party candidate needs more polish than we’ve seen out of some of them (hello, Christine O’Donnell) to attract a broader audience.
The original animating concern of the tea party — halting the rapid growth of the federal government, from bailouts to debt to Obamacare — could have been a political winner Tuesday. (We don’t have to wait for the historians to marvel that the GOP in 2012 nominated the only guy who couldn’t capitalize on Obamacare’s lack of popularity.)
Romney might have made up for that failing if he’d joined the growing ranks of conservatives who support breaking up the biggest banks to ensure none is too big to fail. His comment during the second debate about his party’s devotion to Big Business at the expense of small businesses was his chance. He didn’t take it. A Republican with 2016 ambitions might, soon.
3. The GOP has to reach out to non-white voters.
This one’s absolutely true. There is plenty to criticize in Romney’s lack of minority outreach, but this is not his problem alone. Nor will it go away if the GOP merely highlights the promising, young, non-white stars they already have, such as Nikki Haley, Bobby Jindal, Susana Martinez and Marco Rubio.
Republicans have to explain why conservative ideas are good for minorities. They can’t simply trot out their ideas and expect minorities to recognize their brilliance when those voters have been told by Democrats, many of them for generations, that those ideas are intended to benefit other (read: white) people. When Republicans fail to engage minority voters, they effectively reinforce the Democrats’ argument.
It will take more than talking, though. It will take action. Here’s an idea about one policy that makes minorities most skeptical about the right: voter ID laws. Why not fight the notion these laws are about suppressing voting, rather than reducing fraud, by taking proactive steps to help put IDs in the hands of the people who think they’re being targeted?
4. Republicans must drop social conservatism.
Wrong. Social conservatism isn’t wholly out of the mainstream. Gallup’s long-term tracking of public attitudes about abortion, for instance, show the pro-life position is as strong as it’s been since Roe v. Wade. What’s out of the mainstream is a social conservative who can’t talk about opposing abortion without sounding as if he’s endorsing the act of rape. That cost the GOP two Senate seats and surely hurt Romney’s standing with some women.
Gay marriage may be different. Older voters who oppose it altogether are being replaced every day by 18-year-olds who couldn’t care less — and who don’t seem to change their stance as they get older. There was a time when Republicans could have pushed civil unions to make all couples equal before the law without changing the traditional definition of marriage. That time may have passed.
5. Georgia Republicans are a few years away from facing some of the same issues as the national GOP.
True, true, true. I’ll explain how they can avoid the same fate in a column coming soon to a blog very, very near you.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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883 comments Add your comment
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 8th, 2012
6:19 pm
“I’m sorry to inform the Republicans that most of the country is moving on to the year 2013 and beyond, we will not move back to the year 1850.”
Good thing no one was actually campaigning on that platform, Buzzy.
But you keep believing that.
Defeated but not suprised
November 8th, 2012
6:19 pm
In 5 of the last 6 elections, including the two Bush victories, Republicans have only won the popular vote once.
We have to do better. The success at the state level demonstrates that we still have what it takes, however we must extrapolate that to the Presidential level.
People are debating about who votes for whom in terms of Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Regardless of what people call themselves it seems that some of those voting GOP for Congress, Governor and State legislators are not voting GOP for President and even Senate.
Why is that?
How do we close that gap?
For one thing, bantering about moocher this, moocher that and all the other name calling is a losing game. It only shows that some on the right are childish and ignorant. Time to grow up and stop the self destructive behavior.
We must demand better of our party and candidates and get the message out. Continual excuses and crying about the Democrats and their voters which is evident on this blog and many other blogs will not get it done.
ATLien
November 8th, 2012
6:20 pm
What’s hilarious is
Obama wins yet there is no mandate b/c this is the only thing republicans and Fox News, hannity, rush and co. can hang their hat on to continue the divisiveness and ignorance
If mitt won, the same crew and sheep in this blog would have been screaming that the election is a repudiation of Obama and Mitt now has a mandate to reshape Amercia
The hypocrisy is galling and disgusting. Obscurity getting closer and closer and closer
Progressive Humanist
November 8th, 2012
6:21 pm
I certainly don’t need advice on class from a swindler who who made his “pile” through a ponzi scheme that skimmed money from old people’s retirement funds.
Michael H. Smith ~ The Socialist Monster no longer hides under the bed in Greece...
November 8th, 2012
6:21 pm
Tiberius – pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 8th, 2012
5:49 pm
Only your torture could surpass any agony I could contrive Tiberius and the war on women is a phony bunch of garbage conjured up by to use as a wedge to divide by confusion more than by fact. Abortion and gay marriage didn’t make the difference Tiberius. You’ve been listening and reading what “brucie wilcox’s” post on this board too long, now you are believing them.
The DEMwits ran a better ground game to get out their vote which won them the election, that is all I will concede to them.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
November 8th, 2012
6:22 pm
Since the second term of most presidents, even the good ones, is never anything to brag about and is often a disaster, what can we expect of someone who was a disaster in his first term. Maybe he will reverse a trend, I sure hope so. We need some relief.
JamVet
November 8th, 2012
6:23 pm
There is one thing that I am a tad embarrassed about.
And that was that I even remotely thought about buying into this made up out of thin air, 11th hour nonsense that this was going to be a really close election!!!!
Razor thin the cons were saying. Romney winning the popular vote the cons were saying. And some of the perpetually delusional cons here talking about a Willard landslide.
Sheesh.
This election was over more than a year ago.
That almost all of the more disgusting high profile con-cretins in congress went down in flames was just a bonus.
A BIG bonus…
md
November 8th, 2012
6:23 pm
“And all those things are results of the 8 years of Bush, and the country knows it, which is why they rejected the Republican brand once again.”
And that kind of thinking will be the start of the pendulum heading in the other direction. Yes, the country does know the facts, and it wasn’t all Bush’s fault………folks trying to push that narrative are the ones that look silly, and the country knows that too……..
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 8th, 2012
6:24 pm
“But your side is irrelevant now,”
Right until the first votes in the U.S. House and Senate in 2013, Progressive Humanist.
As much as I know you’d love a little Communist haven where a small politburo tells everyone what to do, we live in a Constitutional Republic.
So as long as there is a majority of GOP reps in the House, and more than 40 GOP Senators, there is no such thing as “irrelevant”.
Progressive Humanist
November 8th, 2012
6:26 pm
Any economist will tell you that you’re supposed to run a deficit during a recession. But that deficit was originally caused by GW (prior to the recession) with two wars that were not paid for and through tax cuts for the wealthy (more money out, less money in). But all that’s about to change soon when we are no longer in any active wars and the Bush tax cuts expire, to be replaced by a tax cut for only those making $250k a year of less. That’s what the adults will do.
JamVet
November 8th, 2012
6:26 pm
I’ve just learned that the millions and millions of OWS miscreants, arsonists, rapists and other street criminals, all of whom crapped on cop cars (LOL!), all voted for Barry!
And THAT is what swung the election to the American-hating, Uppity Kenyan Socialist, Marxist Muslim without a Birth Certificate…
Karl Rover
November 8th, 2012
6:27 pm
Buddy, can you spare a dime?
cc
November 8th, 2012
6:27 pm
Progressive Humanist:
“your opinions are an insignificant addition to any conversation”
It doesn’t take long for one to come to that conclusion about YOU.
ld
November 8th, 2012
6:28 pm
The evangelical zealots readily understand that Islamic fundamentalism as government is tyranny; however, they are incapable of seeing that evangelical fundamentalism as government is also tyranny — any religion is tyranny, any actions forced upon the population is tyranny, NOT “faith”.
What the GOP needs to do is to acknowledge that all citizens are entitled ti individual libert y– including that women have the right to make their own personal, medical and reproductive decisions. Bluntly put, if any man does not feel a women should decide what to do with the “fruit of his loins”, then he should not give it to her.
Smaller, less intrusive government MUST include the most personal and intimate decisions people make — not just with regard to profit$ and the unregulated pursuit thereof, as the moneyed, investor/employer class of the GOP has clearly come to believe. People should be able to choose their own lifestyle and self-identify that lifestyle by any name without being denied equal right under law.
Churches, of course, should have “freedom of association” and be able to refuse to perform “marriages” of any persons they want for any reason, but, in a free society, government does not have the right to deny equal right under law.
In short, the GOP must FIRST re-embrace its libertarian wing.
SECOND, the GOP must reject its hypocracy. Claiming the US is a Christian nation and feeding off the “values voters” while aiming its economic polices primarily toward aiding the wealthiest among us, contrary to biblical admonition to aid the least among us REEKS.
The GOP professes to embrace “free market capitalism”; however, the capitalism that has actually been embraced by the moneyed investor class is “crony capitalism”. Every aspect of the economic rat race has been rigged so the wealthiest among us have a head start in that “sport” — a head start that gets greater with each generation.
JamVet
November 8th, 2012
6:29 pm
Rafe, yet in spite of your flowery verbiage, you voted for George and Dick again in 2004, didn’t you?
You neocons have NO credibility.
Zero.
Michael H. Smith ~ The Socialist Monster no longer hides under the bed in Greece...
November 8th, 2012
6:29 pm
md
November 8th, 2012
6:23 pm
They look sadly uninformed now that the facts have been made known and all the fingerprints from all the guilty hands have been shown publicly by less than conservative sources like PBS Frontline.
Progressive Humanist
November 8th, 2012
6:31 pm
md- If the citizens of this country agreed with your “facts” then there would have been a different outcome Tuesday night. But Americans rejected you. Keep thinking that the pendulum will swing back. This was the closest election, barring midterms, that you’re going to see in a while. The influence of the South and the big empty states in the west will continue to dwindle. As a matter of fact, by 2016 white voters (the only voters who vote Republican) will only make up about 56% of voters in Georgia, and Georgia will then be a swing state. When that happens we won’t see another Republican president for a very long time.
Exit Polling
November 8th, 2012
6:33 pm
40% of voters described themselves as moderate.
Obama received 60% of their votes.
@@
November 8th, 2012
6:33 pm
AmVet:
Unlike you, I’ve never claimed to be something I’m not.
I voiced my opposition to the bailouts. I’ve also voiced my opposition to government subsidies of any kind.
As far as “The Myth of Campaign Finance Reform”…I refer you to my oft posted article at National Affairs Magazine. There’s no historical evidence of corporate money buying elections. If that were true, Obama would’ve lost this election. It’s nothing more than an attempt to silence free speech.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 8th, 2012
6:35 pm
“Abortion and gay marriage didn’t make the difference Tiberius.”
Then explain the 11 percentage-point difference in the women’s vote, Michael.
Hint: It wasn’t the Democrat “ground game”.
JamVet
November 8th, 2012
6:35 pm
…and it wasn’t all Bush’s fault…
Exactly.
None of it was!
Seriously, as much as any other reason this is why the GOP is still so toxic. And why you have gotten absolutely hammered in three out of four elections now.
You 11th Commandment alcoholics pretend that you don’t have a problem. And in my useless opinion, until you stop blathering about Jimmy Carter and start owning up – *really* owning up – to the legacy of the worst administration in modern American history, more of the same as Tuesday night is headed your way.
Selah.
MarkV
November 8th, 2012
6:36 pm
The fundamental mistake Kyle is making in much of his article is to look at the issue from the point of view of how to make more people like what the Republican party stands for, rather than to understand what most people want. For instance, with the minorities, apparently they do not know what is good for them, the Republicans must tell them. Only with the gay marriage issue Kyle seems to understand that the party is on the wrong side of history.
Exit Polling
November 8th, 2012
6:37 pm
“It’s nothing more than an attempt to silence free speech.”
Well apparently you were not speaking freely enough about Romney, because he was run right out of the Electoral College gym. Game was over before tip off.
Aquagirl
November 8th, 2012
6:37 pm
It doesn’t take long for one to come to that conclusion about YOU.
Sez the guy who squealed in October “Check out the Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll for today. Things ain’t looking too good for your soon-to-be ex-president. Can you say, “Bye, Bye Barak”? Better get used to it!”
But as I’ve said before being completely wrong doesn’t slow down most conservatives.
Progressive Humanist
November 8th, 2012
6:37 pm
Well, I see that cc is back. Where were you Tuesday night? A few days before that you predicted that I wouldn’t be here and that if I was I’d be posting under another name. That’s pretty ironic considering that I as right here posting under my usual name and you were the one hiding in the closet. You should go back and read the posts from 9pm-1am Tuesday night. There was a little conversation about you. You didn’t have the juevos to come out of hiding then, so I’m surprised that you’re not smart enough to save yourself the embarrassment now.
Weren’t you so positive that Romney was going to crush the President in a landslide based on all the “facts”? How’d that work out for you? Do you make a living being wrong? You’re certainly a pro at it.
@@
November 8th, 2012
6:38 pm
It’ll be interesting to see what befalls California. Dems now have a super majority and have won support for a tax increase.
Dave
November 8th, 2012
6:38 pm
“Why not fight the notion these laws are about suppressing voting, rather than reducing fraud, by taking proactive steps to help put IDs in the hands of the people who think they’re being targeted?”
Thanks for the chuckle. Those laws are all about suppressing non-GOP voters. (Google the issue and add the word Pennsylvania for a few choice quotes.) If the GOP were serious, it would attack absentee voting, where there is some real live fraud; but, that would tend to disenfranchise some GOP folks.
I look forward to hearing you tell us how the GOP will become relevant before its current leaders die off and are replaced by the minorities the current folks fear.
Georgia
November 8th, 2012
6:41 pm
Will the GOP Elephant go the way of the Woolly Mammoth? Will the Tea Party go the way of the Neanderthals?
Romney actually tried to ape Obama at the end, and it looks like we’re going to have two democratic parties in two years for midterms. That’s fine. I don’t care if the Republicans get into office as long as they are Democrats.
And they would have to be democrats, or they wouldn’t get elected in two years now, would they?
BTW: I demand an investigation into Florida’s polls. I demand that Jeb Bush explain why Florida can’t get it in on time. Conservative delusion, as seen through the eyes of Jeb and W Bush remind me of Saddam Hussein’s sons, Qusay, his brother Uday (and his other brother Uday) who fought it out in the palace till the end. Remember Baghdad Bob’s reporting on that? What a journalist. “Qusay and Uday have held off the entire Third Army for fourteen days. They have completely foiled American invasion plans…,”
Progressive Humanist
November 8th, 2012
6:42 pm
Out of the 26 pollsters who tracked the election, Rasmussen was near the very bottom of the list (I think 24th) in terms of accuracy. Who was most accurate ? PPP. Republicans always, always pick the wrong horse.
JamVet
November 8th, 2012
6:43 pm
Then explain the 11 percentage-point difference in the women’s vote, Michael.
Lotsa reasons, this being one…
In 2009, all but five Senate Republicans voted against the Lilly Ledbetter act. Of those five, four were women and the other was the late-Senator Arlen Specter, who later switched to the Democratic Party.
The GOP’s Male Masters of the Uterus got some splainin’ to do!!
Exit Polling
November 8th, 2012
6:43 pm
Rasmussen tried to make it close at the end to keep his credibility, but he had the right eating out of his hand for two months.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 8th, 2012
6:46 pm
“And in my useless opinion,”
Truer words were never written, AmVet.
Exit Polling
November 8th, 2012
6:47 pm
http://gawker.com/5958923/australia-twitter+shames-the-crap-out-of-random-teen-who-threatens-to-move-down-under-after-obama-win
18-year-old Kristen Neel of Georgia thought she would be just another threat in the crowd when she tweeted shortly after President Obama’s reelection that she was “moving to Australia, because their president is a Christian and actually supports what he says.”
However, not wanting to get stuck with someone as ignorant as Neel, the people of Australia quickly banded together and tweet-shamed her into oblivion.
“[O]ur “president” is a prime minister, is a woman, and is an atheist,” responded one of the more than 1,500 Twitter users who retweeted Neel’s remark. “I think you meant Antarctica. Move there.”
I
Michael H. Smith ~ The Socialist Monster no longer hides under the bed in Greece...
November 8th, 2012
6:48 pm
ld
November 8th, 2012
6:28 pm
Is a State issued license to drive a car, your unconditional right? Is a State issued license to hunt, your unconditional right? Is a State issued license to practice medicine, your unconditional right?
Fact is, no State issued license of any kind including a marriage license is your or anyone’s unconditional right. Met the State’s conditions and you can equally get any license the State offers.
This license issue isn’t about your love, government intrusion into your private life or you not getting equal rights, when you really want is unconditional equal results.
Love who you want, live your private life with whatever adult consents and have the benefits you say you can’t get otherwise under a different State contractual agreement but don’t think that a right that solely belongs to the State is something you are due without meeting the conditions of the State that grants to you a privilege of holding one of its’ licenses of any kind.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 8th, 2012
6:48 pm
AmVet, let’s see if you can answer this question:
What did the Lilly Ledbetter Act do?
And no fair peeking at Wiki or Google. Let’s see if you know squat about anything.
getalife
November 8th, 2012
6:49 pm
Don’t change a thing cons and keep listening to the newt and rw media that lied to you.
Stay the course cons.
You hate change so don’t do it.
Aquagirl
November 8th, 2012
6:50 pm
Go Michael! Keep beating that dead, stinking horse hung around the neck of the Republican party!
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 8th, 2012
6:51 pm
“Is a State issued license to drive a car, your unconditional right? Is a State issued license to hunt, your unconditional right? Is a State issued license to practice medicine, your unconditional right?”
No, but EQUALITY is a right, Michael.
You have the right to marry a consenting adult OF YOUR CHOOSING.
Why can’t gays have that same right?
And “Because you say so” just doesn’t cut it anymore.
md
November 8th, 2012
6:53 pm
Well Am, those that have a clue understand that even Bush was warning that Fannie and Freddie needed to be reformed or bad things were going to happen. F&F added more to their portfolio during that time frame than at any time in it’s history……and what did the dems say?
Naw, it’s not a problem……….well, it was.
Google has that info out there if anyone wants to educate themselves, but many here will just stick with the “all Bush’s fault” meme and keep their heads in the sand……..
JamVet
November 8th, 2012
6:53 pm
Thought you’d love that, oh self-important one!
Hang tough.
The sting of this second straight McCaining will go away.
In about four years!
Unless of course, the American-hating Muslim gets a couple more baby killing liberals on the Supreme Court!
I just hope (foolishly) that Mitt Romney learned his very painful lesson. He could have remained true to himself, told the tea flavored and other nutjobs to p*ss off and possibly won this election.
Instead he sucked up to the lunatic fringe and got clobbered.
Hopefully the next Mitt Romney (if there are any left) will stand up to the dysfunctional GOP machinery and be a viable candidate…
Dave
November 8th, 2012
6:56 pm
So Michael, tyranny of the majority it is! Are you young enough to be around and in the minority in a few decades?
md
November 8th, 2012
6:56 pm
“But all that’s about to change soon when we are no longer in any active wars and the Bush tax cuts expire, to be replaced by a tax cut for only those making $250k a year of less. That’s what the adults will do.”
And then the smart adults will do the math and realize that those tax increases will be nowhere near what is needed to fix the problem and then they will go oops, we need them from EVERYBODY so we can remain in our spending ways……..foolish people.
As for the wars…..is interesting that Iran fired on our drone in international waters and it is only now, after the election, that it is made public……again, foolish people.
JamVet
November 8th, 2012
6:57 pm
md, you are an unrepentant Bush/Cheney apologist.
From the very get go, they threw rocket fuel on a rapidly growing fire.
And the take away from those head-in-the-sand fools?
Don’t blame him (Bush), nobody saw it coming. ~Richard Bruce Cheney, 2009
Progressive Humanist
November 8th, 2012
6:58 pm
Wow, cc, hightailed it like a rat when the lights go on. I guess he was afraid of taking it on the chin.
Exit Polling
November 8th, 2012
7:00 pm
How about the insinuations a few months ago from a few bloggers on this very blog that Gallup was polling in favor of Obama because of the issues they were having with the Justice Department?
When Gallup tightened then starting showing Romney up by as much as 7pts (damn the sheep were excited then, were they not?) the crappy conspiracy vanished from the blogs, talk radio and right leaning website.
oh well, the tears keep flowing and excuses keep showing
md
November 8th, 2012
7:01 pm
“md, you are an unrepentant Bush/Cheney apologist.”
Wrong Am, just a realist that understands that Bush didn’t do it all by himself……he certainly had a role, but hardly did it alone…….and if one can’t understand that the dems also played a role, then they just don’t want to hear the truth………
Michael H. Smith ~ The Socialist Monster no longer hides under the bed in Greece...
November 8th, 2012
7:01 pm
JamVet
November 8th, 2012
6:43 pm
Very easy brucie wilcox, the GOP let you socialist DEMwits define them into the extreme narrative of a nut-job who said in the case of legitimate rape nature will abort the fetus and into the extreme narrative of those who would deny abortion under any and all conditions, which I do not support and never have, never will.
Propaganda is something you socialists invent under Woodrow Wilson and I’ll give it to you brucie yous guys are good at much better than the GOP.
Committee on Public Information
President Woodrow Wilson established the Committee on Public Information (CPI) through Executive Order 2594 on April 13, 1917. The committee consisted of George Creel (chairman) and as ex officio members the Secretaries of: State (Robert Lansing), War (Newton D. Baker), and the Navy (Josephus Daniels).
Creel urged Wilson to create a government agency to coordinate “not propaganda as the Germans defined it, but propaganda in the true sense of the word, meaning the ‘propagation of faith.’”[1] He was a journalist with years of experience on the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News before accepting Wilson’s appointment to the CPI. He had a contentious relationship with Secretary Baker.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_on_Public_Information
Michael H. Smith ~ The Socialist Monster no longer hides under the bed in Greece...
November 8th, 2012
7:03 pm
Dave, surely you are old enough to do better than that kind of comment. I expect such form wa wa girl who thinks the GOP has controlled this State for 70 years.
Exit Polling
November 8th, 2012
7:04 pm
MHS
You have excuses raining down faster than Obama was tallying Electoral Votes Tuesday night as you were long faces and teary eyed, watching the long faces on Fox.
And they were coming quick, huh?
Michael H. Smith ~ The Socialist Monster no longer hides under the bed in Greece...
November 8th, 2012
7:05 pm
Also follow-up on researching Edward Bernays in conclusion to my 7:01 pm comment if you would like more info.