Message To The GOP – You Need To Start Over.
By Texas Hill Country on November 10, 2008 at 6:22 PM in Current Affairs, Martin Luther King, Republicans
In the wake of the 2008 elections, it has become painfully obvious that the Republican Party needs to wipe the slate clean, do a total house cleaning and start over; rebuilding the party around their young superstars.
Where was the famous and much touted day of the election get out the vote power of the GOP?
Why isn’t the name of the Chairman of the GOP, Mike Duncan, a household name?
How did the Republican Party get out done in fundraising by the Democrats?
Where was the Republican presence on college campuses?
Why were the same people running things during the 2006 midterm election disaster still running things in 2008? In a party that is supposed to be the embodiment of merit based success, those that failed in 2006 should have been long gone. In any corporation, that board of directors would have been out….
Why can’t members of the black community name one black Republican… or even know there is an equivalent to the Congressional Black Caucus on the Republican side.
Once upon a time, it was cool to be a Republican. That time has passed.
With a Presidential Nominee and a Chairman of the Party, not to mention the continued idolization of Reagan, the Republican Party has now become my grandfather’s party.
So here is some advice…
1. Find a new image. The Republican party has been the party of the rich white man for the last 50 years, a total shame and a betrayal of what made it great.
Remind people of your history.
Remind people that the first woman elected to Congress was a Republican. Remind people that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican. Remind people the Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. Remind people that Susan B. Anthony was a Republican. Remind people that the party that fought to get African Americans and women the right to vote was the Republican Party. Remind people that the Republican Party is the party of equality and freedom for all people. Remind people that the Republican Party is the party of innovation, dynamism and inspiration, not the party of old rich white guys.
2. Find a new Chairman. I suggest someone young and energetic. Michael Steele would be a great choice. Chairman of GOPac, he is universally respected in the Party. A former Lt Governor and Senatorial candidate, he is acutely aware of the minutia and difficulties of campaigning. As a PAC chairman, he is a keen and experienced fundraiser. As an ex-Lt Governor and Senatorial candidate, he is also aware of what image is and how to cultivate one in the media. Add this to the fact that he is also an African American, this instantly dispels the old rich white guy image.
3. Rebuild the College Republicans. Why is it that the college campuses have been taken over by the Democrats and how could the GOP have let the Democrats the first crack at a generation of Americans? Make youth reach out a priority… that is truly the future of the party and generates decades worth of votes.
4. Stop talking about Reagan as if he was President just yesterday and as if he was some sort of current force in politics when he left office 20 years ago… and people under 25 don’t remember him being President at all and those 35 and under just barely do. Reagan is a great figure to point to, but should be treated more like Lincoln than Clinton, who is still current, topical and all voters remember.
5. Clean house, get rid of the campaign and organizational staff that lost you the 2006-2008 elections. The GOP got it’s butt kicked up and down the electoral map by the DNC, not once, but twice. Bad. It’s time to draft some new players….
6. As a correlation to step 5, stop running people like Fred Thompson, John McCain, Duncan Hunter, or even Mitt Romney and anyone else born pre-1949. Though they are all good and honorable men, with much to offer, they don’t resonate with the majority of today’s voters and the image they present is one of the past and not one of the future.
7. Rebuild the party around your young stars. Primarily, stop the take down of Palin and stop it now. Get a hold of your party and get a hold of it now. Bolster people like Palin, Jindal, Cantor, Pawlenty, Steele, Watts and the like.
8. Stop relying on the technology of the 1990’s to get the job done in the 2000’s. The GOP has allowed the communications medium of the future to be taken by the Democrats… how the hell could you let that happen?
Stop relying on talk radio to get your message out.
The GOP needs a network of bloggers and a much larger online foot print. (BTW, Mr. GOP, I am available for consultations and to offer any advice on how to replicate an Obama type take over of the netroots should you decide to move into the new millennium LOL.) They need to increase netroots networks and maximize online fundraising capabilities.
The GOP also needs to gather cell phone numbers and create an SMS messaging program. Their membership databases need to be updated. According to one of my readers, the amount of horribly outdated information in the phone banks was astounding. I am guessing that is what happened to the election day get out the vote effort.
9. Start running a 50 State strategy much like the Democrats did, and start now. There is no reason that the Republican message should not appeal to everyone. The GOP should get off its’ butt and go talk to the people they haven’t visited in 50 years. I have a feeling they might like to see them… or at least some of them will, but isn’t that enough? Making small inroads into voting populations is essential because those small inroads become larger with time. And eventually, you can win states by the 0.5 to 2% margins that Obama rode to victory.
IN CONCLUSION: The GOP needs to remind people of its history, but also to leave its’ history as history. The Republican Party can no longer ride on the legacy of Reagan. They must re-invent itself and become the party of the future.
- The Grand Old Party must become the Brand New Party or it will continue to wither away and die.
This is cross posted from my new blog home at http:/texashillblog.blogspot.com, so if you have links, please change them! Thanks!
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Thank you
Thank you
Thank you.
Someone has got to tell them.
Although I think they are waking up. There seems to be some movement online. The moderates are coming out. You can not continue to let your party be ruled by the ultra conservative. It needs to be more inclusive. They got four years to get their sh*t together.
We’ve got some good ones– Shadegg, Kyl, Cantor. Jindal could be good.
We’re the party of Lincoln, MLK, and Susan B Anthony. And Sarah Palin
It’s time for us to get out of the bedroom, focus on liberty and fiscal conservative issues, and get off the defensive. We shouldn’t have anything to be ashamed of.
Unfortunately, the GOP allowed itself to become the party of Jesse Helms, Strom Thurmond, Phyllis Schlafly, Tom Tancredo and Jerry Falwell (if not by registration, then in spirit–no pun intended).
Racists, anti-feminists, and religion-based bigots eventually forced one of the GOP’s strongest African-American representatives, J.C. Watts, to finally leave office. He offered outspoken criticism of the Republican Party for its failure to actually get out and work to get the African-American vote and he was very vocal about how the Party’s continued reliance on (and frequent pandering to) the “bigot vote” would kill the Party’s chances of ever growing.
It should be noted that Latinos, while largely a socially conservative bloc (which should be a strong base for the GOP), are largely opposed to the way the GOP has used Latinos as scapegoats in the immigration battle. (At the same time, most Latinos become incensed that all Latinos are grouped together as though they all share the same concerns. Most, however, are united in their opposition to being viewed as the “enemy” in the immigration battle.) But, this year, Latinos, as a group, voted Democrat in greater numbers than in 2004.
Mark Levin just played a tape of David Schuster on MSNBC reporting on the false Palin rumors allegedly leaked by McCain staffers. In this audio, Schuster names a Michael Eisenstat of the McCain campaign as a source.
Mark Levin goes on to say that there IS NO Michael Eisenstat – that it was a hoax, but David Schuster reported it on MSNBC anyway.
I have not been able to find the video of this report by David Schuster.
But it would be an interesting find for someone to write a MSM report on and then get into Matt Drudge’s hands.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/11/10/sarah-palin-leaker-outs-himself
It was all a hoax
But the Democrats have been run by the loopy left! They swarmed the blogs, cutting people down and forcing them off. They took over much of the cable network pundits. Moderation never seems to win out when it comes to picking a president.
i don’t know; from what i’m hearing, the far-righters are blaming the loss on the moderates. i’m not sure there are enough moderates in the repug party form a new centrist party.
You’ve done an awesome job laying out what they need to do. There has to be a major shake-up and they have to be willing to put aside some of the wedge issues if they hope to survive in the new America. And it really is a new America. I think you nailed the generational divide quite nicely.
I agree.
Texas Hill, great job.
Even though I have been a Dem all my life, I got disgusted with the party this year and changed to an independent. The Republicans likewise need to stop being the party of wedge issues –
Why are people voting FOR you — not what issue are they voting AGAINST.
Pawlenty gave a speech to Republicans recently about that very issue.
I think both parties need to be reformed because I no longer feel Dems are the party of working class voters or women of LGBT — much as they pretend they are.
There are a lot of disenfranchised people out there — millions. Who is going to scoop them up.
And I don’t mean over the short term with cheap empty rhetoric — but who is relly going to show they care about rank and file citizens of this country.
It remains to be seen.
Total Agreement. Do not forget Teddy Roosevelt: amazingly complex figure but the father of our national park system, federal laws to protect our food supply and many more progressive measures.
GOP: As of the current election, YOU DO NOT HAVE EVEN ONE REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN/WOMAN FROM NEW ENGLAND. YOU HAVE ONLY 3 SENATORS FROM NEW ENGLAND!
Refuse, absolutely refuse, to get involved in making cultural litmus tests a part of politics. Take the moral imperatives back to the churches where they belong.
The Republican party has been the party of MAINSTREET AMERICA. That is where the middle class is.
The really sad fact is that the GOP casualties in this election and in 2006 were the moderate/center right Republicans. To that possible future leadership I would add Christ of FL.
BTW: Duncan Hunter would not be on my good and honorable list.
Also get rid of the anti-immigrant rhetoric. That destroyed the Republican Party in CA (Pete Wilson/George Deukmagian era). And it threw away a huge voting bloc that would have supported McCain just as they supported and brought home the Yes on 8 vote. Bush and Rove were correct to position the party for that voting group and the Tom Tancredos deep sixed it. They need to do voter education in those areas.
“Get rid of the antiimmigrant rhetoric.
What do you not understand about the word “illegal”?
Where do you live? Have you seen your property taxes increase by 30% to pay for a school district that now has a student body that is 25% illegal? Extra teachers who can speak Spanish, expensive trailers to be used as class rooms, greater number of kids getting not only free lunches, but free breakfast, as well.
I don’t know ONE Republican that is against “legal” immigration. But I sure know a hellofa lot of them that resent the illegal immigrants. In Texas, we have a segment called Tejanos. Look it up. And they are the most vocal of all against illegal immigration because it is them our policy hurts.
Damn, could people like you quit saying that Republicans are against immigration and put that word “illegal” in front of it?
Great article and I agree, the GOP must start anew with their youngest and brightest. Though I am not happy about the outcome, I have to admit that the Obama campaign was the most well run and most organized this election cycle. They ran a 21st century campaign ( all fraud and thuggetry aside)while the GOP and even the Clintons ran campaigns the way they have been run through the ages. This should be a wake up call to all future political campaigns.
Palin 2012 The Real Deal
Remeber though, the DNC did resort to cheating to get Obama the Democrat nomination. Obama did not legitimately win the nom. He had a slick, well-funded and well-operated campaign – but Obama STILL LOST the popular vote to Hillary Clinton during the primary. That truth should NEVER be glossed over.
Obama’s campaign would have been impressive had he actually won the primary legitimately. Without screwing over others to get there.
No offense intended. But Obrats being impressed with Obama’s campaign is just like people who are impressed with Barry Bonds’s historical baseball record – even knowing that he has used steroids for pratically all of his professional career. When I look at the Obrats now, I think, “What the hell you bragging for? Obama stole and cheated to get there!” What victory is there in that?
Obama’s DNC presidency is now just like Bush’s Supreme Court presidency.
No sour grapes here – but history cannot be rewritten.
don’t forget his money advantage and the 24/7 shilling for him by the MSM. that accounts for his success more than anything else.
Yeah, we need to have an asterisk after this presidency for cheating, caucus fraud, illegal fundraising.
Excuse me??!! Obama ran a Banana Republic Third World campaign including voter intimidation at the polls, and built on “grassroots” efforts, i.e. registration fraud, internet monitoring and raiding (like the invaders of this blog), harassment and intimidation of McCain supporters, theft, and on and on. It was an early 20th century style campaign–shades of Chicago during Prohibition.
The New Republican party needs to become the party of freedom and equal opportunity especially for women.
As a long time democrat I’m watching and not committed to either party anymore.
They surely could jump out and take the lead on women. They’ve got a perfect opportunity to show the Dems they’re serious in the appeal to women and serious in advancement of women to high levels in the party. Sarah has ignited something and it really ought to be fanned while it burns.
That’s the old Republican Party, the party as it was during Eisenhower’s administration. The party of civil rights and freedom, the party that gave us Brown v. Board of Education and Earl Warren. the party that gave us Everett Dirksen (R-IL) who led the civil rights legislation through the Senate that made LBJ a pariah in his own party. The Democrats at that time were the party of the KKK and segregationist.
Me either. I respect many qualities that Sarah Palin has I simply will note vote for a party that denies women equal rights because of the religious fanaticism of a few.
if the repubs go out and talk to the people listenting to their concerns, they can put the democrats out to pasture for the next 50 years. that is a very big if.
Was Rove giving any advice to McCain. I know he was communicating with Donna Brazile alot. It makes me wonder if Bush and his people didn’t prefer Obama to be president. They seemed to be getting along great today as they met. The first thing that came to mind when I saw them was dumb and dumber. It should have been Hillary that’s just what the country needed,too bad!
Funny you should say this.
I explained to my mother – a Kool-Aid drinker (but I love her to death
) about Karl Rove and Donna Brazile being buddy-buddy for the past several years. She was shocked and said, “Well, maybe Rove made a deal with the Democrats this year.”
Think about it. Many in Bush’s administration were facing SERIOUS legal trouble for all of the laws they broke in the past eight years, including the Iraq war obviously. Richard Nixon was forced out of office for doing less rot than GWB did. But then “Botox” Pelosi stated that Congressional Democrats going through with a Bush impeachment was “off the table.”
Is it remotely possible that crooked Democrats struck deals with Rove, Bush and his administration to put their puppet Obama in the White House in exchange for their freedom?
Your mother is probably on to something. That off the table comment was so out of character for the 2006 run ‘em out of town election. I bet your mama is right.
Makes sense doesn’t it. What will they collude on next?
What also leads me to believe this is Obama’s first press conference when he was newly elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. The clip was posted here at NQ many times this year.
Obama was asked immediately if he was going to run for the Presidency in 2008. He responded that he wasn’t ready & that he would have only served two years as a Senator before running.
Three years later, Obama announced his run for the Presidency.
Definitely suspect.
A former Senator, he is acutely aware of the minutia and difficulties of campaigning. … As an ex-Senator, he is also aware of what image is and how to cultivate one in the media.
Michael Steele was never a Senator. Not even a state senator.
You are correct. He was actually a candidate for the Senate, but lost. He was the Lt. Governor of Maryland. I dunno why I typed it that way.
Thanks for catching that… even I miss stuff in my proofreading.
He is also not all that popular in Maryland, his home state. He got trounced by a real dull democrat when he ran for Senate in 2006. He kind of has an approach that he is better than the average AA. In Maryland if you win three counties you can carry the state. He did neither despite about a 95% AA population in Pronce Georges County, large black population in Montgomery County and Baltimore City.
They should get someone even younger than he to be the chairperson, who can speak well and is willing to go on every talk show in America and sya what the party stands for. Like it or not the Dems have beaten the GOP at their own game. They will have to deliver quickly or they maybe in trouble on 10. Usually a president loses seats in the mid terms. We will have to see what Obama can come up with between now and then. So far, he has shown trouble making a decision about a dog and trashing Nancy Reagan. Not a great start, but you gotta love his new seal through.
I still think the Repubs threw the election. I am a lifelong Dem, never before voted for Repub. until McCain/Palin and down. My husband is a lifelong Republican, but I had to beg them to request contributions from him. When they finally did, they put his name under mine on the solicitations (he was miffed). Today I received another letter from McCain/Palin Victory Committee ASKING ME ALONE FOR $100.
As an independent voter, I will not support the DNC until the leadership has changed. It will probably never be investigated, but the ILLEGAL fundraising by the dems could not be surpassed by anyone. It has set a terrible precedent. I do hope the GOP makes the changes. Your suggestions are good ones.
the rule of law is over in this country; it’s so old school.
Very good Article and Subject and Advice there THC..
Its mall pretty much TRUE what you said far as I can see…The GOP hads been run by a Bunch of Rich White Guys…with some gals in thier inner Circle too…But you can bet they Got the Family Money or CONTROL it…
POLITICS has gone through a HUGH and Radical transformation..It really started BIG with the GWB Administration and the “NEOCONS”..doing thier “Neo” Scheming .. lead by some “NeoNuts” who forgot they wewre suppose to be “Serving the People”…and created all Kinds of Problems…They started Out BAD and they have Ended BAD…and the Nation Suffers for it…
NUFF NeoNuttiness..
I agree…The so called “Conservatives” who LOVE GOD…COUNTRY…………And Apple Pie,,,,and dont think Babys should be Murdered in the WOMB..Have some really good people at the Base…Are Great Citizens..many are military..and also have a Great Base made up of Children and Young Adults too with high standards..Good attitudes and who make Good Role Models for other Young Peoip0le in Our society..
The so Called “Progressive’ and “Liberal’ kis in our schools and Universitys were highly Organized and Motivated and mobilized by the people who have studied organizing Youth Movements since the 60’s..
Its time that the Conservatives and republicans need to step out at the grass Roots level in Schools and Communitys Again….
When i grew up…Most kids came from Conservative Homes and Conservative values..
I saw all of that Undermined and changed from ther 60s Onward…until we have the RESULTS before Us Today….
What happened to new ideas? I keep reading editorials that say Republicans need new ‘ideas’, but for the most part the solutions are new ‘marketing’. Some articles are interesting as to where the nation is, yet Republicans come out with the same position on issues that are done and over. When the party platform came out, it seemed more out of touch than ever.
Look, I know that people think the Republican party is going down the drain, but the same was said about the democratic party, when Bush and the Republicans took over Washington, about the Democrats.
This too shall pass.
Obama is probably going to be a disaster, giving the Republicans the opening they need to get back on track. What they need to do, is not get off track once they are back on.
you are right… they did say the same thing about the Democrats. And guess what? The Democrats totally re-invented themselves.
And not for the better.
Now I think the Republicans suffered from a lot of corruption. They have a chance here, to turn it all around.
And to be honest, I think, they needed this, to get back to their roots.
And they need to kick the Bushes to the curb, both times a Bush was President, the Republicans lost big.
Glen Beck is on O’Reilly show now talking about just this. Speaking on behalf of Conservatives Glenn pointed out that the Republican Party has let them down and has lost its way. Sounds like he has similar complaints about the RNC that PUMAs have with DNC.
Just saw Art Laffer – the man who came up with the
“Laffer curve” which “proved that tax increases are always baaaaaaaad!- on CNBC. Reagan glommed on to Laffer’s extremist idea and voila! Big deficits. Laffer was trying to argue that our current economic downturn was caused by tax increases. He got shot down by others on the panel and wound up saying that the increased spending will mean that we will have to raise taxes in the future. So the economy is tanking because of FUTURE tax cuts!
This is the kind of crackpot economic idea that has been driving Republican policy since the 80’s, with disastrous results each time they got a chance to apply it. Bush Sr. had it right when he called it voodoo economics.
Republicans need to give up the magical thinking and return to the reality-based world. They also need to put democracy before capitalism instead of acting like they are one and the same.
It was Jesse Jackson Sr. who coined the term voodoo economics. It was the cornerstone of his Poor People’s Campaign.
agree wholeheartedly with the first 9. must, however, add my own…
10) stop being the party of the religious right. it turns off those of us who are fiscally conservative and socially moderate or centrist.
10-a) stop being the anti-abortion party. again, it turns off those of us who are fiscally conservative and socially moderate or centrist. it also flies in the face of privacy issues and keeping the government out of our business which used to be one of the tenets of the gop.
10-b) stop being the anti-lesbian/gay party. again, the government in the your business is just so wrong and so not gop. mccain was the first gop candidate, i believe, to EVER ask for the lesbian/gay vote and as a result, he received more than in history.
despite what another poster suggested regarding backing off of immigration…. pshaw!! illegal immigration is killing the california state budget. KILLING it. fiscally conservative folks such as myself will not vote for anyone who wants to either keep the doors open or offer amnesty to anyone who breaks immigration laws. i’m also centrist enough socially to not give a good-god-damn about the plight of lawbreakers, esp. not enough to give them amnesty.
prior to 5/31/08, i was a democrat, though i have been at odds with the party regarding fiscal matters, immigration and privacy issues. the hillary thing and the sexism and misogyny allowed to flow from the party was a deal-breaker for me. i’m an independent at this moment, however, i could easily be swayed to join the gop, but not until the privacy and religious right issues are resolved. no matter what, i’ll campaign for palin in ‘12 with every fiber of my being.
The majority opinion in Roe v Wade was written by a Nixon appointee, and later re-affirmed in Casey v Planned Parenthood by O’Connor, a Reagan appointee. The majority opinion in two Supreme Court decisions that held laws criminalizing private homosexual acts and laws barring gays from bringing discrimination claims in court as unconstitutional violations of equal protection under the 14th amendment were written by another Reagan appointee. The California Supreme Court decision that held laws banning gays from equal protection under marriage statutes was also written by a Republican appointee.
When I see what people think, it’s a wonder that we can get anyone to agree on anything! I feel like every person has a different idea on what they would like to support.
I’d say that I do think we need to get control of the immigration. If we need people to do jobs that we can’t fill within the country (which, judging by the number of jobs lost last month should be fewer than ever, except that we have quite a few of our own number who wouldn’t consider doing the jobs that our immigrants do, whether they’re jobless or not), then we need to set up a legal way to handle this — work visas, etc. I would also say that we need to stop extending citizenship to those who are born here to parents who are not legally within the country — there are other countries which handle the situation in this way, and I don’t think it’s an unfair way to handle it. We don’t need to cast aspersions on the people who come here — punish the employers who don’t follow the law, not the people who come here looking for a better life — give them an avenue to be here working legally, but punish the employer who hires people illegally in order to undermine our laws concerning minimum wage, taxes, etc. If each illegal employee cost a company X number of dollars (and have it be a large number), you would see corporate behavior change. Dry up the market for illegal jobs, and people will go elsewhere, or use legal means to obtain their jobs.
I’d love to see the Republican party try harder to be inclusive of the gay population. That’s a group that I just don’t have a problem with at all. I think it might be an older generation thing, or maybe a verrrry religious thing, but I’m thinking it’s something that requires some “mind shaping”. I’m sure that there has to be gay people who are socially or fiscally conservative but vote Democrat because the Democrats seem to be the only party of inclusion on this matter. They’ve got trouble in the D’s right now, as there are many who voted for Obama who also voted against gay marriage. While I am a very socially conservative person in a lot of ways, I do believe that God doesn’t make mistakes, and if people are gay it’s because he made them that way. As far as gay marriage goes, I would say that as long as the laws are constructed in such a way that they don’t force religious groups to perform marriages against their beliefs, or make it a crime for families to teach their children whatever their beliefs include, or turn it into a unit in the public schools for young children, then I don’t have a problem.
On the abortion thing, I think the problem is that the Republicans do tend to be the group that will vote on principle. If you drop a pro-life stance, you will probably net a smaller party because you will drop more people than you bring in. I, for one, am somebody that just can’t wrap my heart or my conscience around this — this is not a religious conviction for me, it is a matter of science — take a look at a baby 10 weeks from conception, a time when many abortions are done — it seems to me that this little person should be afforded some level of protection. I would probably have a somewhat different opinion, of course, if pregnancy was either permanent or terminal, but it isn’t. Having been pregnant 5 times (and maybe only 2 or 3 times on purpose), I can say with authority that pregnancy can be difficult, but not insurmountable. What if instead, the Republicans became the party of compassion on the subject of pregnancy? In this country, we have a very sexist tradition of lauding sexuality in men, and villifying the same trait in women. Young women are more concerned about what their parents and the community will think about them if the evidence of their sexuality (pregnancy) becomes public. Abortion is marketed (and I do mean marketed – it is a very large, very profitable industry) as something that will fix this problem. There are young women for whom this does not cause a moral problem, but for many, it does, and even though they choose abortion, it sets them up to bear the guilt for the rest of their lives. Abortion also benefits men more than it does women in some ways. It appears to me to be a perfect solution for men who want to bear little responsibility for their actions, and don’t bear the same burden of “choice”. The advent of abortion has allowed men to abdicate their role — the attitude of some men today is “keep it or abort it but don’t come to me for help”. The decision to have sex with someone that they don’t care about doesn’t have the same weight as it did before — in the end, abortion is always an option and an out for them. I also believe that you can not look at what a human being at 8, 10, 12 or more weeks looks like, and not tell me that these are human beings who are worthy of protection. Anyway (getting off my soapbox), what if the Republican party made a real effort at being compassionate with young women who find themselves in this situation — accept the fact of sexuality, don’t point fingers, do point out the sexism of treating female sexuality in a negative way, do work to help young women complete their pregnancies, continue their educations, encourage adoption as a way to turn a difficult situation into a time of redemption, or help young mothers who choose to keep their children to get on their feet and continue with a productive life.
I think it’s funny that women (and men) are generally not allowed to accept money for sex (which I would say would be the ultimate test of your right to privacy) through some sense of generally accepted moral conviction on the part of the law, and yet abortion, which affects not just the woman, but another human being who is not consulted in the matter, is legal. I’d be all for legalized prostitution, but not for abortion!
Am I the only person who thinks this way? It would be lonely to be in a party of one….
what you said.
I am trying to remember anytime when the republicans were at their roots? Nixon had his corruption and grab for power. Reagan ballooned the deficit budget along with corporate favors..(what did that hammer cost again) Bush II has Nixon, Ronnie and Warren Harding beat. Teddy Roosevelt was named vice president to keep him quiet. Roosevelt had the nomination stolen from him and formed the Bull Moose party which resulted in the election of Woodrow Wilson.The only time this country had a balanced budget without any debt was during Andrew Jackson, a democrat. However, one can’t say much about his “progressive ideals” especially if you are an American Indian.
The RNC has become the party of corporatist covered thinly by the religious wing nuts to give a veneer of legitimacy.
The DNC has become the party of corporatist covered thinly by progressives to give a veneer of legitimacy.
CORRUPTION and the explosion in the size of the federal gov’t are the main problems. from now on, i am non-partisan, and my cause is shrinking the fed gov’t.
Tell the truth!
We need a strong, moderate THIRD PARTY. To house newly homeless moderate Democrats & Republicans. With a stellar marketing team. A party with a healthy mix of enough respectable Washington power players & young up and coming Moderates who are fed up with both of the established political parties.
It’s definitely possible.
The Democrat and Republican parties had to start somewhere in order to grow as powerful as they are today. Neither party was born powerful.
Obama simply told voters that they would get more $ from him than McCain.
The Us electorate is volatile .When things get much worse -& it will hit the Dem people more -then they will either not vote or punish them & vote the opposition.
It could be that the Bush years -well 90% of them will have been the best time in $$terms for a long time.
Americans will never live like they did 1996-06 ever again.
Some very good points and agree with nearly all your points.
But before moving ahead, the GOP needs to recognize that the election of Obama was not about issues or about left or right. The election of Obama was simply the greatest marketing campaign in American history short of the Beatles coming to America.
Obama’s campaign started with a person with no experience and no qualifications. But a person who had the look and the voice – the package. They determined one message (only one) and Obama was too raw to waver from that one message throughout the campaign.
Issues did not matter, but the perception of certain issues did. He changed his position a number of times but voters did not know or care because there was an overriding perception of what they were and that they would appeal to them.
Finally, they executed with a multi-platform strategy that connected with people and engaged them personally to become part of the brand franchise – Obama.
Republicans should not be consumed with issues as much as the perception of issues and, more importantly, an over-arching message to people that is not based on the past (particularly 25 years ago) and only looking toward the future. It should be based on everyone being able to achieve the American Dream through achievement and reward (versus welfare).
McCain had no focused message and his campaign was erratic. He used messages that were relevant 15 and 25 years ago. In fact his typical talking points on “earmarks” and “pork barrel” were inside the Beltway terms that voters today did not relate to.
But even with the younger candidates in listening to some over the weekend I am still hearing the typical conservative issues recycled and with only one candidate did I hear anything that was a clarion call that people could look forward to while embodying conservatism.
“Stop relying on talk radio to get your message out.”
I think the Republican Party would go far if people like Rush Limbaugh in particular were out of the picture. Frankly, I detest talk radio no matter what opinions are being espoused. Talk radio indulges ignorance and spreads dogma. When people are constantly expressing opinions verbally, it means that they are generally uninformed ones. If you are always talking or listening to someone on the radio talking, that means you have little time for reading, learning and social interaction.
Usually it feeds on despair.
Now that I am a person without a Party, since the Democrats behaved like sexist pigs, thugs and all-around jerks, I really wish I had an alternative. Beleive it or not, my AA father was a Republican, but I followed my mother and became a loyal Democrat. It’s hard for me to embrace a Party that I feel is racist at its core. Also, I’m pro-choice. Even though I’m for G&L rights, I think the ‘marriage’ issue has become like the abortion issue, an albatross hung around each Party’s neck. I wish gays and lesbians would fight hard for civil unions rights and find a new, innovative and creative word and way to replace the term marriage.
I thought about this notion of marriage being between a man and a woman long and hard one day, and the truth is, historically that is true. If someone has proof otherwise, please provide me a link to when 2 men or 2 women married in other centuries.
I am totally for rights of partnerships between adults. No one should suffer the indignity of not being able to handle a loved ones medical care. We all should have the right to name our ‘next-of-kin.’ But I think the term marriage provokes heterosexuals into a fit of possessiveness. I am totally from the Shakespeare school of thought that a “rose by any other name would smell as sweet”.
And I’m sorry, but abortion is simply a private matter. But, I, too, would like a more compassionate caring society in which women would receive the necessary support to have their children as well as the guidance to make sure that they don’t keep getting pregnant in uncertain relationships.
I totally agree about Reagan, but of course, I personally despised the man because his policies decimated the AA community at a time when we were making strides. The end result is a lot of this thug culture that you see now.
Illegal immigration must be stopped and is another issue that polarizes elections unnecessarily.
But yes, it would be nice if there was an alternative in the Republican Party for me.
BTW, I think Michael Steele is a drip.
Those on talk radio are not Republicans, they are Conservatives with a simple message on what the founding fathers invisioned for our government to be. And the kicker is that most Americans agree with that simple message when it is presented properly.
I wish gays and lesbians would fight hard for civil unions rights and find a new, innovative and creative word and way to replace the term marriage.
would that be something like “separate but equal?” or how about this “coloreds only.”
just sayin’…
I agree. Unless we all agree to civil unions, and then go to the church of our choice for the marriage ceremony. I know that this is done in other countries — but I would expect a huge outcry from the other side if that happened.
I have a very, very religious friend for whom having a gay child I figured would be a problem. One day she offhandedly remarked that she wondered when her son was going to come out openly, or whether he even knew yet that he was gay. I was shocked by her statement and questioned why she said that. She told me she had known since he was a two or three year old — the year his Dad refused to let him dress up as the Little Mermaid for Halloween and he began a one toddler penny search for enough money to override him. There’s nothing like the realization that someone you love, someone you consider wonderful, is gay to change your perspective on homosexuality. Any parent who can reject the child they’ve known all their lives over something like this wasn’t really a parent anyway.
“Stop relying on talk radio to get your message out.”
this “radio” reaches 50+ million people a week. that is more than all blogs and newspapers combined. if talk radio is gone then the msm will be more powerful.
most of your suggestions are to copy the democrat platform. this is exactly why mccain lost the election. if republicans are changed to act and talk like democrats what will make people see them as an alternative view. republicans can never out pander the democrats and should not try.
I agree the Republican Party could benefit from a makeover and I like a lot of what THC has suggested.
BUT BUT BUT — after watching American Experience just now on PBS (about the stock market crash of 1929), I’m becoming increasingly suspicious that Republican power brokers wanted to sit this one out because the economy is going to be the WORST any of us have experienced in our lifetimes. It’s going to get ugly — not as abruptly as was the case in 1929 — but there’s no doubt the economy will be increasingly bleak over the next few years.
I suspect Republicans didn’t want to be in power and preside over the mess. They’re free to sit on the sidelines now and point fingers.
With an economy that’s sure to be lousy the next few years, people are bound to lose some faith in Obama, Pelosi and Reid.
Remember, everyone thought Nixon destroyed the GOP, but all it took was 4 years of Carter to prove the doomsayers wrong.
I thought Rove and Bush were creating a dominance that was to last 50 years. What they were really hoping was to mire the country in a war then suggest that only republicans in a “time of war” could lead the nation, thereby ensuring their “dominance.” It was evil, pure and simple.
Rove on Fox is one reason NOT to watch Fox (except for Greta).
A: Stop talking about God and start talking about the US Constitution.
B: From here push Liberty, small, transparent and accountable Government solutions.
C: Remind people the value of the Bill of Rights and stop pushing any Religion or Religous Variety, but note the respect the US Constitution gives to the Private Rights to Worship or not, as an Individual Liberty.
D: Break up these Conglomerations and bring back REAL Free Market Capitalism.
E: Teddy Roosevelt didn’t carry a big stick to have it turned on him.
F: Instead of 3 Telcos, draft Laws that require a dozen Telcos that must be given rights of access ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
G: Repeat with Power Companies, Oil Companies, Gas Companies, etc.
H: Block All Mergers whose sole purpose is to consolidate market power.
J: Refine the meaning of Capitalism and how a corporation can thrive, but the notion of Consolidation must reach an early ceiling and by doing so urges these Individual Corporate Entities to expand without mergers that choke the markets and create such Federal Dependencies that are now becoming all too common.
K: Urge Competition through high standards to play in the markets across all industries.
L: Promotion of Excellence will be the only shot we have of rebounding.