I hope I'm wrong here. But I don't believe it will matter in 2016 how many conservative voters decide to show up or how conservative our nominee will be. We have crossed the tipping point of givers Vs. takers. In 2016 we will be trying to convince government dependents to dump the sugar daddy.
I believe there will be more than 50% of the population at least partly dependent on government subsidies. They will vote for democrats (along with the idealistic elite). Republicans will indeed have to sell the nation on reducing benefits to current beneficiaries in order to stabalize what will be a nation in fiscal chaos. This dog won't hunt today or in 2016.
We'll need a republican politician that is a conservative in a liberal's clothing that sells one thing and then goes Reagan X2 on cutting government regs and spending. We'll need a liar.
I think we missed our chance to turn this spiral around. I would like to believe otherwise and hope someone will change my outlook. But I think we have sealed our fate toward a 30 to 50 years fall from exceptionalism to mediocrity in European fashion.
Well, as is usual, people are blissfully moving forward in this thread completely ignoring the fact that “Romney got less votes than McCain” and “the base stayed home” is a complete lie.
Based on my analysis of the votes counted and the votes outstanding, basically turnout in 2012 was the same as 2008, with a couple million votes switching from Obama to Romney. But it wasn’t enough.
To win in 2016, the Republician candidate will have to persuade about 2 million people that voted for Obama in 2008 AND 2012 to switch to them. The idea that instead the candidate can, alternatively persuade 4 million more of the “base” that didnt’ vote in 2012 because Romney was a RINO to turn out is a moronic fantasy, because
1) those people don’t exist
2) If they did exist, the overwhelming majority of them are in Southern and Plains/Mountain states that go Republican anyway, and they are thus irrelevant
We were already past the point of no return. Romney could slow it, but not stop it.
So this election was not about turning it around, but managing the crash. Our priorities should be about making sure the crash gets blamed on liberals and liberal policies, and on disciplining the GOP.
LOL! And how, pray tell will you get Conservatives to vote for a liar? Didn't work out so good this time did it?