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By Disrespecting Its Base, GOP Risks Electoral Flop
news.investors.com ^ | 9/26/14 | Rick Manning

Posted on 09/27/2014 6:56:32 AM PDT by cotton1706

Political pollsters have a tough job. They have to create formulas to determine if the person they are interviewing is likely to vote, and it is within this calculation that their reputations are made.

Typically, those who are likely to vote in an off-year election are pretty set. They are the people who always vote in elections — with some motivated by specific issues.

In a wave election, the number of those motivated by specific issues escalates, changing the electoral landscape as the candidates who are beneficiaries of this increased participation sweep to victory.

The 2014 election is rapidly looking like something new and different. Democrats are reportedly demoralized by the failed Obama administration and general fatigue.

Republicans, in an orgy of expectations, believe the key to taking the Senate was getting "electable" candidates nominated.

And get them nominated they did.

The establishment got their candidates. Now they're looking at a potentially disastrous election where their chosen ones dramatically underperform all reasonable expectations, the result of attacking their own party's base to cement primary victories.

One state party chairman has privately bemoaned that social conservatives in his state openly question why they should bother voting at all. Given the national party's desire to kick them out of the big tent to make room for a hoped-for influx of pot smoking hipsters, who can blame them?

Across the nation, Tea Party conservatives question the wisdom of being tied to a Republican Party that wants them to just shut up and vote for whomever the establishment decides, and it is this indecision on whether to vote at all that is at the heart of the GOP's polling woes.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: elections; uniparty
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To: Timber Rattler
.


I'm this close to moving to Mississppi before the Senate election ...

getting the GOP-E "Haley Barber Machine" to get me illegally registered to vote ...

and THEN ...

voting FOR the DEMOCRAT running against that corrupt, immoral fool Thad Cochran ...




"Assimilate that" ... Karl Rove and Reince Priebus ...


.

81 posted on 09/27/2014 9:24:03 AM PDT by Patton@Bastogne (.)
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To: cotton1706

“One state party chairman has privately bemoaned that social conservatives in his state openly question why they should bother voting at all. Given the national party’s desire to kick them out of the big tent to make room for a hoped-for influx of pot smoking hipsters, who can blame them?”

FR has been playing the same big-tent strategy as the GOP-e: A lot of tolerance and encouragement for the pro-pothead crowd here.


82 posted on 09/27/2014 9:24:37 AM PDT by Vision Thing (obama wants his suicidal worshipers to become suicidal bombers.)
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To: centurion316
The best part about the rants like yours is that they only make sense to the small set of angry voices who advocate this approach. You’ve convinced each other, but that’s as far as it’s going to go.

Once again, all you have to offer are unsupported assertions and a paucity of solutions.

83 posted on 09/27/2014 9:27:19 AM PDT by Maceman
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To: antidisestablishment

Are you capable of reading, or can you only manage to hurl insults? Nextrush defined conservatives as 5% of the Republican Party, I only extrapolated his figure into the larger political class. Reagan would not have fit into that cohort, by the way.

“I’d you had any idea” I certainly have no idea of what you were trying to say here.


84 posted on 09/27/2014 9:30:08 AM PDT by centurion316
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To: cotton1706
All they have to do is repeat to conservatives their own political platform, and pledge to govern by it. If GOP establishment candidates ran as Republicans, the number of voters would swell, and the promise of a sweeping Nov. 4 victory would be realized.

"OK, new tactic: we love conservatives! Yes, you heard me! What? Of course you're going to lie! Look, it's just for a few weeks!"


85 posted on 09/27/2014 9:30:35 AM PDT by COBOL2Java (I'm a Christian, pro-life, pro-gun, Reaganite. The GOP hates me. Why should I vote for them?)
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To: centurion316
A new party is certainly an option, but very difficult to pull off.

Perot pulled it off and he was a nutjob. He was ahead in the polls, until he pulled out of the race. Imagine if someone with his money did the same thing today. Someone who didn't have to deal with the GOPe in New Hampshire and Iowa, and Dem cross-overs in open primary states, but just put together an organization, got on the ballot in 50 states, had the wherewithal to spend millions on advertising, and said,

"I am conservative. Here is what I believe. [insert conservative beliefs here, i.e., rule of law, low taxes, limited government, protect American jobs and workers, eliminate regulation, and so on]"

A candidate who can expose both parties for what they are, purveyors of an ever growing federal government.

He can identify conservative candidates in the GOP, and support their election. He can identify leftist candidates in the GOP and deny them support. When elected, he can work with the conservatives in Congress to enact his agenda. He will need only 1/3 support to ensure that Congress passes the budgets he approves, enough to sustain his vetoes. As the new party's popularity grows, candidates will move to his side. They may not join in the first election cycle, but as local infrastructure gets created, they will switch over in droves. Eventually, there will be a mass exodus from the GOP, as conservatives flock to the new party, and liberals switch to the Democrats.

This is the way it can work. Perot showed the way, but wasn't the man. Trump is not the man, either, but someone like that, or someone with that kind of money backing a Cruz, Mike Lee or Palin. That is how a third party could form. It requires a ton of money.

Whether a coalition of citizens banding together to form a new Tea Party could succeed, in the same manner as the Republicans were formed in the 1850s is questionable these days. Too many obstacles. So, when you talk about how difficult it would be to pull off, I agree with you if you think of it in terms of a new party growing from the ground up. I do think, though, that the top-down model would work with the right leadership. Will we ever see it? I don't know, my billions are spoken for.

86 posted on 09/27/2014 9:38:11 AM PDT by Defiant (4 main US grps: conservatives, useless idiots (aka RINOs), marxists and useful idiots (aka liberals))
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To: oldbrowser

If you can show me where your ballot has a “vote against” line, I’ll believe that.

Ted Cruz is right. Votes mean things. If you vote RINO, you vote for status quo and the marginalization of conservatives.

If you can live with that, fine.


87 posted on 09/27/2014 9:39:54 AM PDT by Colonel_Flagg ("Compromise" means you've already decided you lost.)
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To: Leaning Right; greene66

I’ve been all over the map that at times that I don’t know what to believe or who is the good guy. I am left in a position of placing my bets on The Republicans in my state to win to stop the left from taking over. I support them, especially the governor, but I was lead to believe otherwise in the senate race during the bitter primary and some people on this site tried to get me to dislike the governor or see why some people are against him now.

Heck, we had a reverse Rino come on here bashing my senator on a thread trying to make a case that my senator was bad, but as he said more it sounded like he was a lefty from a leftist site and was working for or in support of the opponent.

Basically, I was for my Senator Pat Roberts at the start, because he was very conservative, but then issues arose in the primary I had some dislike with. He didn’t want to debate the primary opponent, Dr. Milton Wolf and he seemed to not be living in the state. But as I began to dislike his condescending behavior, I began to like Dr. Wolf more.

But, when Dr. Wolf lost fair and square the primary and Senator Pat Roberts continued to vote conservatively in Congress as was one of 14 senators to not support arming Syrian rebels along with Ted Cruz and the rest; I went back to supporting Pat. I basically come down to wanting him back because he is far more conservative than others this state has had.

I had at one point, said I would Vote Orman when it seemed Roberts would walk way with it. But at the time, it didn’t seem That this goofy fellow Greg Orman was in the pockets of the democrats. Then it came out he was and was not really Independent. Then it came out that the democrat challenger was quitting and then throwing his support behind Orman. That and Orman throwing his support behind Amnesty angered and frightened me. SO he must lose.

So then came This Paul Davis nut taking on my Governor Brownback and boy is this Paul Davis nut a far left idiot. So all I can say is he is no good. Brownback has to win. Even Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal who I like has endorsed Gov. Brownback.

So I hate the left too much sop see my state go down the drain. But I get the anger against the establishment.
However, My state is not the same story as the others.

Here the Rinos hate the two candidates nominated. And Rinos are coming to this board to attack them. So they are doing the right things if they attack the candidates.


88 posted on 09/27/2014 9:43:08 AM PDT by Mozilla
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To: centurion316; Maceman

The GOPe Fire Brigade is here!


89 posted on 09/27/2014 9:44:05 AM PDT by Defiant (4 main US grps: conservatives, useless idiots (aka RINOs), marxists and useful idiots (aka liberals))
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To: Defiant
Perot pulled it off and he was a nutjob

You are making my point. If you think that Perot is an example of someone who "pulled it off", then no one should ever try to form another party ever again. I don't think that's true, but Perot is a prime example of why these things almost never work. The Republican party required a worldwide moral revolution to replace the moribund Whigs, they never could have done it without a major upheaval that literally split the country.

90 posted on 09/27/2014 9:44:11 AM PDT by centurion316
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To: cotton1706

Pre quoting millions of conservatives on election day.

“Meh....I might vote”


91 posted on 09/27/2014 9:45:15 AM PDT by right way right (America has embraced the suck of Freedumb.)
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To: cotton1706

Amen to that!

92 posted on 09/27/2014 9:48:09 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
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To: ObozoMustGo2012

No, it was Bush and Rove’s policies that gave us Obama.

Bush finished at 27%. One of the lowest approvals in American history.

That gave us Obama.


93 posted on 09/27/2014 9:49:49 AM PDT by tennmountainman (True conservatives don't like being rained on by their own party!)
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To: roamer_1

Good advice but Id add we must follow our hearts/minds. KS and NC will be RAT wins because of the GOPe. Vote or not we must keep writing/calling the GOPe and let them know how we feel. Thats the only thing that works.


94 posted on 09/27/2014 9:49:54 AM PDT by rrrod (at home in Medellin Colombia)
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To: centurion316

If Nextrush defined it, then it must be settled. /s

If Reagan wouldn’t fit in the cohort, than any such statement is obviously bs.

Other than above, please show me the hurled insults.

Are you saying that you now don’t support the grand scheme in the GOP that has resulted in the election of Democrats and the destruction of the GOP party?

It’s really a simple question. Not an accusation. Or, would you prefer a more “moderate” approach?

How about, “will you continue to support the party as it progresses along the path of inclusion?”

Or, maybe this is more palatable:

You support enlarging the party and ensuring the continuance of said party over support of such outmoded ideals as values, morals or culture.

Or not?

Is that too harsh? I can answer no to all without consulting a poll or individual.


95 posted on 09/27/2014 9:52:44 AM PDT by antidisestablishment (Islam delenda est)
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To: Monorprise

I do not have a problem with running moderates in places like Massachusetts. I do have a problem with running liberals in Kentucky, Mississippi and Texas, due to the GOPe sabotaging and cheating against conservatives.


96 posted on 09/27/2014 9:53:27 AM PDT by Defiant (4 main US grps: conservatives, useless idiots (aka RINOs), marxists and useful idiots (aka liberals))
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To: Nextrush

Yes! America needs a Nigel Farage!
Go UKIP.


97 posted on 09/27/2014 9:57:50 AM PDT by tennmountainman (True conservatives don't like being rained on by their own party!)
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To: rrrod

Only in your sick twisted mind would you call the Senator and Governor in Kansas the establishment. You are whacked out and not here to hear and see what is really happening. Just using talking points. They are far more conservative than most people we elect here and I fear since this state can be rinoish we may never again get people that good should they lose. Unless you call Bob Graves, a very moderate governor in the 90s here, good or Bob Dole and Nancy Kassebaum, good.
You must be bitter that Dr. Milton Wolf lost and whatever your beef is against Sam Brownback is not my concern. He is implementing conservative polices and the left is out in force to destroy him.

So I label you a rino for attacking them and wanting communism to come to Kansas.


98 posted on 09/27/2014 10:03:09 AM PDT by Mozilla
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To: Defiant

I doubt a third party option is viable. Jesse Ventura was the last gasp of Perot’s party, and I would not consider him anything other than a loser.

The only way to win is to have a revolution in the GOP.

It is possible, and it starts with destroying Rove and everyone like him. Do not support moderates, no matter what.

Elect only conservatives and force the GOP to stop filling the slates with RINOs. Until the GOP learns that RINOs are a losing proposition, nothing will change.

Supporting RINOS is worse than supporting Democrats. Democrats are ruining the country, and RINOs are enabling them.


99 posted on 09/27/2014 10:05:26 AM PDT by antidisestablishment (Islam delenda est)
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To: voicereason

“Well that didn’t take long for someone to spout the same old mantra. Someone please explain the definition of insanity to this person. “

Let me try. Time. We are quickly running out of it. Can we survive as a nation with Harry Reid and Obama for two more years and then the possibility of 8 years of Hillary with Harry Reid and Pelosi running things?

The answer is no. Do we hate the GOP-e? Yes. Do they represent us? No. But there are two things the GOP have the rats don’t. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee. Two voices that can only be heard if they are in the majority.

If we want Cruz in 2016, we better have the majority or we are getting more Romney’s. And we will sit home and Hillary will be elected and we will all say, no more. Wash, rinse and repeat.

Always fight from a position of strength. We need the GOP-e to fulfill OUR agenda. When we sit home we enable the Establishment because they now try to fill the void we left. And that means more voters on the left.

Stop it now.


100 posted on 09/27/2014 10:11:49 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Manchuria Called. They want their Candidate Back!)
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