Gingrich sees error in pull of voter base

Washington Times ^ | Jan. 15, 2007 | Ralph Z. Hallow

[FairOpinion]

Newt Gingrich, who is considering a bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, says his party's biggest mistake is thinking that the way to a lasting majority is to emphasize its conservative voter base.

"A base-motivation party inherently, in the long run, drives away the non-base,"Mr. Gingrich said.

The better way, he says, is to define the opposition on specific issues so that the Democrats are exposed as espousing views shared by a small minority of voters.

Mr. Gingrich now talks optimistically about prospects for building a broader Republican base.

"Ronald Reagan understood that arguments should be made where we have huge advantages with virtually all Americans," Mr. Gingrich said. "He was brilliant at avoiding base-narrowing appeals and emphasizing base-broadening appeals."

[FairOpinion]

I think Newt is right.

[Just A Nobody]

Newt Gingrich ..... says his party's biggest mistake is thinking that the way to a lasting majority is to emphasize its conservative voter base.

[Jeff Chandler]

define the opposition on specific issues so that the Democrats are exposed as espousing views shared by a small minority of voters.

The Democrats are such easy targets, but the GOP is timid.

[oyez]

Every time Newt Gringrich opens his mouth I learn something.

[FairOpinion]

I think that Newt means that Republicans should focus on conservative ideas that most Americans support, the article gives the example of the "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, that 91% of the Americans support.

I think his main point is that focusing on the "unappeasable" conservatives, who don't get out and vote unless they get 100% of their totally unrealistic demands met, while ignoring the "moderately conservatives", is not going to help the Republicans regain majority.

Prime example: 2006 elections, where a lot of the base was sulking and didn't bother to turn out and handed Congress to the Democrats.

[saganite]

The Repuplicans have already abandoned fiscal reponsibility so I guess Newt is talking about abortion, the border, stem cell research and the climate. Basically the Arnie agenda. The only defining issue remaining between the parties would be taxes.

[FLOutdoorsman]

Good article, but you cut the hell out of the original piece without saying you did.

[FairOpinion]

"(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ..."

Does the word "EXCERPT" means anything to you -- it's right up front at the bottom of the excerpted text, the FR standard, with link to the original article in the original source.

Due to copyright issues we can only excerpt a small part of articles in most publications.

[Dolphy]

I wonder how Newt explains the 1998 elections after he promised huge gains. I don't think he's even close to being right in his assessment of Rove. It strikes me as funny that he would attack him for focusing too closely on the one group that looks favorably on Newt himself.

[FairOpinion]

PS. I like your tagline. :)

"The Man who says it can't be done should not interrupt the man doing it!"

[saganite]

You can excerpt up to 300 words if you manually excerpt. Most posters hit auto excerpt. If the total isn't more than 300 words there's no foul.

[Navy Patriot]

Well, Newt is right about Reagan and Bush 41, but misrepresented the issues in those elections not appealing to the base, the Republican appeal was strong to both the base and non-base. To abandon the base will not compensated by appealing to the non-base more strongly, Pubbies will still lose.

[El Gato]

The better way, he says, is to define the opposition on specific issues so that the Democrats are exposed as espousing views shared by a small minority of voters.

Isn't this what the Republicans did in the last election? The message being "We're not them" and "They're worse". Maybe I missed something. They sure as heck didn't emphasis their base.

Has Newt been drinking the "centrist" Kool Aid too?

[FairOpinion]

"From 1994 to 2006, Democratic Party registration dropped from 48% to 42%; Republican, from 34% to 33%, according to data compiled in 27 states by Rhodes Cook, author of a northern Virginia-based political newsletter. Independents and those registered to other parties rose from 18% to 25% during those years. "


http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-arnold14jan14,1,1092395.story?coll=la-headlines-politics


If you only appeal to 33% of the electorate, you are not going to win elections, especially when some of them don't think that any Republican is worthy of their vote and stay home or vote third party.

[FairOpinion]

The problem with excerpting the full 300 words is that you are denying anyone on the thread to add their favority excerpts to make a point, because they are going over the 300 words.

I've had people post very misleading excerpts and when I added a couple of lines in a post, they ran to the Mods that I am violating copyright rules, by posting more excerpts than the allowed 300 words.

[weegee]

Unfortunately conservatives have been uncomfortable pointing out how the anti-American war (but pro-Palestinian war) movement (it is NOT a peace movement) is funded by Communists and the same violent radicals who protested against Vietnam and committed treason then.

Knowing that was the core of the "cut and run" movement that the Democrats ran to a successful victory along with some moderate Democrat candidates who are not reflected in the positions of authority in the new Democrat Congress and a largely fabricated "scandal" about GOP leadership and a homosexual Republican in Florida (who was NOT molesting 16 year olds), what can the Republicans do to point out that there is longstanding coordination between the DNC and the media in reporting the "news"?

If we can't question the patriotism of the Blame America First crowd, calling their plans for expanded Socialism in the US won't fly either. It is "Red Baiting" and winds of "McCarthyism" (doesn't matter that there WERE Communists in the US serving the Soviet Union).

[FairOpinion]

"the Republican appeal was strong to both the base and non-base"


I think THAT is Newt's point exactly -- you need to appeal to the base and non-base, but you cannot go so far to the right, that you are ONLY appealing to the "Unapeasable" base, who is going to have one excuse or another to not bother to vote or vote third party.

[Mo1]

Not really .. the Dems won this past election because their base stuck together

Many of those Blue Dogs ran on conservative issues and NOT ONE anti american, pro abort NOW hags protest against those Dem candidates

While our side ate each other for lunch

[GSlob]

He is right.

[tcrlaf]

Face it folks...
We LOST the Propoganda War...

The vasy majority of the Sheeple get thier news and opinion in 5 second sound-bites now.

And Dems have become the masters at the easily shouted 3-5 word slogan, like "War For OIL!!", etc,etc, that carries far more impact on the mis-informed Sheeple than any breathy explanation of THE FACTS...

If you have ANY doubts about this, all you have to do is cruise a few Internet message boards, where the 24/7 parade of hate-filled LIES and innuendo continues unabated.

Let's take a look at a few examples from a magnet for the Left's hatred, the evil Haliburton's Yahoo board from just the last few HOURS:

-bOOsh's 'Greater Father'- SATAN? Whispering KILL! KILL! KILL 17 minutes ago

-MAD_MEN running our country (3 Ratings) 14-Jan-07 11:48 pm Look for Cheney and Bush to strike Iran to double their bet on their failed Iraq policies

WW III is just around the corner

-Delusional, Lying, Bumbling Bastard Bozo Bush (4 Ratings) 14-Jan-07 11:38 pm How can anyone with even an iota of common sense still support this sh*thead?

-FRANCE WAS RIGHT (8 Ratings) 14-Jan-07 06:39 pm NO WMDS

NO YELLOWCAKE
NO URANIUM TUBES
FRANCE WAS RIGHT
VIVE LA FRANCE

(NOTE:If you follow FreeRepublic, you KNOW this is a lie, but the Sheeple do not.)

-GAS PRICE FIXING = IMPEACHMENT

-GOP COWARDS HAVE NO RIGHT TO LIVE IN AMERICA (5 Ratings) 14-Jan-07 09:54 pm Waving flags in our faces and slapping yellow ribbons on your SUVs doesn't support the troops. Enlistment does.

Sign up, Repukes...or get the f--k out.
(Note-I don't know about your family, but mine is A__ deep in this War. We're doing our part to insure this Libs ability to spew hatred on a financial message board.)

-BUSH IS A MASS MURDERER (13 Ratings) 14-Jan-07 10:14 pm when will he be hanged like Saddam?

-Bush looked stoned drunk (7 Ratings) 14-Jan-07 10:41 pm very stoned.

-Congress Will Stop This Bastard (3 Ratings) 14-Jan-07 11:14 pm it's not like they are powerless to do so, they've tried to humor the psycho until they see what he does.
At this point, they have public support and bi-partisan support in congress. They aren't going to sit by and let this madness go on.

-Tzar bOOsh II Decrees 'US CONGRESS CAN'T STOP ME! (4 Ratings) 14-Jan-07 11:10 pm

-Aggressive Expansion of Pentagon spying on Americans raise eyebrows!

-BUSH AND HIS BUSHBOTS VERY DANGEROUS NOW (1 Rating) 14-Jan-07 10:44 pm ANYONE OF THEM COULD SNAP AT ANY TIME!!!!

-GOP AND THEIR LEADER BUSH = END OF USA (5 Ratings) 14-Jan-07 10:39 pm THEY WILL NOT STOP UNTIL AMERICA IS RUINED.


This is called "Drive-by Sloganeering".
No facts are offered to back ANYTHING up, just easily shoutable slogans.

And this is what the sheeple are seeing, every single time they flip past CNN, CBS News, or check the news on thier cellphone.

Reagan was great because he could COMMUNICATE his ideas, and was extremely aggressive in countering the enemies propoganda before they could become accepted as fact..

Until we get AGGRESSIVE at countering the leftist media bullshiite, we are doomed....