Posted on 01/31/2007 10:06:06 AM PST by rellimpank
Conservatives blame Republicans for losing Congress. Are they right?
Conservatives are offering a curious explanation for the drubbing they took at the polls: they blame the Republicans. The 2006 elections were not a conservative defeat, you see; they were a Republican one, a rejection of a party that had strayed too far from the conservative path. John McCain put the point nicely: "Americans had elected us to change government, and they rejected us because they believed government had changed us."
The corollary is that McCain--along with many other, more reliable conservative spokesmen--believes that most Americans remain quietly conservative. But this latent center-right majority, he argues, needs reassuring that in 2008 the GOP will once again hew to true-blue (pardon the term) conservative principles.
In their hearts, he knows they're Right.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
You're just very good at expressing what a lot of us feel; I know I have told you that before. You're like a sane voice above the roar of people trying to convince themselves they're really right and we're all wrong.
And in each case the better marketing won.
Thanks! But that shouldn't be surprising. I hope you come to expect that from me now. ;-)
Excelsior!
I just forget, you know? Then when I run up on your posts, I'm riveted. You surely have a way with words.
Gracias! And keep the faith!
And on the ocean floor, eventually.
"The success of Bill Clinton and his status as popular former president doesn't support your thinking."
I have to take exception to this. If you compare Clinton's record to Bush's, Clinton actually comes off as more conservative. In other words Clinton did a better job delivering what he was marketing than the Republicans did.
He pulled one over on the Democrats and they love him for it. Go figure!
My comment was just in regard to the successful marketing of Clinton and crew.
And my point was that Clinton actually delivered better than the Republicans did. You have to have SOMETHING to market.
I worked at a company whose unoffical motto was "We suck the least". Meaning our product wasn't that good, but everybody else in our market was worse. That's all it takes. Republicans just don't have it.
I agree, but an average product with great marketing can do (and often does do) much better than a great product with average marketing.
But you are correct, of course: The GOP needs something solid to market, in any case.
True enough, but it goes even deeper. Most people are a mix of being conservative on some things, liberal on some, libertarian on some, and collectivist on some. How do you appeal to a Hispanic Catholic Union member with a mortgage with a simple throwaway label like "conservative" or "moderate"? The labels aren't enough; you have to define what they encompass, or the opposition will define it for you.
The GOP needs to define what it is. So far, the responses I've gotten on this thread are A) it isn't the Dems. B) it is what it is. and C) it is whatever it will be.
Yep - define yourself, or live at the peril of the opposition defining you.
You're absolutely right about that. America isn't Free Republic. Most people, though they may have conservative values and instincts, aren't conservatives per se. I believe that we are facing a different situation than in 2000 and 2004. Americans in general are disenchanted and their patience is running thin, i.e the war in Iraq and problems at home.
Conservatives sat it out last November to teach the GOP a lesson, and if their demands aren't met in 2008, they will teach the GOP a bigger lesson.
Jim Nussle describes best this point in the letter he sent to Rich Lowry from the National Review, let me post an excerpt:
“Perfect” has become the enemy of the “good”, and we saw that borne out during this past November’s elections. I am hopeful that our Party will avoid needless debates over a non-existent perfect candidate.It is true that Mayor Giuliani and I don’t agree on every issue. My support for a person who doesn’t see eye to eye with me on all issues doesn’t mean that I am turning my back on those beliefs. But our country is at a crossroads and we cannot forsake progress for perfection.
I have chosen to support Mayor Giuliani because I believe we need to embrace the ideals and the values that unite us. It is the only way we can successfully move forward as both a Party and a country.
Today, America needs to make progress in so many difficult fronts. While addressing challenges with philosophical absolutes makes for good rhetoric, it oftentimes achieves little by way of results.
Until you factor in how many repeat buyers you get.
Ronald Reagan (TM) had some serious brand loyalty from centrist Dems. That's what happens when you sell a quality product that provides to your target audience what their former supplier could not.
Of course, if you water down the product into Reagan Lite, customers will start to go back to the former supplier, since there is no longer any significant brand differentiation for them.
I agree entirely.
I do too, lol.
It isn't even as conservative as Mitt Romney is, and he is reviled here on FR as the worst sort of liberal Trojan Horse. I think a lot of posters here live in rural, conservative areas and have a difficult time understanding just how swing voters in the Great Suburban Sprawl think these days. It's the inverse of the old Pauline Kael line about Nixon: "But I don't know a single person who voted Democrat!"
I'm trying to figure out whether Hillary or Al would do the least damage. I'm leaning toward Al - he'll be so happy just to be President, it will take two years before he stops basking in the glory and starts to actively screw things up.
But Hillary will be running for Queen of the World from day one. ;)
Precisely why I am very parsimonious about using the term. To my recollection, I have used it on only two pols: Schwarzenegger and Chafee. Even non-FReepers can understand why in those cases, one would hope.
Very good. I would use it sparingly also.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.