We have lost one election after losing a long series in a row. The problems revolve not just around the message, but the ability to govern to meet the principles in the message, and the ability to communicate the message. We have drastically lost the later two...and the GOP in Washington abandoned the principles by undisciplined spending.
The GOP will win if they return to the core principles of smaller government, fiscal conservatism, and strong defense. A good candidate and well run campaign will change things drastically. I doubt the voting electorate changed that much from 2004 to 2006. The things that changed were in the party and the White House...lack of conservatism and inability to communicate.
Very true. We simply are not practicing what we are preaching. It gets hard to promote fiscal conservatism when you are building bridges to nowhere. I notice you are not mentioning the religious angle. It is important to keep those votes in line. But, right now the populace does not want to hear that. I'm afraid most people are not social conservatives like they were twenty years ago. The reason is we have defined the message as on religious right terms. Most people (myself included) do not respond to that. But, if a social conservative is for law and order, anti illegals, anti-affirmative action, anti-political correction anti media elites I think most people are social conservatives. That message needs to change and broaden.
But on the other hand I am afraid things are changing in ‘72 ‘84 and ‘88 left Presidential candidates were destroyed but in ‘04 one of them came 140,000 votes more in Ohio from winning.
I think we are going to have to deal with some issues like the cost of health care and such too. We get bogged down in being against socialized medicine and feel that is the only alternative to doing nothing (to easy for the current crowd), and that is a huge mistake. There are alternatives to the current mess that are not socialism and are frankly in line with conservative thought or at least not grossly against the same. There is no reason why we should not be activee in that way.
We need to show more creativity and thought. The people running our show in Washington do not seem to have it. They just concentrate on winning the next election. We need to have people who have a more long term view of things. The Dem’s see talk radio as a threat. so now they are trying to destroy it with the fairness doctrine. We have had control of the FCC for 28 of the past 40 years but have not done anything to take down the networks. The media is now in a change of flux and huge media companies are changing hands every week. Our people need to be going to tour money bags and getting them to create some more Rupert Murdoch’ of course that is not happening. What the hell is wrong with these people?