Posted on 11/13/2008 6:15:52 AM PST by Kaslin
In the aftermath of the 2008 election, the Republican Party has begun going through the litany of reasons that they lost. While the GOP must do many things better, the one thing that it must do if it wants to win back power is to put forward powerful ideas that persuade today's voters.
President-elect Barack Obama won a decisive victory over Sen. John McCain. Despite Mr. McCain's extraordinary record and his centrist credentials, Mr. Obama's twin themes of change and hope caught fire with American voters, and will now take him to the White House.
Recriminations are naturally flying around the GOP. Some are condemning this campaign as one of the worst in history, without a clear theme or overall strategy, inconsistent and reactionary tactics, a staff that excluded some of the best talent available, and a woeful lack of organization. Others are blaming the candidate, who despite his exceptional courage, honor and service, ruled certain topics and tactics off-limits that could have been devastatingly effective. Some blame missed opportunities. Some blame President Bush. Others blame Sarah Palin. Many blame the response to the economic meltdown.
But the truth is the only way the Republican Party can regain power is through having better ideas. State constitutional amendments protecting traditional marriage passed in several states, including liberal California. Other conservative measures passed in various states. These show America is still a center-right nation. Voters have not rejected conservative principles, and in fact still favor them.
In one sense, elections are simply mathematics. If the GOP wants to regain power, it must communicate an agenda in such a way that it gets more than half of the voters to vote for it.
The electorate, however, is changing. Hispanics voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Obama over Mr. McCain. The Obama campaign also made gains among Catholics, immigrants, churchgoers, women and young voters. If Republicans want to retake the White House and Congress, they must find ways to appeal to those voters.
Republicans do not need to abandon their principles. Americans prefer lower taxes to higher taxes. They prefer strong national defenses to weakened defenses. They practice their faith and respect other faiths; they support marriage and the Second Amendment; they want strong families and strong homes. Americans also want personal liberty and economic opportunity. The Republican vision of Ronald Reagan can still win elections in this country.
But it can only if those principles express themselves in bold and innovative ideas, ideas that are reflected in a coherent series of specific policy proposals that are persuasively communicated to the voters. The Republicans did not do that in 2008, and lost.
Republicans lost more than the White House. For a second cycle in a row, the GOP suffered massive losses in the House and Senate, and in state races as well. The GOP appears to too many voters to be self-serving and ineffective. This appearance comes from the negligent and even criminal actions of some, actions that betray the principles Republicans are supposed to uphold. These actions are in turn a reflection on ineffective party leadership and a lack of party discipline, which is something the rank-and-file members of the party must remedy immediately.
Republicans will not regain power by becoming Democrat-like. They must instead come up with new ideas and proposals that will appeal to Hispanics, working-income families, women, young people and older people. They must communicate an agenda that effectively addresses education, retirement, jobs, the environment and the economy.
We don't just need better candidates and better campaigns. We do, but those will be insufficient if they are not built on the foundation of better ideas that embody our principles. Republicans lost because they deserved to lose. As a result, the American people have chosen to put the Democrats back in control of all of the levers of power at all levels of government.
That is the challenge facing the Republican Party. It's time to quit whining, acknowledge the problem, and then find a way to solve it. Republicans must offer a compelling vision of the future. If they do, the voters will trust them again and put them back into power.
But is was far from a landslide like many in the left claimed it would be
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Vision, how able get rid of liberal Republicans and make them register as dems.
Maybe if they got their head out of their butt they could have a vision.
If the conservative movement wants to “move on”, they need to take a page from the Liberal playbook. We need to raise young men and women into the media and college faculty. That is where they capture the minds of the voting populace. Should be a 20 year plan to take back these institutions. Then, the voting public will come around.
We need leaders who put ego and personal power aside, and work to preserve the union, serve the people and the country.
We have a very compelling vision. Unfortunatly, the socialist vision is winning right now.
One reason McCain lost is obvious: the economy. Money problems are generally people’s first concern. When the economy goes sour, the party in power almost always gets thrown out. This happens in other countries as well. It’s a constant in politics that you can’t do much about.
There IS a compelling vision and there are those who have good ideas (Newt, etc.). The REAL problem is how to EFFECTIVELY communicate that vision and elect those who are COMMITTED to implement that vision.
Well gee-whiz! How about starting with being able to communicate to the American people that ever since the Democrats took over in Jan 2007, the entire US economy has tanked, and that the Democrats with their sub-prime loans now has the US in recent debt of up to $5 trillion dollars!
Naw... that's too simple.
Buy some damn air time and start running TV commercials exposing the 'Rats for what they are and what they have done! Quit waiting for campaign season to get your damn message out!
I think the issue that resounded most with voters was that Obama wasn't Bush. True, he promised change, but no one stopped long enough to ask what type of change. Now they're going to find out.
For the past 8 years, the Republicans in office, with scarce few exceptions, tax and spend like the democrats. The GOP has abandoned its smaller gov't, lower taxes principles to the point that they no longer represent how I feel about things. I'm finding more comfort in the Libertarian camp than the GOP. Indeed, I think the Libertarians would be a viable foe if they can get organized and their message gets out.
As to Obama, I have no doubt he will change things. The verdict is still out, however, on whether people will like that change.
This was not complicated.
The Republicans got beat on:
Their Tax Message, which was muddled compared to “95%”
Their Healthcare Plan, Which was confusing and kinda stupid, compared to Obama’s soothing platitudes.
Their candidate, who was just too old and non-dynamic for the period.
And finally, plan old organization; on the ground, electronic, fund-raising, the whole works.
The message of conservatives is still acceptable, but the econmoic disaster was too much for a weak campaign to overcome.
We have a vision, Reagan won on it. It needs to be followed and communicated. Rino’s are a cancer in our party and need to be cut out. We need leaders who can communicate, who act and lead like leaders. There is nothing wrong with the “vision”.
There were plenty of votes available, the rinos just did not have anyone to bring them out.
The GOP never did get its message out. In my mind, the GOP ran the worst campaign in history. Perhaps they were short-funded, but I think part of that is because a lot of us felt the GOP was rudderless on the issues and has lost sight of those things that the "old" GOP stood for: smaller gov't and lower taxes. Bush waited far too long to drag out the veto and the RINOs in both houses went along with it. The GOP may never recover from this.
An agenda that involves the federal government in effectively addressing education, retirement, jobs, the environment and the economy is Democrat-like. The "appeal" that the author speaks of is at bottom, convincing the listener that the government will be there to help the listener. It's getting the listener to look to the GOP-wing of the government for help. THAT (look to us for help) is Democrat-like.
There isn't one single politician who wants to give the country back to the people. They are all about control and power, and arguing over which party should have it.
Reality is that puuting the cart before the horse is not a good idea. American society and culture has been degenerating over the past 4 or so decades and that has produced the political climate that we now experience. Nothing short of spiritual revival will turn this situation around. Wish it were easier. But it is not. Wish we could just work toward Nov 2010 and Nov 2012. Obama and McCain were pretty good expressions of the mess that America has become. Americans(NOT everyone and present company excluded) have become lazier, more envious and jealous, more centered on their on bellies and gonads, more fantasy centered.
The only way forward is to identify and acknowledge the truth.
I am an optimist and I believe that conservatives in general will actually gain politically in the aftermath of these elections. We have learned our lessons and we will not fail from here on.
- The government has become drunk. Take the alcohol from the government
The conservatives offer freedom and liberty. Concepts that are lost on many people an times of relative freedom and prosperity. Republicans have recently been wooing voters with goodies, just like the Democrats. Goodies, but with strings attached. Why vote for less goodies?
When the stifling and oppressive hand of gov’t is acutely felt, and connected to the lack of freedom and liberty, then those ideas will become important to people. As it is, people just want to be entertained and comfortable.
Government must fail and be held in derision by the majority, like Republicanism is at present, for Conservative ideas to gain politically.
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