The simple and obvious fact is that in 2016 the Republican candidate has to convince about 2 million people that voted for Obama in 2012 to vote for them instead. There are multiple ways to do that, not all of which are necessarily caving or adopting leftist policies. However, it’s NOT going to happen through rhetoric and policies that make the average FR posters orgasmic with joy, and people have to grow up and accept that.
Most of the “base” you want to energize are in overwhelmingly and safely Republican states already, thus they are irrelevant in all respects (save fundraising) in Presidential elections.
And there’s no particular evidence any meaningful portion of this base stayed home in 2012 in the swing states.
Rule 2 ~ America is a big place but it's carved up into single member districts, so you must shoot for 50% + 1 vote or you will lose to the other party most of the time.
Rule 3 ~ coalition building politics in America takes place separate and apart from the legislative bodies ~ it occurs within the two major parties and is manifest by the various coalition partners.
Rule 4 ~ the two major parties are structured differently, but those structures have served to win elections. Beware of reformers who seek to restructure the proven basics. The risk of loss is very high.
Rule 5 ~ in a campaign you get out your own voters first ~ striving for non existent votes from non existent voters, e.g. undecided middle of the roaders, is a fool's errand if your coalition partners find something better to do, or if you actually told them to shut up and stay out of this!
Rule 6 ~ hardest one of all ~ don't insult and belittle people on the way up the ladder to nomination because you will need them in the election. Take care of your problem people in the years between elections ~ November is too late, so is September! And March? Even March is too late ~ ask Bill Bolling what happened to this rising moderate in Virginia!
Rule 7 ~ very basic and gets to a current issue ~ make sure the voter registration rolls are up to date and correct. There are many ways to accomplish this that are lawful and effective. This is the one place campaign consultants might be useful ~ they know stuff ~ much of it meaningless, but doing mailings and talking to the USPS are among the tricks they know how to do. Much grief will never occur if the voter rolls are clean ~
Well, that’s all very well and fine, but they’re gonna have to find their squishy votes somewhere else. FR stands for God and country (our American heritage) first. And that means life, family, small government and defense as well as conservative fiscal issues. We’re not going to cut out any of the above nor guns, oil, coal, gas, industry or secure borders. Godless/globalist/socialist liberals can suck sand.
“However, it’s NOT going to happen through rhetoric and policies that make the average FR posters orgasmic with joy, and people have to grow up and accept that.”
You sound like the type of guy who denies dogs can be trained - there are just good ones and bad ones, so don’t bother trying to mold their minds or behavior. Even worse you want to appeal to the bad ones, and reward them.
A non-conservative is just a member of the base, who is uninformed, and hasn’t been turned into a Republican voter through the proper application of neurological conditioning. It can be done, and it isn’t done through the pansy RINO path, which just leads the whole country farther left, and destroys the right (by trying to eliminate all conflict and aversive stimulus, when that is exactly what is needed).
You’ve run these moderate, feel-good pansies in how many non-negative elections now, and lost everytime. Why not reevaluate your own grasp on reality?
Oh, that’s right, you can’t be wrong, so let’s nominate another “moderate,” because this one is just a sure thing. You say so. You know so, this time.
Which makes me wonder, why not question yourself, and where you are leading the party? I mean, you’ve blown how many elections now with your nice-guy moderate tools? You don’t seem to think Conservatism is right enough to win in a logical argument. You view the stalwarts of the idoelogy as obstacles to overcome.
So my big question is, why are you even in the movement? Do you like Conservatism, or do you just want to tell other people what to do, so you can acquire power, and the movement is just a tool to that end?
If you want to win in 2016, the answer is simple. Start running negative ads now, demonizing Liberals and Liberalism. Hide behind whatever entity you want, but start putting the seed in people’s heads that Liberals are disloyal, corrupt, cowardly, pathetic, weak, dishonest, untrustworthy, opposed to our nation winning, opposed to American greatness and power, opposed to the small businessmen who create jobs, etc. Link them to the economic collapse through Dodd and Frank. Link them to the dead Ambassador. Do what Liberals did to Bush and Katrina.
Out-group the Liberal, in the minds of the voters. Make them the enemy of real Americans in every ad. Highlight an aspect of a K-selected psychology, and show how the Liberal is opposed to it, and wants to violate it. Ridicule them and their positions.
The first week it would have no effect. A month, almost nothing. A year - and you’d start to see something. Over a full four years - as Liberals screamed, and the ads kept coming, you’d be amazed at how many Americans would see Liberalism associated with Aversive Stimulus in their amygdalae. These people would avoid associating with Liberalism, which is the first step to opening their mind to Conservatism. It would work.
Or Republicans can just wait for four years with their thumbs stuck up their asses, and then try to out-liberal the Liberal at the last minute, but really, that is the dumbest thing I can imagine.
There was a reason people hailed Lee Atwater as the greatest of all time. Fighting works, and negative advertising works, if you’ve got the stones for it. Unfortunately, the GOPe seems to not have the stones, of late.