Posted on 12/29/2021 5:42:55 AM PST by Kaslin
All things considered, 2021 was a good year for Republicans. In 2022 will the GOP build on its 2021 successes, or allow itself to be dragged back to 2020?
The answer is right in front of our eyes. This year has been a disaster for the Democrats largely because they refused to move forward, electing instead to remain mired in the past and fighting yesterday’s battles. If Republicans take the same course in 2022, they will likely reap the same disappointing harvest.
The events of last January 6 at the U.S. Capitol will predictably be a focal point for Democrat campaigns heading into 2022. They really have nothing positive from 2021 on which to campaign, so they will use 1/6 as a lure to drag Republicans down, too. The last thing Republicans need is to take that bait and fight on that playing field; doing so would be a sure way to turn off moderate Republicans, as well as independent voters who the GOP must reach in order to regain majorities in the House and Senate.
This, of course, is easier said than done. In addition to Democrats chumming the waters, some on the GOP’s own team refuse to move forward. They see 1/6 as a positive flashpoint and Biden’s heavy-handed response to it as a wedge issue to churn up anger on the Right. This would be a major strategic mistake
As right as these Republicans are about the federal government’s overzealous response to 1/6, it is not the winning message going forward. Voters, especially those not already committed to the GOP, yearn for a vision for the future rather than to be repeatedly enraged by the past.
The tone Republicans should strike is found in one of Ronald Reagan’s most famous speeches, where he defined America as a “shining city on a hill.” This was a clear and timeless reminder of the greatness America can reach if the principles of free markets and individual liberty are allowed to thrive.
For an America tired of fearing COVID, inflation, crime, and losing what little precious freedoms they still enjoy, Reagan’s truly is the message for the moment; but it needs to be delivered by leaders who can express it and who have the backbone to follow it through.
Fortunately, there have been several gubernatorial standouts for the GOP answering this call. When facing a social and economic nightmare created by federal incompetence these governors turned lemons into leadership, with undeniably positive results.
Democrat-led states continue to suffer from the Left’s hapless response to COVID, while Republican-led ones (in particular Georgia, Florida, and Texas) continue to show incredible resilience against a rudderless federal government listing wildly from side to side.
On top of their economic successes, Republican-led states and localities have maintained public safety without locking down citizens like criminals. These governors and mayors were the first to realize America must learn to deal with COVID rather than run from it, if a sense of normalcy is to return. Meanwhile, Democrats continue to pump doom and gloom, even as they admit they have no idea what they are doing.
Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin’s recent, incredible victory in Virginia presents Republicans with a roadmap for victory in 2022. Rather than relying on divisive rhetoric to motivate the GOP base, Youngkin presented a clear and consistent vision for restoring conservative governance that appealed to Republican and independent voters alike. Sure, he was aided in his effort by a Virginia Democrat Party that relied on worn-out messages delivered by tone-deaf messengers, but the win was delivered by Youngkin and those candidates on his ticket.
The GOP entered 2021 battered and bloody, but as the year ends the Party is poised to crush Democrats in 2022.
The question Republicans must ask themselves at this juncture, however, is do they want to be dragged back to November 2020 and January 2021, and risk suffering the same consequences that befell Democrats this year by doing just that? Or should they march forth with a vision for the future, keeping in mind what they actually have accomplished this year by not looking backward? The answer would seem to be a no-brainer.
Oh we will shellac them, then do nothing.
Is it fair to ask, how will the Republicans stop the Democrats from cheating like last time?
to RINO scum like Bob Barr, “pressing forward” ACTUALLY means going back to the good ol’ days of do-nothing pretend-conservationism loserism headed up by do-nothing, pretend-conservative assistant-Democrat Bushites ...
Delusional.
There will be no 2022, 2024 etc. without first fixing 2020.
Youngkins of Virginia was a scam. He was with Carlyle Group for 20 years.
Our leader, Donald Trump, has led by example and refused to fight.....even in the face of political death.
He taught us to endure rather than fight
Refusing to fight is de facto losing
Blah blah. The only problem the pubs had with 2020 was the virus, and the MSM lies about Trump’s response.
Has anything been done to assure an honest election this time? Anything at all?
Hey Bob, does the “shining city on the hill” include McConnell? Murkowski? Romney? McCarthy? Graham? Tillis? Etc., Etc.?
Not buying what you’re selling, Bob.
Since there have been no indictments, no trials, no convictions from any of the claims of massive vote fraud what makes you think the Republicans are even trying?
Assuming he's the nominee,if Trump insists on focusing on the theft HE WILL LOSE!
But if he focuses on the absolute cluster **** this nation's become under Rat Party rule HE WILL WIN! Just think Reagan..."are you better off than you were four years ago?"
It's just that simple.
The GOP has to address the “Insurrection” narrative by the “Progressives “ and their praetorian guards.
That and enormous voter fraud.
Barr’s point is taken, but what remains is the fact that unless and until we fix the voting system, we’ll have lost our Constitutional republic.
Like FJB said, “It’s who counts the votes.”
lol they will steal it again. Nation is finished unless the fraud is dealt with. Over done finito
Cheating by the Demoncrats is being codified now, and with Dominion being their back door to Stalinism, if “Team Mitch,” and the other GOPeahens don’t step up and reform this cheating, nothing Patriots do will stop the #JihadJunta from their full takeover of the Nation.
What Barr says is sensible but not practical. Like it or not IMO the whole drama of the last 6 years is up for vote in 2022.
“Refusing to fight is de facto losing”
Sometimes it is best to wait to fight.
Let the Republicans and Democrats drag each other down in power then fight. We will only have to worry about who is left over to focus on.
We have been handed a once in a lifetime opportunity.
We can purge the party of the bush league chamber of commerce worshiping republiCAN’Ts, while at the same time gaining a majority in both houses.
The democommies have blown it so badly, that anyone with an r next to their name is just about guaranteed to be elected.
The old “He or She is not electable” debate goes right out the window.
Anyone who spouts the “ not electable” line is a republiCAN’T. Not a MAGA conservative.
Time to purge the party
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