YES WE DID!! Obama won four more years. Awesome amazing!!
Now let's play Jacqui's favorite game.. What will make 2016 interesting. What it comes down to is the GOP fucked themselves over a barrel by playing to the lowest common denominator and thinking the general electorate was completely stupid and incapable of logical thought.
Ok as a former field person, I know the last sentence of the above paragraph may not be completely accurate but you'll see where I am going. What this election really came down to was community. Talking to many of my friends, the GOP war on women, latinos, and gays really made us all look around and say "why do you want to hurt me or my friends when they are being perfectly productive? Why do you hate them for just living? WHY? WHY?"
The GOP has a brand problem. It could legitimately remake itself to be the party of inclusion but they have to give up as the musical 1776 those who have nothing but will do anything protect the idea that they could one day be rich. (Yes alabama and Oklahoma, both states that get a crapload of federal money; staring at you).
Basically in the next four years the GOP has to make the following happen:
- Show they are willing to compromise. No more stupid debt ceiling debates sending the markets into a tail spin.
- Ease on morality issues. This means sending the christian cray cray wing to the back bench. Go for the Goldwater here.
- Support a pathway for citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Dream Act would be a great start to get young voters imprinted to vote republican.
- Like dispatching the christian cray crays, get rid of Limbaugh, Beck, Ingram, Coulter and Hannity as your standard bearers. You need spokespeople that don't spew hate and can address the real issues with concrete solutions. Elevate people like PJ O'Rourke, SC Cupp, Meghan McCain, and Andrew Sullivan.
Four steps to a win. Will they follow it? Or will they allow the inmates to run the asylum. We'll see in January..
4 comments:
So. I agree. Branding. Problems. How much of a branding change will be perceived to be legitimate? People are gullible, so maybe just already-decided Dem voters wouldn't be swayed. I can't see the Republican Party distancing itself from its Tea Party office-holders, though, because they want to upgrade/maintain representation in Congress. Finally, how lasting would such a change be? After Nov. 2016 they could start to transition the extreme right back in. Being extreme hasn't hindered the party in getting House seats.
I think the proof is statewide races in moderate states. Ex. you think Chris Smith (R-NJ) could ever run statewide? Oh hells no. They would find some true north Repub to kick his ass.
The "teaparty" and its ilk have always existed as a regional thing in some areas of the country. But I think the days of elevating a Rand Paul or Jim Demint are thankfully gone. They learned the lesson with Akin and Mourdoch.
I imagine the distancing, then, to be for show...keeping certain folks out of the public eye. The GOP's platform at this year's convention was pretty extreme, with Romney distancing himself from it. That makes me think that the extreme sentiments are pervasive enough that any transition may be superficial if not short-lived.
The House will for better or worse always have some crazies from both parties present in it. The Founders intention was for it to be the mob and the Senate to be the places where statesmen existed. Right now, the mob exists in both houses. Hopefully, the Senate Rs will vanquish them in the next election.
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