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Walking around in a daze like a group of non-flesh eating zombies, my Republican friends are still in mourning following the lashing we took in last month’s election. Confused and beleaguered conservatives are reacting much like a biblical Job crying out to God “why me?” Not only did we lose the election but our polling numbers were off, we lost on the “get out the vote/ground game” and we failed to take advantage of new technologies like on-line voter registration. The Democrats simply did a better job at all of those things. As I sat through several meetings yesterday with some pretty smart people trying to puzzle through this devastating loss, I formed my own opinion that the GOP largely has done this to itself by fragmenting its base and not rallying behind common factors.
Many conservatives have become “checkmark” Republicans. These “checkmark” Republicans have their own personal list of 10-15 attributes that are “must haves” for any candidate that they are going to support. A hypothetical list could something like 1) pro-life, 2) against any form of gun control, 3) against higher taxes, 4) against larger government, 5) against wealth redistribution, 6) against gay marriage, 7) for public pension reform, 8) for prayer in school, 9) for limitations on government power, 10) for a strong national defense, 11) against any program of amnesty for illegal immigrants, 12) against subtle forms of religious intolerance under the guise of “separation of church and state,” 13) for a balanced national budget, 14) for a school voucher system, and 15) for entitlement reform. Under the theories of Thomas Jefferson who advocated the election of the person that we view as the best “trustee” of the public good, a Republican with the listed values would vote for the person with the stances that most closely supports the majority of the items on the checklist. Obviously some factors could be more heavily weighted than others, but there would be a rough evaluation resulting in the selection of the candidate whose interests most closely align with those of that voter.
What is happening within the GOP today is that many conservatives are using ALL of this checklist as absolutes and refusing to support candidates that fail to meet ALL of their personal criteria. This approach has several detrimental consequences including decreasing the intensity of support of candidates deemed “not conservative enough.” The also approach increases internal party divisiveness, destroying unity and making the GOP look a lot like the keystone cops. Checkmark candidate support makes conservative candidates less electable by driving away natural constituencies like latino and asian Americans. It creates opportunities for the left to unfairly characterize the party as “intolerant,” and makes it very difficult for the GOP to create a cohesive message – and believe me, in this election cycle the Republicans completely failed in any effort they made to provide an attractive message to the American people.
The checkmarking system used to be a Democratic party problem as liberals would fracture the party if a candidate was pro-life or for reasonable immigration control even if the majority of that candidate’s other views were largely acceptable to them. Today the tables are turned and the Democrats have united behind the general banner of Obamacare style ”government can fix all” theories and the concept that the ”wealthy are not pulling their weight.” Minor differences were cast aside and the left was able to make history by re-electing a President that had failed for four years in every measurable way. As one high-profile Republican commentator said a month before the election “If we can’t win a Presidential election in this environment, the Republican party has to be torn about and rebuilt from the ground.” I think her words were prophetic and I think that is exactly what must happen.
Three key issues must be addressed by the GOP to become relevant again: 1) we must focus on fiscal conservatism and control rampant spending and stop increasing the national debt; 2) we must support and adopt reasonable immigration reform, 3) we must attract more women to the party. Dealing with these three issues will give the GOP unified purpose and a greatly expanded support base to allow us to be competitive again.
Preeminent among all things conservative in my mind is a government that taxes and spends responsibly and within its means. Less government is generally better than more government and the Constitution was adopted to protect the people from the government and not the other way around. Republicans have not been any better on this issue than Democrats. Catering to individual donors and constituencies, members of both parties have spent irresponsibly and added to a byzantine and bloated government. Neither party has made a real effort to balance the budget or to force the government to “live within its means” – that has to change. Fiscal responsibility for the government needs to be the central rallying cry of the party with everything else being viewed as secondary. No vibrant free market economy, no country – it really is that simple.
The GOP must also undertake reasonable immigration reform. Today we live in the unacceptable situation where we have laws on the books that are openly ignored because of the inaction of BOTH parties. Failing to resolve our border security and immigration issues is critical for Democrats who know full well that mutual and acceptable resolution of those issues would remove the only existing barrier between Latinos and the Republican party. As Republicans, we have fallen into this trap and allowed business interests who financially benefit from the cheap labor provided through maintenance of the status quo to block all meaningful efforts at reform. Democrats will continue to push for almost meaningless but very well named programs such as the “Dream Act.” Comprehensive reform is needed and those against anything that they would call “amnesty” just need to get over it or the GOP will remain neutered and irrelevant. Comprehensive and bi-partisan immigration reform will go a long way to reversing an untrue but very effective myth of the left that the GOP is nothing more than a group of old, white, christian men. I am one of those, but I am surrounded by folks in my party with completely diverse backgrounds and perspectives and I just want the rest of the country to see that.
Finally, the GOP must bridge the perception gap with women. Somehow we have allowed the left to paint us as “anti-woman” and the DNC’s campaign has worked. That has to stop. The strategy of the left has been simple, focus on the extreme and marginal example and treat that as the issue. Unfortunately Republicans have fallen for this tactic frequently and the media pounces on every mis-step. Even I won’t blame the media for this one though, the GOP has repeatedly shot itself in the foot on this issue and it has cost us dearly. I do not agree with those that say that men should have no role in this debate, it is far more important that the party stay on message. The DNC has actually done an excellent job of creating the agenda and then staying on message – that is a lesson the GOP must learn.
HotAir
Willis please, remove the anti-female and anti-immigration planks from the republican party platform, and all you’re left with is the overarching trope to shelter the looting of the treasury by Oligarchs and foreign lobbyists. If elected again, the Republicans will automatically take up their wars against women and immigrants, it’s too ingrained institutionally within the party.
Joe, that is rhetoric at its worst. “If I remove 2/3s of my argument than it is business as usual?” That is nonsensical.
You consider greatly reduced federal spending to be reulst in the “shelter the looting of the treasury by Oligarchs and foreign lobbyists?” Do you even understand your own argument.
Finally, way to be intolerant, racist and sexist all in one breath, ” If elected again, the Republicans will automatically take up their wars against women and immigrants, it’s too ingrained institutionally within the party.”
Joe, don’t let the attempts at censorship from the right stop you from voicing your opinion. There was nothing racist or sexist in your comment, only acknowledgement of reality which the right refuses to accept.
You say that neither party has made any effort to balance the budget. I disagree. Between 1992 and 2000 we learned to do it. At the time Bill Clinton left office, we were running a surplus, and it was predicted that the national debt would be paid off in full before too long. Both parties deserve credit for those surpluses.
But what happened in 2000? The Republicans got control of all three branches of government, a hold they would retain for the next 6 years. In that 6 years we saw the Bush tax cuts, and wars that were put on the national credit cards. The Republicans have no problem with spending, when they control the White House. They know that government spending creates jobs and gives the impression of a strong economy.
You are absolutely right that we must control spending, and keep the national debt from growing too big. I think all Americans, liberal and conservative alike, would agree with that. The problem is that it is impossible to do without a strong economy. And it will be impossible to do with so many Americans trying to survive on such low incomes.
To balance the budget, we will need things that Republicans will oppose. We need a higher minimum wage, so that those who work 40 hours a week will make enough that they can pay taxes and still meet their family’s basic needs. Wages have not kept up with inflation for the past 3 decades. And we will need significant cuts to our defense budget. We spend close to as much as the rest of the world combined. We spend seven times what China does. We have troops and bases all over the world. We need to cut back on troops, and expensive weapons systems. But self described conservatives will never agree to that. In a recent, extremely unscientific poll on another website, 86% of conservatives opposed any cuts to the defense budget. To think that Republican politicians would be able to support any cuts to defense is nothing but a fantasy.
The Republicans are a very long way away from being able to do as you suggest. And with the constant pressure from Fox News and especially right wing talk radio to move even further to the right, it is something that is simply not going to happen.
Roger, I will agree with you that it is a problem of both parties and neither has been very good at spending reduction. I also agree that strong steps need to be taken to grow and refresh the economy.
We couldn’t disagree more on how we get there. You want a higher minimum wage. Minimum wages of any kind are no more than government interference with market forces and allow the kind of gamesmanship that we have now where certain industries are “exempt” from minimum wage requirements while others are subject to them creating an unbalanced, unfair playing field. Remove that government intervention and the market will thrive. As to defense cuts, the difficulty with the debate is that the facts necessary to discuss reponsible defense spending and we are left to “trust” the government, the military and the defense contractors all of which have a vested interest in a large military. I have no problem with intelligent and strategic defense cuts and the elimination of fraud and waste, I just don’t have the information necessary to intelligently argue how to make those cuts.
I hope the Republicans are willing to pull together as a party. I consider myself a conservative and I don’t feel like I am alone in believing what I wrote above. Time will tell – I also predicted a Romney landslide and we all know how that turned out.
Geoffrey, for the first time, you disappointed me and insulted me with your words: “and the left was able to make history by re-electing a President that had failed for four years in every measurable way.”
I can cite countless measurable successes of this administration. Their ‘hit the ground running’ economic policies have turned around what I believe was a certain fall into a depression that would have immediately followed the 2008 election under different leadership. Dow/Nasdaq indices might not be reliable indicators of our country’s fiscal health but it’s clear Wall St. has favored our president. Compare the end of 2008 to the end of 2012. Whether through luck or default, if not direct correlation, Wall St. has performed well under Obama.
The American auto industry was saved from what could have been a permanent demise. The bailouts were a huge risk but they paid off in jobs and the salvation of our manufacturing sector.
I could cite plenty more measurable reasons Obama earned his 2nd term. There was no ‘making history’ with his reelection any more than Bush’s making history in being reelected after starting a war in Iraq where the American public was completely unclear about our reason for being there.
Clearly, a majority of the electorate didn’t vote for Obama because we saw his 4 years in office as a failure but we wanted to give him a 2nd chance. He wasn’t reelected by ignorant masses. Plenty of voters on the left are educated, inquisitive, actively political and well-informed. We believe his policies have been strategic and effective, and his diplomacy (keep your friends close and your enemies closer) has been brilliant.
And yet, the right continues to condescend with comments like yours, that there was some mystery to Obama’s reelection. I didn’t see him as the lesser of two evils: I think he’s done a magnificent job and couldn’t be happier that he’s got 4 more years to continue his work.
We liberals aren’t all stupid or crazy or blind. The right needs to take responsibility for its loss based on its ideologies that just don’t resonate with the majority of Americans. And sadly, the more that becomes evident, the harder the extremists on the right push the bar their direction, to the demise of their entire party. The problem is, younger people will continue to be more and more progressive (and less and less religious and conservative), and the Republican party can’t do anything about that. But they will have to adjust their party to capture that market, or they’ll continue losing elections.
Your loyal followers read your blog because we enjoy the challenges presented to our thinking. I do appreciate your insights until you say something as absurd and condescending as the quote I cited, which suggests Obama was reelected without crediting the merit of his leadership. I know you’re smarter than that.
My opinion that Obama is a failure is simply that, it is my opinion. Not quite sure how that is an insulting to you. The election is over, Obama won with a majority of the vote, I honor the democratic process – end of story. You can point out what you think are the successes of the Obama Administration and I can disagree with your opinion. That is OK and your prerogative and is certainly not insulting to me. My post attacked the Republican Party for failing take steps to win an election against an incumbent that was vulnerable because the Party has devolved into petty bickering instead of finding common ground.
I will respond to your Wall Street comment though. For four years we have been hearing about how the Obama Administration has been dealing with all of the problems caused by Bush. For four years we have been told by the left that even though a trillion dollars was thrown away on the stimulus during the first months of the Obama Presidency, those dollars were the responsibility of Bush. Now you want to give Obama credit for the historical quirk that the market was at an all time low when he took office and most of its gains were simply rebound? You can’t have it both ways. Either Obama is responsible for historic unemployment, flatline economic growth and out of control government spending but gets credit for Wall Street’s performance during his tenure, or he doesn’t get credit for either. I haven’t exactly seen anyone from the Obama Administration EVER take ANY fault for the poor economic results of the past four years.
The “problem” with the GOP can be summed up simply: The GOP refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of a Democrat in the White house – or any Democratic ideology as valid. To a GOP’er, a Democrat is a “lesser” and not an “equal” in the democratic process. The author of this blog refers to “Democratic stupidity” in another propaganda piece here. The author has had the audacity to claim that Democrats vote simply for “free stuff”, reducing them to “freeloaders” devoid of any intellect in their decision on how they vote. Even in this piece the author “opines” the left “unfairly” characterizes the GOP as “intolerant”. Sorry to inform you that this is factual, not “unfair”. The “Dream Act” is unfairly characterized as “meaningless” simply because the GOP have differences in how to go about addressing a serious issue. The Democrats “unfairly characterize” and their legislation is “meaningless”. The GOP can’t even accept the truth that their party consists primarily of old, white, christain men and “opine” that this is “untrue” and a “myth”. But then we already know that “facts don’t matter” with GOP’ers.
The author will claim that the singulars in the GOP do not represent the whole, while at the same time maintaining the singular of the Democratic Party represents all. The typical GOP’er completely ignores the cumulative of their vociferous party spokespeople – the Rush’s slut and whore and post the video of [Fluke] having sex comments, the Hannity’s constant “Annointed One” references and vicious attacks on all things Obama (under the guise of “journalism”), the incendiary rhetoric of the Malkins, the bloviating Trump birthers, the Akin legitimate rapes, the Ryan [re]defining of rape in legislation and the makers vs takers reduction of complex socio-economic issues, the Coulters characterizing the POTUS as a “retard”, the Sununu “learn how to be an American”, the Santorum’s child of rape is God’s gift, the Romney “47%” comments and self-deportation, the Gingrich “food stamp president”, the Palin “socialist” repetitive meme and lets not forget the right’s constant “Muslim, Kenyan, Marxist, communist, community organizer, coming for your guns, etc.” narratives still being a staple of the right. Caucus House meetings on 1/20/09 and “one term President” proclamations and unprecedented filibustering by the Republicans in the Senate is “the new normal” for the GOP. These are the voices of the modern day GOP. Petulance and a consipracy under every rock.
The abject failure of the GOP to win the White House is the failure of their outdated, unpopular and elitist ideology to appeal to the majority. The GOP’s exclusive claim to all things intellectual (while failing miserably to show intellectual honesty) is what doomed them to yet another defeat. They cling to such false notions as business owners being the only “job creators” while completely ignoring that it’s the consumer…and the consumer only…who is the real job creator. No consumption = no corporate growth and therefore the consumer controls “job creation”. The “profits” of corporations are, more often than not, obtained through the stripping of employee benefits and reduction of wages, lowering the ability for more and more consumers, the engine of the economy, to consume much more than the bare necessities. Only a business owner “earns” thier money. A “worker” does not “earn” his money. The GOP won’t acknowledge the worker but dwells on the business owner, aka the “job creator”. The worker doesn’t even have a function in the success of a business through their hard work and loyalty to the company. The worker is a cell on a spreadsheet, an expense and a depreciating asset, not a valuable human resource.
The illogic is astounding! Just yesterday Boehner claims that a higher tax bill on upper income earners will harm growth if “rates” are raised yet if the same higher tax bill on the same upper earners are achieved through closing loopholes and deductions, that will create growth. So a Democrat’s method of raising revenue destroys the economy but a Republican’s method of raising revenue, in the same amount, from the same demographic, is economically sound. Democrats increase a tax bill=bad…Republicans increase a tax bill=good. Wow…just wow!
The GOP is a self-immolating party. They have provided their own fuel as well as the ignition source themselves. As long as they are in attack mode and unable to look within, as the author here has attempted to do, they will continue to be the party of “No thanks”. Practice that “personal responsibility” you claim to espouse and do try, Mr. Willis, to keep your focus on just your party when examining it’s massive failures and stop unfairly characterizing Democrats with your myths…I mean “opinions”…while doing so.
And congratulations for making history, Mr. McConnell (R-KY), by trying to filibuster…er, uh, require 60 votes on… your own bill in the Senate! “Whiplash”!!! The GOP needs to add “sanity” to the checklist.
GOP Theme Song: ♪ ♫ ♪ Accentuate the negative….eliminate the positive…don’t mess with Mr. In-between. ♪ ♫ ♪
“1) pro-life, 2) against any form of gun control, 3) against higher taxes, 4) against larger government, 5) against wealth redistribution, 6) against gay marriage, 7) for public pension reform, 8) for prayer in school, 9) for limitations on government power, 10) for a strong national defense, 11) against any program of amnesty for illegal immigrants, 12) against subtle forms of religious intolerance under the guise of “separation of church and state,” 13) for a balanced national budget, 14) for a school voucher system, and 15) for entitlement reform.” – That’s about 7 Freudian slips in 15 platform planks. Let me say, the layout of the planks is fascinating. I need hundreds or maybe thousands of hours to dignify it all. For now all I can say is that I enjoy the notional concept of Orange County. That such a place exists in, of all places, California, is charming and heartwarming. Here in Vermont, where they test the rotten big-government socialist engineering plots and schemes before picking out the best ones to roll out in California and Illinois etc, there is no Orange County to offset anything. Conservatism and anti-Marxism and anti-Zionism just aren’t allowed here. These liberals will kill you if you stand up to them. Go Orange County! Heft your proud son Geoffrey Willis on your shoulders and carry him on parade day. At least you’re all trying. (God gave you discernment. Use it. Kick the neo-con rats out of the Republican Party and the boat will right itself. That’s a tip.)
HERE’S A TIP
I’m not the Beast from the Abyss
My name is Christopher not Chris
I live my life in perfect bliss
Born in this World to tell you this -
You’d better get down on your knees
Look to the Heavens and beg “Please
Forgive me God for this dis-ease
Of doing only what I please!”
And when you’ve done as I have said
You better wrap your lovely head
In a burka colored black
Made from some old burlap sack
Go and sit among the ashes
Of the people dead from rashes
Which they caught from being fucked
Too many times – that must have sucked
And in about a dozen years
When the winds have dried your tears
If you’ve finally learned your place
I’ll let you uncover your face
You can cook and clean and mop
But you can’t dance or read or talk
And if you give me any lip
I’ll chop your head off – that’s a tip
- CHRISTOPHER HAYDEN
http://modusartsgroup.blogspot.com/2012/10/heres-tip.html
The layout of the planks is fascinating. I need hundreds or maybe thousands of hours to dignify it all. For now all I can say is that I enjoy the notional concept of Orange County. That such a place exists in, of all places, California, is charming and heartwarming. Here in Vermont, where they test the rotten big-government socialist engineering plots and schemes before picking out the best ones to roll out in California and Illinois etc, there is no Orange County to offset anything. Conservatism and anti-Marxism and anti-Zionism just aren’t allowed here. These liberals will kill you if you stand up to them. Go Orange County! heft your proud son Geoffrey Willis on your shoulders and carry him on parade day. At least you’re all trying. (God gave you discernment. Use it. Kick the neo-con rats out of the Republican Party and the boat will right itself. That’s a tip.
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