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The future of the party is fiscally conservative and socially moderate. The Republican Party cannot switch its positions on social issues without de-energizing the base, but to expand it just needs to not talk about them so much.
It's a small-minded, silly caricature of what it once was. But as anyone who's paying attention can readily conclude, this mutated form is bound and determined to shrink even further.
They're trying to move back to the McCain/Grassley middle, at least in terms of how they present themselves, because the leadership has finally figured out that they're losing the loyalty of life long moderate R voters who are sick of being called RINOs, as well as the demographics working against them with minority voters. They can't win without them. That's great, as long as the policy positions actually change with the talk. The R party doesn't have a messaging problem--it's developed an EXTREMIST problem. When they have leadership in states like Iowa trying to put rape victims in jail for daring to take the morning after pill, when they're trying to mandate trans vaginal ultra sounds in Michigan and Virginia, and then trying to push personhood legislation in across the country, they're going to get what they deserve--women and better educated voters continuing to leave the party in droves. You can't just soften your tone and hide the fact that what you're proposing is huge, intrusive big government into the most private part of people's lives.
No, the party does have a messaging problem.
The Democrats of today are nothing like the Democrats of JFK's time. Obama's message is radically different from JFK's message.
On the other hand the conservative "extremists" of today are exactly like the GOP of Reagan's time. Reagan wanted low taxes and small government, and the so-called "extremists" today are advocating for low taxes and small government.
What's changed is the culture. That means the GOP does indeed have a messaging problem. They have failed to present a compelling case against the welfare state. When Reagan in 1980 said that small government was good, people believed him. When a Republican today says that small government is good, people don't believe it. That's a messaging problem.
What's funny about all of this is when the dust settled in 2008, pundits were saying well, people voted for Obama because people really wanted change, ending wars, and getting economic reform in the form of cuts and letting the Bush era tax cuts expire for newly generated revenues. After the dust settled in 2012, pundits were saying people re-elected Obama because America was now full of welfare people who didn't want their entitlements cut by the republicans. They also said Obama pandered to minorities too.
Aside from all this fear mongering and rhetoric, in 2008, a lot of republican voters voted for Obama.
You're correct, the R party doesn't have a messaging problem, that is, getting the word out, it's the message itself that turns voters off.
There was a lot of cross over voting, and if things don't change there's going to be more. I honestly don't think gerrymandering is going to help the Republicans all that much either. The problem is that those gerrymandered seats have a good chance of electing super conservative candidates--tea party types--while the rest of the party is attempting to more to the middle. I think we're going to see more moderate R's voting with the democrats more and more in Congress as this continues. The R's may continue to carry a slim lead as the majority in terms of party affiliation, but the "majority" in terms of voting will be a more moderate middle democrat/republican coalition. The new R's have done everything they can to put extremist candidates in office, now they're trying to pull it back, and I don't think it's going to be an easy road for them. They've marginalized themselves, and they've trashed the R brand.
GOP will continue to have a huge problem if you still have folks talking about legitimate rape, female body shutting it down, and GOD intended it to happen.
2. Social conservatives like Richard Murdouck, Sarah Palin, or Todd Akin?
3. Moderate Republicans like John McCain and Chuck Grassley?
4. Fiscal conservative governors like Scott Walker or Nikki Haley?
That's a pretty broad tent, people. Who in your mind doesn't represent the GOP? I think you've become like the democrats, you're trying to make too many people happy and the attempt to do so is making GOP candidates unelectable on a national basis.
Let's not be so rash and forget Republicans such as ignorant teabaggers, survivalists who collect cans, guns, and sit in a basement, KKKers, Neo-Nazis, and other equally delightful elements of society.
Well the GOP got infected a few years ago. They were happy to use the enthusiasm and hatred that accompanied that virus for political plans. Now, that the infection has become problematic, the GOP is in the process of "regurgitating" the Tnuts from one end and "evacuating" them from the other. Popcorn time!
I think you might be getting your heath history confused with political history.
Well the GOP got infected a few years ago. They were happy to use the enthusiasm and hatred that accompanied that virus for political plans. Now, that the infection has become problematic, the GOP is in the process of "regurgitating" the Tnuts from one end and "evacuating" them from the other. Popcorn time!
But they depend on the teabaggers for their votes. If they start dumping the KKKers, teabaggers, Neo-Cons, White Power freaks, anti-abortioner wackos, survivalists nutjobs, and all the other right wing extremists, there will be virtually no one left in the GOP.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/op...t&emc=rss&_r=0
From the article (re. current republicans): "Those in the middle backpedal to avoid conflict. Republicans on the extreme are willing to lose elections in order to promote their principles. Those in the mainstream are quick to fudge their principles if it will help them get a short-term win".
When it comes to propaganda, G.O.P. TV (Fox) is the republican "organ".
The republican plan:
* Via conservative media, alienate as many voting blocs as possible except the rich. Great idea...
* Then rely on election tampering and dirty tricks to put you in power.
Didn't seem to work, but they'll keep trying - yeah, Romney not only got a lot of votes, but gerrymandered districts allowed repubs to keep congress, even though dems won the popular vote there by a million.
Yeah it's a clown car, and many people have caught on, but more are needed.
obama is doing a great job of " divide and conquor". the dems will have the president seat for years to come.
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Will the Real GOP Stand Up?
