Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
So you see Republican leadership and their national candidates they have selected as extremists?
TR
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MOO, the GOP and the Democratic Party face the same challenges -- the hydra of populism, ideological rigidity, anti-intellectualism, short attention spans, the blogosphere, an over reliance upon "wedge issues," and split ticket voters.
IRT the GOP specifically, I think that Romney veered so far right (at least rhetorically) to get the base interested that he couldn't redefine himself convincingly enough to appeal to moderate and independent voters.
If I had my druthers, the GOP would embark upon some of the outreach that I've discussed in previous posts over the years. It would change the way it presents its ideas to voters so that the focus is on how preferred policies will impact the every day lives of citizens. Concurrently, the GOP would stop being the party of "no." It would start building a record of bipartisanship by working with the Democratic Party to pick the "low hanging fruit," and adopt the comportment of the "loyal opposition" more generally.
Also, the GOP needs to get away from the name calling, to stop insisting upon ideological and cultural conformity, to cease offering vitriolic responses to political
rhetoric, fix its historical amnesia, and address many of its intellectual/ideological inconsistencies. It needs to break down the echo chamber and get out of blogosphere. (A starting point may be
Rule and Ruin by Geoffrey M. Kabaservice.)
It is my view that, until the GOP spends time looking in the mirror, millions of voters will continue to cast their ballots against Republican candidates and oppose Republican policies because they simply don't like Republicans. The GOP is alienating voters--in particular Latinos as well as middle class blacks--that could regenerate the party and turning them into lifelong opponents. (IME, it is lights out for many voters when they go from talking about policy preferences to how Republicans walk, talk, and act.)
At one time, the GOP was a globally relevant force. It has altered the trajectory of global history positively no fewer than three times. Now, because of its own mistakes, miscalculations, and the choices its candidates and members have made, I am not optimistic about its future as a decisive force in national politics.
My $0.02.