SUMMARY OF THIS
ELECTION: Bias in the media? Yep.
Campaign ads filled with lies and distortions? Yep.
Did Romney make mistakes, miss shots he could have fired? Yep. Why waste time and energy on that
now? Take a deep breath.
FACT: Obama was a sitting duck, ripe to be picked
off.
FACT: Obama won.
FACT: It wasn’t even that close.
FACT: The Republican base was totally energized and
turned out.
FACT: Romney got fewer votes than a DOA John McCain
got in 2008.
FACT: The Conservative BASE is too small. We need a bigger tent. We need positions that will attract more
people.
Getting
paranoid and ‘re-trenching’ with the ‘base’, etc. is a losing proposition. Sticking by the core ‘planks /positions’ is
admirable, but will guarantee more loses – in particular, on a national
level. This stance may work locally…
analyze the office by how ‘local’ it is and who its constituents are…
U.S. House of
Representative: local, more Republican
Governor: statewide, more Republican
U.S. Senator: statewide, swings but more Democrat
President: least local, Democrat
FACE THE TRUTH: More than 50% of the people trust
conservative leadership on the economy, but LESS than 50% align with
Republicans on social issues. We have
GOT to find areas where migration on position has value – where it attracts
more, but doesn’t compromise key beliefs.
HOW DO WE GET THERE: PEOPLE AND ISSUES
Key
characteristics of traditional Conservative / Republican Party members:
- Self-reliant / industrious
- Hard working
- Family oriented / family values
- Religious
Has
historically been personified by:
- White men*
- Married women*
- Church-going Christians*
*As a
percentage of the overall population, each of these groups continues to
decline… (anecdotally, I also think that
Baby Boomers typically align here, but as they get older and become reliant on
government services promised to them (Social Security, Medicare, pensions, etc.)
they will, rightfully, look to protect these services / vote Democrat.)
Largest
percentage population growth sectors: African American, Latino, single
women. Like it or not, most of the African
American sector will never align with Conservatives.
Latinos
represent the clear opportunity:
- Core values are closely aligned
- Overwhelmingly religious (regardless of
persuasion)
- Family oriented
- Disproportionally located in southern
states – (States traditionally conservative, so these Latinos are geographically
aligned with as is conservative base)
Given this, we
must ask ourselves: Why do they vote
Democrat? Perceived anti-immigration
stance? Probably doesn’t matter because
it’s not been a top five issue in elections for years, but I’d spend the money
to find out. As a ‘new’ group of growing
influence, the opportunity to evolve our platform to include that population is
still there (vs. AA, which has too much inertia.) My guess is there are two distinct groups
within the Latino immigrant group – those who are coming here for a BETTER life
and are willing to WORK hard to achieve it, and those that are coming for the
freebies. We know where this second
group goes.
We MUST concentrate on the
first group.
NOW CONSIDER
THIS ONE POSITION: ABORTION
Face the truth: Roe v. Wade is long established law of the
land and will likely never be reversed (even though the pro-life position is
growing.) Accept it, move on. Take it out of the platform. If anything, it should be a states’ rights
issue – NOT a federal campaign cornerstone.
This is a losing issue and it’s perceived negatively by the majority of
single AND young women. And
demographically speaking, women are the majority of the voting public. Abortion is also the most demagogued of
conservative issues. There is also no
merit arguing the extremes (late term abortion, abortion on demand, etc.) It’s a losing ISSUE. It is what it is; we are NOT going to change
it. Leave it.
[As an aside, Romney’s attack on Planned
Parenthood probably cost him huge numbers of voting women because of the
PERCEIVED attack on their reproductive rights.
Women do not see the asserted immorality of pro-lifers funding abortions
via their tax dollars. Women see ‘ending
PP’ as a termination of their reproductive rights. Whether this is right or wrong, it’s their
perception. And in politics, PERCEPTION
IS REALITY.]
It didn’t
help the cause that Todd Akin, the Republican senatorial candidate running
against Claire McCaskill in Missouri made totally ludicrous
remarks about rape and abortion. The
entire Republican hierarchy floor to ceiling should have walked away from this
man and demanded that he withdraw, should have withheld every centavo of
funding. He’s a nut, and McCaskill was
ripe for the picking. She won. It should never have happened.
In
conclusion….. drop all things to do with abortion. But what if we alienate…..? The reality is – where will they go? Single issue voters will stay home. The other pro-lifers….. will stay right where
they are. Harsh but a necessary truth. But what about our ‘base’ if we change our
platform? Will they switch to the
Democrats? Ain't gonna happen. Will they stay home? Who knows?
But more of them stayed home THIS year with Moderate Mitt on the ticket
than did with Aisle-Crossing McCain IN 2008 - 3,000,000 more!!!!!
We have to
start somewhere. There you have two of my
major thoughts. We’re outnumbered. We have to begin to ATTRACT people, rather than just
hope people will wander into the tent.
We MUST offer an alternative that makes people say ‘YES – that’s what I
BELIEVE, and that’s what I WANT!’ Can’t
happen overnight.
More later………
Wait wait wait. Romney got fewer votes that DOA??? NO WAY!! I didn't know that. That's sad.
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