All is Not Lost in the GOP

Found this today, pretty much sums up how I feel about the GOP


By Christopher Coffey
Republican Political Consultant

We Republicans lost fair and square in 2008, even though some in the party were boasting a few years ago of a “durable” Republican majority in Washington.

All is not lost. While this election at first glance, looked like a Democratic realignment, it was not. According to an American University study, voter turnout in 2008 was the same as in 2004. The big difference was lower Republican and increased Democratic turnout.

If the GOP makes some quick changes, it can revitalize the base and remain competitive. Here are a few suggestions:

Return to Basic Principles. Democrats might be the party of tax and spend liberals, but Republicans have become a party of spend and borrow conservatives. Gone is any philosophical foundation from which voters can distinguish the GOP from the Democrats. Republicans can remedy this by swearing off its present addiction to big government.
A growing, assertive government is a root cause of many of our nation’s ills. Look at the recent financial panic: the federal government fueled irresponsible lending through lax oversight of Fannie Mae. The government does few things better than the private sector and Republicans must never forget this.

Unplug the Robots. Not only did Bush-era Republicans lack a philosophical base, Bush communicators delivered a humorless, robotic message. The Republican message lacks any persuasive power whatsoever. If it were a food, it would taste like old wheat cereal served cold in foam cup. Time to recruit new communicators.
Write off bad assets. There are some bad eggs in the party, as evidenced by the recent attempts by anonymous Republicans to destroy Sarah Palin. For too long the party provided lucrative careers to dispassionate, if not pitiless, martinets. We need to send them packing.
Change the Playbook. Voters are not machines that can be activated by Excel spreadsheets and “robo-calls.” The GOP relies too much on technology such as “micro-targeting,” which appears to be a fancy name for phone calls and voter identification. While this can be an effective marketing tool, the party still needs a winning product to market and has to develop a big message before it can deliver small messages by phone.
Address the Tough Issues. The greatest tragedy of this cycle was the unwillingness of candidates to engage in meaningful debate on entitlement spending. Obama made a few vague proposals but Republicans were reluctant to join issue. Time to engage on the tough issues facing our nation.
These of course are initial suggestions. The Republicans must also focus on nurturing the next generation of leaders and party officials; leaders who will lack the churlish demeanor of the present beltway crowd. That might be the toughest challenge of all.