I totally disagree. This was basically what Romney attempted - it's just nobody believed him after the primaries. Didn't talk at all about abortion rights, didn't talk at all about gay marriage. If he hadn't been pegged to his immigration comments and his laughable economic/tax plan (tax cuts + defense increases + ??? = economic growth) he might have had a shot. As stated before, the south is going to vote Republican now, because Democrats are anti-religion socialist commies. The northeast and west coast are voting Democrats, because Republicans are religious wackjobs -- problem is the independents. The problem is, even in this defeat individual states were close enough that Republican leadership can suggest "next time, with the same platform, and a little more voter intimidation, we can win! The 50/50 balance in this country means that neither party will resort to actually changing their platform to what a majority believes - it will just continue to rely on commercials and turnout.
Whatever. The American people need to lower their expectations. The borrow and spend my way to middle class income, in the face of rising prices, increased world competition, and corporate malfeasance is the new reality. Not everyone can get a college degree and a decent job. We can't all get free stuff from the government. We need to increase taxes, cut spending, and lower expectations. We can still be the best, most free country in the world - but we'll need to stop mailing it in as citizens and employees. Yeah, I don't think that's happening anytime soon.
if you're curious what a political party based on Christian (i.e. Christ-like) principles would look like, read on: Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. Zechariah 7:9-10 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” Jeremiah 22:3 Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. Romans 12:15-18 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Proverbs 31:9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. Luke 10:30-37 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ... Proverbs 31:8-9 Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. Psalm 82:3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Ezekiel 16:49-50 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. 1 John 3:17-18 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. Leviticus 19:15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Isaiah 58:6-12 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. ... Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 25:31-46 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ... Deuteronomy 16:20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Amos 5:21-24 “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:11-15 Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Proverbs 22:16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. Deuteronomy 15:7-11 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’ Romans 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. Proverbs 29:7 A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge. Amos 5:24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. James 5:1-5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. Micah 6:6-8 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Proverbs 28:27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; Luke 11:39-42 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Jeremiah 22:13-17 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages, who says, ‘I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms,’ who cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedar and painting it with vermilion. Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the Lord. But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.” Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 24:11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. Leviticus 23:22 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” Luke 18:1-8 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ... Jeremiah 21:12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord: “‘Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds.’” Leviticus 19:10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God. Exodus 23:3 Nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Ezekiel 22:29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. Isaiah 10:1-2 Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! Proverbs 1:1-17 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, ... Exodus 23:9 “You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. Amos 5:15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Matthew 7:4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? Psalm 146:5-9 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 2 Chronicles 19:4-11 Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.” Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem. ... Isaiah 11:4 But with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Psalm 68:5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
Where is the part about making sure to judge everyone, ignore the poor, prosecute and kill people that are different from you, and make sure taxes are never raised on the rich?
that's my biggest problem with the GOP. for one or two issues, they have completely ignored the rest of God's Word, and have sold their souls to corporate greed.
I don't foresee a radical change for 2016. The GOP will blame it on Mittens and will put all their hopes in Rubio, Christie, Jeb Bush or even Huntsman. Furthermore they got almost 50% of the popular vote and they were very close in several swing states and they're disadvantage in blue states was less than their advantage in red states. And they still have control of the House and several Governorships. This is the picture they see. Just toss in a despicable (in their view) candidate like Hillary, Eric Holder or another minority candidate (Castro brothers?) and they will feel galvanized and energized and willing to twek their tactics so they can defeat the Democrat's candidates.
Let me take a different angle on this. Republicans are poor at economics. Of course, their brand historically is the opposite, but such is the case. The last fresh ideas they had were under Reagan and they very much need something new. Tax cuts + military spending + high deficits is no formula for 2012. And it's directly in opposition to the Republicans' attempt to position themselves as fiscal conservatives. And people are starting to figure that out. Despite Romney's business background and Obama being saddled with a weak economy, Romney only matched Obama on the question of who is better to handle the economy. I'm saying a lot of these white people/social conservative/branding issues get fixed for Republicans if they re-establish themselves as credible on economics. I'm saying it's the economy stupid. Now what can Republicans propose to improve the situation?
I don't think they'll do this, though. I don't think they're that stupid. The minority vote is now a trend. If it increases another 2 percent, the GOP could loose even bigger. The Dems have welcomed everyone into their tent. It's more moderate, significantly bigger, and more virulently (edit, auto correct) supports freedom of choice. So the republican's only way forward is to try to seduce minorities back into their tent...the same tent that's chalk full of people who hate minorities. Good luck.
The people who decide the republican presidential elect are too concerned with racial supremacy and/or social issues to just focus on the economy. To get the white/evangelical vote in the primary, a candidate needs to say "we'll outlaw abortions, make gay marriage illegal, and deport all the Mexicans." To win the presidency, you need to not say things like that. It's a catch 22 Maybe you (and many "fiscal conservatives") can get past the social issues, but most republicans can't.
But the beauty of American bigotry is that the target is always moving. Remember that movie with Daniel Day Lewis and Leo DiCaprio? The "whites" were trying to keep New York safe from the Irish hordes. Italians (and Catholics in general) were "others" too. Remember, the KKK started as an anti-Catholic terrorist group. They can bring Latinos into the fold and still be anti-minority.
Very True. In 50 years maybe many Latinos will be GOP voters and join a coalition of other West Coast nativists railing against Asian immigrants. Who knows? Catholics and Irish took generations to join the nativist party, which was the Democrats in the 19th century by the way. The current dynamics, however, do not look good for the GOP at all. One thing that should be very worrying to them is that people generally form their political attachments in young adulthood and carry them through their entire lives. You can see it with FDR New Deal voters and Reagan era Young Republicans. The fact that the GOP is getting crushed among younger voters, who are the least white, points to a future as a disadvantaged party and it won't be fixed with a little pandering. That doesn't mean they couldn't win elections given the right economic/political climate, but it does point to them being like the Republicans after the New Deal or the Democrats after the Civil Rights era - they'll have a structural disadvantage that lasts through multiple election cycles. Obama pro-diversity, gay friendly, cell phone only voters aren't going anywhere and will probably lean Democratic compared to Gen-X and Baby Boomers.
Good point. And then, there are those 38 EC votes in Texas that's more urban and Latino by the day. Luckily for the GOP, Texas Democrats aren't the most organized bunch.
The letter quoted in this Atlantic is worth a read: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/the-future-of-the-gop/264909/ The basic gist seems to be that they've dismissed any criticism as anti-capitalist/partisan/hater, and they haven't come to grips with either the demographic changes or technological advances. Also, the city vote: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/po...ant-afford-concede-city-vote-ever-again/3829/
You beat me to it. I was thinking "how can the gop go after 2% swing voters without alienating the 30% core?"
Republicans are notorious for having "racist" and "bigot" supporters, yet democrats reveal their own racial approach by referencing voters by race, gender, and sexuality. This is a contradiction Democrats and most media are notorious for. You will never be fully progressive by labeling and objectifying your voters by race, gender, or sexuality. One thing a updated Republican party could do is be the first to remove racial and gender based categorizations. They probably won't, but just in-case a strategist is reading...
This is not a contradiction. Nor is it notorious to anyone who doesn't fall for easy false equivalencies.
They can't. The GOP is fragmented. There are the financial conservatives (those who believe in small government), and there are social conservatives. There's certainly some overlap, but more and more these two groups are pulling away from each-other as far as ideology. The tea party was the first sign of this fragmentation, and it's already done damage. If the GOP can't glue together the pieces and/or completely bamboozle the voting public, they could be looking at a decade of obscurity, especially if the new Democratic coalition can mobilize itself more than once every 4 years (mid term elections).
You can't win a national election if you write off Latinos. Republicans must now take the lead on the issue of immigration reform in terms of passing serious comprehensive legislation through Congress. They have to hope that doing so mends fences with enough immigrant and Latino voters to make inroads with them, while also hoping that the anti-immigrant crowd has enough invested in the GOP that even if they scream bloody murder they won't leave the party. Immigrant advocates need to start pitching this to the GOP if they want to see immigration reform. It's a no-brainer, but I'm not holding my breath.
I totally agree, but I think you missed the point. In the primaries, if you have a GOP candidate that supports immigration reform and appeals to Latinos, he/she won't win because the people voting (70% whites from rural areas) aren't supportive of minorities. You need a super conservative candidate to win the primary. So presumably your response is, "just have that super conservative candidate do an about face in the general election and become more moderate." My answer: Romney just tried that and failed. The Democrats had hundreds of sound bites quoting Romney saying things that turn on rural white voters, but turn off minorities, latinos, and women. EDIT: My point? The candidate you suggested would never win a republican primary.
The president can learn something from Mad Men. Hanging out and getting blasted with people you need to do business with is a pretty good idea. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57546193/bob-woodward-congress-doesnt-think-obama-likes-them/ Tip and Gipp hung out. So did Big Bill and Newt. Shit got done. I wonder if the president thinks he is above congress sometimes. The truth is that people want to work with friends and everyone wants to be friends with the president. It may be just that simple.
I'm talking about Republicans in Congress taking the lead. It has to be action, not words. The GOP has to actually propose some legislation and actively try to pass it. I don't think a candidate promising during a campaign to support immigration reform would be enough to attract Latino voters, Latinos are not idiots. Of course, you can make your same argument about GOP incumbents in Congress. They might not win a primary if they pass immigration reform. That's something that each candidate would have to look at depending on the demographics of the area they represent I suppose. But there has to be some soul searching. And "helping the immigrant" is also a Biblical theme, so there should be a way to pitch it to the religious right as well. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but when things aren't working you need to start thinking outside the box. The GOP is not going to win without Latinos, and immigration reform is not going to pass without the GOP. So it's something for both the GOP and immigration advocates to think about.