Posted on 07/03/2013 7:42:10 PM PDT by Windflier
While the topic of conservatives potentially abandoning the Republican Party remains on the front burner, a new study has been released that explains why some have already bolted.
The study, commissioned by a conservative market research group, applied scientific methods of qualitative research to find out why some Republican-leaning voters are abandoning the GOP. For example, last year Mitt Romney turned out fewer whites, Catholics, and evangelicals than even John McCain did in 2008, and did worse with Mormon voters than George W. Bush did in 2004. To compensate for the loss of a sizable chunk of his base and win the election, Romney wouldve needed an unattainable 72% of that Hispanic vote currently getting so much attention.
After researching a sample of disaffected Republican voters the study drew four conclusions that were strangely missing from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus much-hyped autopsy that basically any MSNBC commentator couldve written. Im sure it was just an accidental oversight on Reinces part.
1) Voters are tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. This was actually true of both conservatives and moderates. These voters were no longer persuaded that supporting a bad Republican candidate over any Democrat was the right thing to do.
2) Voters lost hope in the Republican Party and believe the party can no longer deliver on its promises because its leaders lack courage and integrity. According to Anne Sorock, the author of the studys conclusive report, the lack of perceived leadership by principle was strongly connected to this sense of loss.
3) Voters now preferred what the report described as an affiliation with a new community that would pursue its principles which was primarily the Tea Party.
4) Voters feel what the report characterized as a perceived betrayal by the GOP establishment. Specifically, Sorock says that when party leaders attacked a candidate they liked these disaffected Republican voters across the ideological spectrum took it as a personal slight and that they werent welcome in the party.
To bring these crucial base voters back into the fold, the report concluded that Republicans should strive to create a community around shared principles rather than attacking grassroots candidates with lesser of two evil (i.e. electability) arguments. The report went on to say the GOPs problems are not only, or even primarily, philosophical but with the partys leadership itself.
That is spot on if you ask me.
For years I believed the divide in the party was conservatives versus moderates. Then I thought was social conservatives versus fiscal conservatives. Then I thought it was conservatives versus libertarians.
Then I realized thats all a distraction.
The divide in the party isnt ideological at all its based purely on control. All the ideological debates among us are intended to keep us distracted from the real problem. Oh sure, I disagree with libertarians and other conservatives all the time. But out here in the grassroots we actually agree on the primary purpose of the Republican Partyto advance the general principles in the party platform and offer the country a stark contrast to the statism offered by the Democrats.
However, there are those like Karl Rove who would rather lose elections than lose control of the party, and theyre against anyone that threatens their powerbase by empowering the grassroots. So they dont like Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, or even a moderate like Rudy Giuliani when they run for president. Despite the fact all of these men have various issue and ideological differences. Thats also why they despise grassroots champions like Sarah Palin and barely tolerate conservative talk radio.
They understand an empowered grassroots threatens their control of the party apparatus, and they need control of the party apparatus because theres no more room at the Democrat Party Inn. So if theyre going to use gangster government to line their own and their crony capitalist buddies pockets theyve got to reverse the jersey and control Team GOP instead.
I dont agree with a Giuliani-type moderate on a whole host of issues. In a national primary I would work hard to beat him (and did). But while hes my ideological opponent hes not my political enemy. A Giuliani would actually take the fight to the Democrats on an issue or twolike defeating radical Islam, for example. A Giuliani-type moderate may philosophically disagree with you on lots of other things, but he sees himself as part of a broader coalition. Therefore, hes not going to use the party apparatus to thin his own herd like the Romulans tried to do at the rules committee prior to the convention last year.
The GOP ruling class believes in nothing but themselves, which is why theyre more ruthless in primaries against their fellow Republican than they are in general elections against Democrats. This also explains why theyre hemorrhaging their own voters, and why they just dont seem to care about it as they allegedly pursue all voters except those that might actually vote for them.
Its why they lie, shamelessly repeat often-debunked fallacies, and are more comfortable talking to George Stephanopoulos than they are talking to you.
These people would rather lose elections than lose control of the party, so theyll ignore studies like this. They want you to stick around provided you shut your hole and know your rolewhich is to shut up and vote for their approved candidates.
If you threaten to leave the party they pay it no mind, because youre just a booty call to them. Its not like theyre in this for any higher calling like preserving freedom and liberty.
Looks to me like the GOP is abandoning the conservatives.
/johnny
Started a long long time ago. They did not like Reagan at all.
To coin a phrase, "I didn't abandon the GOP, it abandoned me". I decided to go elsewhere when the GOP let the Dems and MSM select my candidate for president.
why?
Because they do not stand for anything.
Spineless, politically unskilled. dupes.
Yup! That’s me. Registering independent next week.
I didn’t leave the GOP, the GOP left me. Where is a person like the Gipper when we need him/her?
This is a pretty good summary of my abandoning of the GOP. I no longer want anything to do with the establishment Republicans. I just hope it rots soon so a new Party replaces it before it is too late.
And no, I no longer believe the GOP can evolve because there are too many RINO jerks within it who will ride it down the drain before they give up their perceived power.
Ronald Reagan said the same thing about the Democrats.
Perhaps it's time we walked away from political parties altogether, and became truly independent Americans, faithful only to our nation's founding principles, and supporting only those citizen servants who bear the same fealty to America.
Screw politics. Principles are all that really matters.
Rubio pushed me over the edge. I can’t support them anymore. They are more interested in the media loving them than their supporters. I’m done.
I had a call from the RNC looking for more money the other day. I told the young man, politely, that I am pretty practical and will hold my nose and support/vote for the RINO. No more. I am done.
“Started a long long time ago. They did not like Reagan at all.”
That’s my information as well. Reagan was so popular, principled, articulate, and unstopable, that Rove make sure to put GHWBush in there as Veep. That way the Reagan Revolution was backstopped.
Too bad Rinse Prius didn't hire the Frontier Lab to do his "autopsy" after Romney's defeat last year. He would have gotten the correct answer as to why they lost.
Wonder if he's somewhere reading this and doing a facepalm.
Hey, you're just a "booty call". The GOP-e couldn't give two sh*ts what you think or do.
How much did they pay for this study?
They could have just logged on to FR for a $10 donation
that is how I read about it
The Republicans deserve what they get but conservatives can’t win on their own. A coalition of conservatives, libertarians, and independents is what’s going to be needed to form an alternative third party to have any shot at taking down the two major parties. The GOP is near death and the Democrats will rule the country for years to come. That’s the reality of our present and immediate future. How does it feel knowing that our generation will bring about America’s ultimate demise?
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