A ground game has to have a message that resonates with the voters. Otherwise, it's no different from any other telemarketing scam.
I'm having a hard time seeing how any Rovian variant of "They're more fascist than we are!" is going to make dinnertime interruptions more palatable to Joe Average.
If the Republicans were ethical, they could make great commercials about asset forfeiture, Drug War overreach, militarized Federal police, IRS intrusiveness and Gladiola the $200K/year DMV Lady...but they are 100% vulnerable to the charge that they themselves created more than half of this gigantic fascist infrastructure. Plus Wackenhut, Chertoff, and the other beneficiaries of the Security/Surveillance Complex would be mighty pissed at the GOP if any backtracking occurred at this point.
Rand Paul has shown us the only thing that has any chance of restoring the GOP brand at this point: Fight the Leviathan State in all its forms. Concede that the Wars on Drugs and Terror did more harm to Americans than to criminals and terrorists. Do it publicly. Do it now. Get out in front of it.
The Democrats have won elections they had no business winning for years by playing libertarian against a perceived Republican Big Brother. That has to end - now. Democrats are the ones who love state power, and who won't be able to let go of it when faced with vocal public demand for its reduction. Their mask has to be ripped off, for the voters to see.
The Democrats have won elections they had no business winning for years by playing libertarian against a perceived Republican Big Brother. That has to end - now.
The GOP can win - or try to push people around.