Head Strong: Ignoring suburbs doomed the GOP To win Pa., it must appeal to moderates.

Philly.com ^ | November 9, 2008 | Michael Smerconish

[gusopol3]

Head Strong: Ignoring suburbs doomed the GOP To win Pa., it must appeal to moderates. By Michael Smerconish - Inquirer

Inquirer Currents Columnist

If retail politicking alone determined the election outcome in Pennsylvania, McCain-Palin would have won in a landslide. Speaking on MSNBC election night, Gov. Rendell joked that the GOP ticket had spent so much time in the state that he was thinking of assessing them with a state income tax.

[longtermmemmory]

More “they don’t get it” analysis.

McCain had “late volunteers” because he was late to the conservative base.

[ChetNavVet]

Hindsite is almost useless after the fact. IMHO thing most certainly could’ve been done better. As far as where, when, and how money got spent, I think it has far less impact when you take the MSM into consideration. To me this contest was about integrity vs lie, When enough people belive a liar because he goes completely unchallanged by the obviously tilted media, this is what you get.

Obama backed out on a campaign finance pledge, That was my first hint the pubs would have a very hard time.

[MuttTheHoople]

B-b-b-b-but, we NEED moderates to win elections. Look how well McCain did with them this year.

[gusopol3]

supports global warming

I strongly believe this will be a silver lining, since McCain was going to embrace that collapsing hypothesis for the GOP. These suburban voters who were so impressed at politically correct depth by that fear-mongering will have the Democrats to scorn as the global warming joins cold fusion as pseudo-science.

[gusopol3]

well, you do need 50% + 1. By some definition, that’s gotta include “moderates.” the question is, do you alter you arguments to match their propagandized points of view, or do you convince them to move your way . Obviously, FReepers choose the latter course.

[gusopol3]

Obama backed out on a campaign finance pledge,

I gree, that's all you really need to know about him, though the way thing went down, he'd have probably won anyway. The decitfulness is why I'm calling him "Cokehead President."

[sirchtruth]

McCain was doomed from the start you can not be all things to all people. That's why when true conservatives use conservatism to run on they win nearly every time. That's also why Sarah will win in 2012. She is a conservative,not a stinking RINO!

Absolutely 100% correct! I would much rather lose with a true conservative agenda and canidate, than the absolute rino loser which almost ensures a loss. If McCain had won, conservatives would still have lost.(except for Palin)

[Cricket24]

McCain 208, Obama 195 in our very rural township here in northern PA. I was a poll worker and I was shocked that that many people who are mostly Republican voted for him. I knew McCain was finished! Idiots! We did have a very large turnout with 61% of registered voters voting. To be honest, all day I thought it was busy because people were voting AGAINST Obama. I was wrong! It made me sick!

[gusopol3]

wow, that is sad. Probably a lot of folks scared by the financial mess and thinking Democrats will be better able to handle it.

[boomop1]

Only way is voter ID clean up the fraud.

[padre35]

Perhaps if Smerconish had endorsed McCain rather than Obama, he might have been worth listening to.

How can he give advice when he supported Obama?

Vichy Republican.

[proudmilitarymrs]

Smernikov thinks that if the GOP will just embrace abortion on demand, everything will be hunky-dory.

Wrong again Michael.

mrs

[gusopol3]

believe it or not, I heard Katie Couric giving advice to Republicans the other day. oh well , turn about is fair play, we’ve given her plenty of advice, like “go get another job.” Smerconish has lost a lot of listeners to Bill Bennett, the # of calls coming to his radio show from Philly area is very high.

[gusopol3]

believe it or not also believes in legalizing prostitution. Shows a perverted stupidity with the absence of thought. Can you imagine a family struggling to keep a daughter on an academic track of any type having to debate the argument, “I can just become a sex worker?”

[MuttTheHoople]

By some definition, that’s gotta include “moderates.” the question is, do you alter you arguments to match their propagandized points of view, or do you convince them to move your way . Obviously, FReepers choose the latter course.

As well as Ronald Reagan and pre-1995 Newt Gingrich.

[wita]

Coming from a state where Photo ID is required to vote, and saw two people turned away to go fetch the ID, I agree that something needs to be done in states that still have no requirement.

One method of simplifying the system could be to return to the male property owner requirement, but that might not sit well with some.

[xrmusn]

Only way is voter ID to clean up the fraud.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
A ‘purple’ digit would also work but I can just picture marauding hordes of ‘others’ forcing opposing parties people’s digit in a bucket of ‘purple’ paint......

[bitterohiogunclinger]

“‘Moderate’ is just another word for self-hating Republican.
What the GOP needs to do is appeal to common sense conservatism again, tending to the business of governing while always remembering that the government that governs least governs best.”
Agreed.
However, in order to accomplish this goal, we have a huge uphill battle. We have for the last 16 years been the victims of the drive by media. First, in cheer-leading and then covering up for the Clintoons, and then for denigrating everything about Bush. We are going to be back against the cheer-leading cycle again. To get any message out at all is going to require bypassing the MSM. It's been a sad, sad truth that for the most part, neither political party has acted in the interests of the American people, it's always about the quest for, and the wielding of political power.
DemocRATs rule because they are united. No matter how dishonest, they always stick to their talking points. They start and end every sentence with “the failed policies of George Bush”. Republicans are losing everywhere because they don't stay on message, and when they were in control they bent over backwards to still let the opposition set the agenda. If they are going to behave like DemonRATs, we don't need them and the sooner we rid ourselves the better.

[uncbob]

That’s true but if his message wasn’t working in PA, it wasn’t working anywhere. It was an indication of a failed message.

It is the result of brain dead liberals who fled Philly for the burbs after the democrats ruined it and still knee jerk vote democrat and when you point that out to them you get a blank stare

Brand loyalty though stupid is ingrained in most peoples psyche whether truck ownership or politics

[ScottinVA]

Amazing when the Iraqi elections seem cleaner than ours.