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The Republican Party’s uphill path to 270 electoral votes in 2016
Washington Post ^ | 1-18-14 | Dan Balz

Posted on 01/19/2014 9:22:33 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic

A recent conversation with a veteran of GOP presidential campaigns raised this question: Which, if any, of the recent battleground states are likely to become more Republican by 2016? The consensus: very few.

That reality highlights one problem Republicans face as they seek to regain the White House after six years under President Obama. Lots of factors affect elections: the quality of the candidates, the state of the economy, the effectiveness of the campaigns. But in a country whose demographics continue to change, Republicans will begin this campaign with one significant disadvantage.

Over the past three decades, the political leanings of many states have shifted dramatically. What once was a sizable Republican advantage in the electoral college has become a decided Democratic advantage.

One way to look at this is by comparing two overlapping 20-year periods. In the first, 1980 through 2000, Republicans won four of six presidential elections. In the second, 1992 through 2012, Democrats won four of six.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2014election; 2016election; 2016issues; balz; conservatism; cruz2016; demagogicparty; diversity; election2014; election2016; elections; hitlery; hrossperot; illegals; johnanderson; latinovote; memebuilding; paleolibs; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; patbuchanan; ralphnader; randsconcerntrolls; republicans; thirdpartytrolls
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To: Popman

CA - 55
NY - 31
IL - 21
NJ - 15
MA -12
CT - 7
WA - 11
OR - 7
PA - 21
HI - 4

184 lib vote without even trying...

21 posted on 01/19/2014 9:44:48 AM PST by Popman ("Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God" - Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Tennessee Nana

It is not “Willard’s” fault.

It is really hard to defeat an incumbent president.

It has been done 3 times in the last hundred years (Hoover, Carter, Bush 41).

And it took the great depression to get Hoover out, the almost great depression to get Carter out and a recession plus Ross Perot to get Bush 41 out.


22 posted on 01/19/2014 9:45:05 AM PST by staytrue
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Say goodbye to freedom.


23 posted on 01/19/2014 9:46:33 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
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To: Zhang Fei

It would seal the deal that many “conservatives” are economic welfare cases. I say no to protectionism. Can I call you a new deal FDR Republican?


24 posted on 01/19/2014 9:49:09 AM PST by impimp
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To: Zhang Fei

“Do you think a protectionistic platform would seal the deal for the Rust Belt states?”

No. Protectionism just is not high on the list of anyone.
There is a large anti wall street feeling and despite what everyone has been led to believe, wall street money and votes go democrat.

I think in an year without an incumbent president, OH and FL will turn republican, making for a very close election in 2016


25 posted on 01/19/2014 9:50:19 AM PST by staytrue
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To: afraidfortherepublic

paints an ugly picture.


26 posted on 01/19/2014 9:53:28 AM PST by wiggen (The teacher card. When the racism card just won't work.)
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To: Zathras

WI


27 posted on 01/19/2014 9:54:16 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Run TedCruz/RandPaul. The RNC pretends they want the hispanic vote?....TedCruz brings the Cuban vote plus. And the younger vote would be impacted by Rand Paul's very strong voice against spying on us and stupid wars of global domination. So would the senior vote that first got fed up with our global policies in the 1960s.

One wonders if the RNC really wants to win.

28 posted on 01/19/2014 9:54:23 AM PST by grania
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To: Zhang Fei
Do you think a protectionistic platform would seal the deal for the Rust Belt states?

The answer to that is yes. One of the parties is eventually going to seize that issue and it might as well be the Republicans. If they can tie it to income tax rate reductions and economic stimulation it will be a winner.

29 posted on 01/19/2014 9:58:47 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
The bigger issue is: What exactly does this country gain by electing Republican presidents?

The last two Republicans in the White House were both named Bush: George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush. I be hard-pressed to come up with two individuals who have done more to damage the name and reputation of the Republican Party than these two.

Let's keep in mind that for most of the eight years that the younger Bush was in office, he also had a Republican House and Senate. And yet his tenure in office was a complete disaster in terms of foreign/military policy abroad and crony capitalism here at home -- which is how we ended up with a jug-eared idiot in the White House today.

30 posted on 01/19/2014 10:00:26 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: central_va
One of the parties is eventually going to seize that issue and it might as well be the Republicans.

That's where you're wrong. Neither major party has any interest in this issue, since both of them are firmly in the back pockets of major international corporate interests.

Interestingly, "protectionism" is likely to become increasingly irrelevant as the value of the U.S. dollar slides and it becomes more and more attractive to manufacture products here in the U.S. over time. I read a fascinating article a couple of months ago about this subject, and the author made the case that by 2016 it will be more cost-effective to manufacture most consumer products sold in the U.S. in Alabama and South Carolina than in coastal China.

31 posted on 01/19/2014 10:03:58 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: impimp
It would seal the deal that many “conservatives” are economic welfare cases. I say no to protectionism. Can I call you a new deal FDR Republican?

I think Reagan crushed Mondale because of the Harley Davidson tariffs and the voluntary import restrictions imposed on Japanese automakers, among other protectionistic policies he backed. Ultimately, I think this was important because it sent a signal to Rust Belt manufacturing workers being shellacked by layoffs that the GOP cared about them. While free trade is not a bad overall policy, exceptions might have to be made as a concession to electoral trends. I'm not talking about Brazilian-style economic autarky, but targeted tariffs and sanctions to address public concerns.

32 posted on 01/19/2014 10:05:00 AM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
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To: Alberta's Child

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304202204579256120230694210


33 posted on 01/19/2014 10:05:32 AM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

We’re going Galt. The country is going Detroit.


34 posted on 01/19/2014 10:06:35 AM PST by Flick Lives (Got a problem with the government? Have a complaint. Get a free IRS audit!)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
the quality of the candidates

Start with that.


Another major problem is the GOP primary situation.

Another major problem is the GOP message.

35 posted on 01/19/2014 10:07:35 AM PST by TomGuy
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To: nascarnation

That’s remarkable, isn’t it?


36 posted on 01/19/2014 10:08:29 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: Alberta's Child

Every now and then there’s a bit of hope.


37 posted on 01/19/2014 10:09:56 AM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: Zhang Fei

Reduced or non existent tariffs are good if the exporter’s standard of living is the same or better than your countries standard of living. However what we have now is a progressive income tax combined with low(or no) import tariffs which is importing a 3rd standard of living into the USA. The worst possible combination.


38 posted on 01/19/2014 10:10:28 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/195889-expanded-2014-senate-map-boosts-gop-confidence


39 posted on 01/19/2014 10:10:56 AM PST by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS! BETTER DEAD THAN RED!)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Dems capture the states with the largest cities and they win, plain and simple. We the people don’t choose, they the dependency class do.

One man one vote is a big fail, when the “one” man is an idiot.


40 posted on 01/19/2014 10:12:44 AM PST by 12th_Monkey (In an alternate universe Obama still dips ice cream)
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