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How Republicans can't win in 2016 ("Must nominate a conservative who can attract...voters")
The Week ^ | November 8, 2013 | Marc Ambinder

Posted on 11/09/2013 10:26:15 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

If demography is destiny, Republicans can't win the presidency by acting more like Democrats. The GOP's best shot in 2016 is not to nominate a moderate. They must nominate a conservative who can attract more conservative voters to the polls, just like President Obama built his own coalition and increased the relative electoral power of each constituent part. Not that it will be easy.

As long as the GOP nominates someone plausible, they start off with 46 percent of the vote and a large chunk of the electoral college. Getting to 270 + 1 electoral votes and then to 50 percent of the popular balloting requires trade-offs and choices.

Where Obama drew in younger voters, unmarried women, black voters, and Latinos, Republicans would be wise to focus, in the short term, on raising turnout among married women, white men over 30, and self-described evangelical Christians.

The ideal Republican strategy is not terribly convoluted. Find and nominate the most acceptable conservative. Find the swing states where demographic composition of the electorate has been volatile and where there is room among those demographic groups to grow the GOP's share. Put the two together. (I would add: If I were Machiavellian, I would urge Republicans to do everything they can to suppress the Democratic vote. I am not Machiavellian, and plenty of Republicans are already doing this.)

Of course, overall demographic trends tilt the balance away from Republicans. The uphill climb begins with an awareness that Democrats will have somewhere between 200 and 250 electoral votes banked by Election Day....

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


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2016election; conservatives; democrats; electoralcollege; gop; hillary; obama; palin; republicans; tedcruz
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Comments?
1 posted on 11/09/2013 10:26:15 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

2014-2016 is going to be anything but normal. Obamacare will be the fatal Democrat tarbaby. A Republican ham sandwich will be able to win in 2016. What we serve those ham sandwiches up to be, is up to us.


2 posted on 11/09/2013 10:29:00 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (The Lion of Judah will roar again if you give him a big hug and a cheer and mean it. See my page.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I guarantee you they are not going to nominate a conservative. If Cruz miraculously somehow gets it the Pubbies will do everything they can (with the help of Dems) to stop him.


3 posted on 11/09/2013 10:30:09 PM PST by Jack Hydrazine (IÂ’m not a Republican, I'm a Conservative! Pubbies haven't been conservative since before T.R.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; HiTech RedNeck

If the Republicans couldn’t win in 2012, I don’t think they can win in 2016. They lost their own sweep year, they just don’t have enough votes possible.


4 posted on 11/09/2013 10:31:13 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: Jack Hydrazine

Which is why people like you and I will have to burn up the phones and use social media to raise $25,000 to a million dollars each. I raised over $40,000 for Fred Thompson in the very short time he was in the race, so I know I could do it again.


5 posted on 11/09/2013 10:32:21 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet ("Many on the left see faith & family as oppressive, the right sees them as indispensable." Palin)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I don’t think we can win if the dammocrats run a woman and we run a man.

It’s as simple as that...


6 posted on 11/09/2013 10:36:51 PM PST by babygene ( .)
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To: HiTech RedNeck
America patted itself on the back for voting for a Black man.

In 2016 they will be able to pat themselves on the back for voting for a woman.

We're toast.

7 posted on 11/09/2013 10:36:57 PM PST by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Bush/Christie 2016! /sarc


8 posted on 11/09/2013 10:37:35 PM PST by dynachrome (Vertrou in God en die Mauser)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

A choice between a RINO and a democrat is almost no choice at all.


9 posted on 11/09/2013 10:37:53 PM PST by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, a Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

No Chris Christie, period!!!


10 posted on 11/09/2013 10:39:45 PM PST by make no mistake
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Cruz, Lee or Palin, PERIOD.


11 posted on 11/09/2013 10:41:00 PM PST by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
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To: nickcarraway
I don’t think they can win in 2016. They lost their own sweep year, they just don’t have enough votes possible.

Snap out of it, would you? The Repubs didn't win in 2012 because they put up a moderate squish whose governing record wasn't any different than a liberal Democrat's.

Much of the conservative Republican base threw up their hands and stayed home, rather than vote for that. For the love of Pete, face that reality.

12 posted on 11/09/2013 10:44:24 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I don’t think we can win if the dammocrats run a woman and we run a man.

It’s as simple as that...


13 posted on 11/09/2013 10:45:24 PM PST by babygene ( .)
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To: nickcarraway

Based on historical trends, it would be virtually impossible for the Democrats to keep the White House another four years. In theory, the Republicans could nominate Alvin Greene’s less intelligent Republican cousin and still manage to defeat the Democrats.


14 posted on 11/09/2013 10:47:08 PM PST by eaglescout1998
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To: babygene
I don’t think we can win if the dammocrats run a woman and we run a man.

Good lord. Have you been watching American Idol these last five years??

The Dems have nearly brought this country to the brink of real failure, and you think all they have to do is run a woman to make it all better?

Aye, aye, aye......

15 posted on 11/09/2013 10:47:48 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: babygene

16 posted on 11/09/2013 10:49:04 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet ("Many on the left see faith & family as oppressive, the right sees them as indispensable." Palin)
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To: onyx
Cruz, Lee or Palin, PERIOD.
Don't forget Col. Allen West...

17 posted on 11/09/2013 10:49:46 PM PST by skinkinthegrass (who'll take tomorrow,$pend it all today;who can take your income & tax it all away..0'Blowfly can :-)
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To: SWAMPSNIPER
A choice between a RINO and a democrat is almost no choice at all.

That's precisely why we lost in 2012. Unfortunately, it appears that half the Freepers still don't understand that simple political dynamic.

18 posted on 11/09/2013 10:50:28 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Palin, the one and only that can sink Hillary!!!!


19 posted on 11/09/2013 10:54:32 PM PST by dalereed
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Not enough like-minded conservatives to win a presidency. They can still win local/state elections. Efforts at replacing judges and prosecutors at all levels is very important if we want to keep anything left of America.


20 posted on 11/09/2013 10:54:46 PM PST by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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