“How can it broaden its appeal to up-for-grabs voters without alienating its conservative base? “
By sticking to the conservative principles laid out in the party platform?
The GOP needs to examine what is happening to the Conservative Party in Britain and take a lesson on how not to become totally irrelevant. The UKIP is on the rise, and the CP is on the run.
One for the GOP, three for Dems
Two for the GOP, 8 for the Dems...
What a strategy
Let’s ask the Democrats what to do. They have our best interest at heart.
The GOP is to the Democrats as the Washington Generals are to the Harlem Globetrotters.
Repeal Immigration act of 1965 for starters.
Enforce existing laws against employers who hire illegals
Target and harass illegals and their sympathizers
Target and harass domestic communists in Congress and the press
Work to abolish the IRS, EPA, Departments of Education and Energy
Target and harass homosexuals and their sympathizers in the media
Disenfranchise any voter receiving federal assistance
“Understand yourself and understand your opponents and in one hundred battles you will not be defeated.”
We still don’t understand the Democrats. Ask an inner city, single mother with four children if she understands George Will’s latest column. We analyze elections to death. The Democrats analyze people. Look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We view voting as an act of Self-Actualization. Democrat voters view voting as a means of meeting their Physiological needs. It doesn’t matter whether they actually are stuck in the Physiological stage, they BELIEVE they are. The Democrats con them into believing that. The Democrats understand “The Carrot And Stick” approach to politics. It isn’t eating the yummy carrot that is important. It is the PROMISE of the yummy carrot that is important. It isn’t beating someone with a stick that is important. It is the FEAR of getting beat with a stick that is important.
The Republican Party, having lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections,
Holy crap. I didn’t know that. So we only won Bush’s first election (and barely at that) and that is it? Not that it matters though because electoral is what counts which we won 2 out of the last 6 which isn’t exactly great but better than ONE. I guess we better put up some better candidates. Santorum or Bachmann would be good for me.
Its easy: stop trying to appeal to the hardcore Left and those who depend on government handouts and start winning over the working class Democrats. Stop letting the Left define the party as the party of bankers and CEOs and start educating people that everyone who works and pays their own way is a free market capitalist. Most importantly: stop defining “producers” as those who own business and start including those who do the production work too.
In short, become the party of people who pay their own way and let the Democrats be the party of those who need handouts to survive (that includes welfare recipients and limousine liberals who lobby for multi-million dollar handouts).
It depends. We can reach out without pandering. Pandering just happens to be the easy way out.
They could try something totally insane, like sticking to some principles, and making coherent arguments for those principles. Nah, bring in the marketing consultants.
Winfield Scott in 1852 tried to court Catholics into the Whig fold but failed miserably; I think he did win his own VA though, but Franklin Pierce (from whom Barbara Pierce Bush is partially descended) swept the country. Soon there were more no Whigs, as “nativists” were furious with Scott’s effort to reach non-Whiggery elements.
You draw new voters by articulating why your position is superior to the alternative - NOT by cravenly adopting some portion of the failed alternative, calculated to be just enough not to offend too many of your base. It is like Gresham’s Law applied to political platforms - bad positions drive out good.
You draw new voters by convincing them you are right, and the other guys are wrong. You can only do this by: enunciating clear and simple principles, and then acting on them when in office. In short, you have to stand for something, advocate, believe, and evangelize for it. The object is to convert others to your point of view, much like what the Democrats have done. Attempting to become the secondary Democrats is a formula for complete failure- even the dimmest specimen of humanity can recognize such obvious insincerity.
How about running conservative candidates rather than RINOs like Dole, McCain, and Romney?
The base is irked.
Hey prospective voter, want a job? VOTE CONSERVATIVE!
Prospective voter, do yuo want to keep more of the money you earm? VOTE CONSERVATIVE!
Prospective voter, would you like to start a business without having to deal with thousands of unnecessary and costly regulations? VOTE CONSERVATIVE!
Prospective voter, would you like to repeal Obamacare befire uit completely destroys the finest healthcare system in the world and endangers your family through rationing of care and the unavailability of drugs? VOTE CONSERVATIVE!
IT'S REAL FRIGGIN' TOUGH TO COME UP WITH A WAY OF GAINING NEW VOTERS ISN'T IT.... YOU FRIGGIN' MORONS!
How about nominating candidates that are right for the job, rather than just being around long enough that they have moved to the front of the “it’s my turn” line?
How about nominating candidates that people can actually get excited over?
How about nominating candidates that will actually fight for the job they are seeking?
How about nominating candidates that aren’t afraid of offending their opponents’ supporters who won’t vote for them anyway?
How about nominating candidates that aren’t worried about being nice to their opponents?
They COULD try to appeal to them. Bring them "out of the shadows". But, then, they hate the base. The GOP has made it's bed with the global elite communists. They plan on remaining a minority socialist lite party and living off the carcass of what money raising ability they have left.
Both political parties are putting all their hopes on amnesty. Then they can forever be socialists while claiming it's what the hispanics, who have the power and numbers, want.
There are new Conservatives in town and they are taking over power from the likes of mccain and graham. It will be our party or a new party but there will be no more romney/bushcabal/dole/rove/priebus progressive mandated candidates or they will find themselves the party of old progressive hacks... progressive abortion loving biddies... log cabin poofters and a handful of mexican speaking parasites.
LLS