Time for a GOP Northern Strategy

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I think the party needs to pursue some sort of strategy to win back it's old territory again in the near future: namely by appealing to white New England voters and assuring them that the GOP was born
in this region and was the strongest in this region, that the "Family Values" voters don't at all reflect classic GOP values, and also trying to moderate on social issues. And if it means alienating evangelicals to the point of leaving the GOP and forming a new party, so be it.

The evangelicals have destroyed everything the party has stood for (I actually consider the second half of the Bush administration to be hands down the GOP's worst period - far worse than the New Deal era or Watergate).

I don't think we need to moderate on social issues, but we need to de-emphasize social issues in our campaigns in blue-leaning areas.  However, I do think that message may be of benefit when trying to win Latino votes.  It would seem to me that New Englanders would be a perfect fit for the GOP even today; most of them are extremely independent-minded and fiscally conservative.  But we've alienated them on social issues so much that they are afraid to vote for any candidate with an R next to his/her name (that is, unless it's a media mistake and they put an R next to a Democrat's name on TV ).
As you may know, a Republican resurgence in New England (and the north as a whole) would literally be my dream come true, and it's part of why I'm planning on becoming a campaign strategist and media consultant for the GOP (to help win back that old territory).

[Oldiesfreak1854]

The Upper Midwest is the North as well. I mainly meant places like upstate New York, suburban Pennsylvania, Maine and especially Vermont.

They need to do it in the Upper Midwest as well.  Not far from where I live is Oakland County, Michigan, which was a Republican-leaning county up until the early 90s, when voters started picking Dems over social issues.  This has hurt the GOP's statewide chances in a key swing state like Michigan.  Likewise, Illinois was a swing state up until the early 90s, when the suburbanites in Chicago started voting Dem (also over social issues) and never looked back.  We need a strategy for both the Northeast and the Upper Midwest.  And I'm from the Upper Midwest, so I am looking forward to working to win those places back.  Anybody want to sing the "Battle Cry of Freedom" with me?

[Oldiesfreak1854]

The problem is that the evangelicals, Tea Partiers, and other far-right types not only  control and dominate the party, but have almost completely purged it of the influence of others. As others have said, these are the most reliable Republican voters there are-and many Republican leaders are evangelical/far-right/Tea Party types.

Anyway, there is plenty of room in the Democratic Party for people who are "mainstream" conservatives but don't want to be associated with the Republican brand (if they aren't Independents, of course...) In places like much of Southern CA, the SF Bay Area and New England and the Northeast in general, the Republican Party, as a rule, does not win elections (though more moderate/mainstream individual Republican candidates may win). Why would anyone from those areas run for office as a Republican, when they can more easily win elections and influence matters as a Democrat?

That is a sad fact of American politics today.  While I believe the GOP should stand for conservative values, we don't need to purge the party of moderates to do that.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I don't think we need to moderate on social issues, but we need to de-emphasize social issues in our campaigns in blue-leaning areas.  However, I do think that message may be of benefit when trying to win Latino votes.

Latinos are in favor of gay marriage and some polls also indicate abortion (see http://s3.amazonaws.com/resurgentrepublic.com/resurgentrepublic/production/assets/873/original/RR-toplines-121212.pdf, page 10). If the GOP wishes to make some inroads into Hispanic voters, they'd be well advised to try and appeal to Hispanic small business owners. And you don't win over those voters by going on and on about abortion and gays. That's how you may also win back pro-choice fiscal conservatives in the NE who've left the party because of its focus on divisive social issues.

Most of the Latinos that I have mutual contact with are very much pro-life and probably pro-traditional marriage as well.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

The Upper Midwest is the North as well. I mainly meant places like upstate New York, suburban Pennsylvania, Maine and especially Vermont.

No Vermont is like an extension of Canada nowadays politically. Its way too liberal for the GOP in national races nowadays(US Seante and US House.) I wonder why New Hampshire politically isn't an extension of Canada since its right near it just like Vermont is.

Vermont was hands down the most Republican state in the nation from the founding of the party in 1854 until the early 60's - one of only two states FDR never won (the other being Maine), and it remained strongly Republican until the 80's. For some reason, this fact tends to get either downplayed and/or ignored altogether today, as it seems that some people cannot think of Vermont as anything but "that crazy state that has Bernie Sanders as its senator".

I knew that!