How would you fix the Republican Party?

[TJ in Oregon]

That being said...if the problems with the modern GOP have a serious point, it's the obvious one that the modern GOP is absolutely unsuited to be a majority party rather than an opposition party.  This last sentence probably sounds incredibly obvious even to the Republicans on the site.  With a great many off the leash Congressmen on the GOP side getting reelected without any support from the national party due to their R+40 districts, they'll have no incentive to pass the agenda of President Christie or whatever, and there's no party discipline re: respecting the party leadership.  When random GOP Congressmen and maybe even Senators (Ted Cruz) spend the first few months of a President Christie's tenure bashing the president for being insufficiently conservative, the problems of the modern GOP will become obvious.

The solution to this part is actually being in power. A lot of those R+40 protest vote types are doing what they are doing precisely because they are in the opposition. Having someone in office of their own party, even if he has to make compromises, will give them someone and something to actually be for instead of being against everything. I know sports and politics aren't quite the same, but if you've ever been on a team that's winning and a team that's losing the mentality here is the same. When things are falling apart and the team is divided against itself, it looks like even if they were to somehow win they'd still be a dysfunctional mess. But the cure for that is often to be winning so that all its members can stop pointing fingers at each other for all the ways things have gone wrong and focus on working together. Winning cures a lot of ills and many of those bitter protest votes can be softened by having someone to rally around instead of against.

[King]

That being said...if the problems with the modern GOP have a serious point, it's the obvious one that the modern GOP is absolutely unsuited to be a majority party rather than an opposition party.  This last sentence probably sounds incredibly obvious even to the Republicans on the site.  With a great many off the leash Congressmen on the GOP side getting reelected without any support from the national party due to their R+40 districts, they'll have no incentive to pass the agenda of President Christie or whatever, and there's no party discipline re: respecting the party leadership.  When random GOP Congressmen and maybe even Senators (Ted Cruz) spend the first few months of a President Christie's tenure bashing the president for being insufficiently conservative, the problems of the modern GOP will become obvious.

The solution to this part is actually being in power. A lot of those R+40 protest vote types are doing what they are doing precisely because they are in the opposition. Having someone in office of their own party, even if he has to make compromises, will give them someone and something to actually be for instead of being against everything. I know sports and politics aren't quite the same, but if you've ever been on a team that's winning and a team that's losing the mentality here is the same. When things are falling apart and the team is divided against itself, it looks like even if they were to somehow win they'd still be a dysfunctional mess. But the cure for that is often to be winning so that all its members can stop pointing fingers at each other for all the ways things have gone wrong and focus on working together. Winning cures a lot of ills and many of those bitter protest votes can be softened by having someone to rally around instead of against.

Not really. The GOP has no awareness of any problem in this country because they don't believe anything is wrong.

The poor aren't really that poor and don't need any help, the environment is just doing it's thing and doesn't need anybody's help, schools are just being wasteful and don't need any help, infrastructure is fine don't worry about it, defense department's budget can't spare one penny, we our money losing health care system as is don't reform anything. Their anger is about completely intangible ideas.

Once Republicans get into power in DC, they suddenly feel like they're living in a utopia and not one thing need be changed.

[Maxwell]

The Republican party needs to racialize American politics and do everything possible to become the party of Whites, represent White interests and win >90% of the White vote.

This is horrifying. You should be ashamed of yourself, but I know you won't be.

[Mopsus]

I do think that it's in the GOP's long-term best interest to liberalize on marijuana, the gays, and perhaps even criminal justice. However, if it's going to do that, it needs to keep a few points in mind: Everything must be rationalized using conservative logic; i. e., "The War on Drugs is expensive and breaks up families", "It makes good fiscal sense to reform the prison system", etc. This extends to same-sex marriage, support for which should be approached from a "pro-family" perspective. And whatever the rest of its social platform consists of, it's imperative that the GOP continues to be known as "the pro-life party". That one item will keep most social conservatives voting Republican in spite of the party's liberalization on other issues, and current polls indicate that that position won't hurt them much among youngs.

[Maxwell]

I do think that it's in the GOP's long-term best interest to liberalize on marijuana, the gays, and perhaps even criminal justice. However, if it's going to do that, it needs to keep a few points in mind: Everything must be rationalized using conservative logic; i. e., "The War on Drugs is expensive and breaks up families", "It makes good fiscal sense to reform the prison system", etc. This extends to same-sex marriage, support for which should be approached from a "pro-family" perspective. And whatever the rest of its social platform consists of, it's imperative that the GOP continues to be known as "the pro-life party". That one item will keep most social conservatives voting Republican in spite of the party's liberalization on other issues, and current polls indicate that that position won't hurt them much among youngs.

This sounds about right. I think Republicans are running out of time to get ahead of the whole pot issue.

[Person Man]

I do think that it's in the GOP's long-term best interest to liberalize on marijuana, the gays, and perhaps even criminal justice. However, if it's going to do that, it needs to keep a few points in mind: Everything must be rationalized using conservative logic; i. e., "The War on Drugs is expensive and breaks up families", "It makes good fiscal sense to reform the prison system", etc. This extends to same-sex marriage, support for which should be approached from a "pro-family" perspective. And whatever the rest of its social platform consists of, it's imperative that the GOP continues to be known as "the pro-life party". That one item will keep most social conservatives voting Republican in spite of the party's liberalization on other issues, and current polls indicate that that position won't hurt them much among youngs.

This sounds about right. I think Republicans are running out of time to get ahead of the whole pot issue.

Can they run on just personhood? It's not becoming more popular just not less so and will probably start feeling the gravity of modernity like other issues once personhood ever gets passed and aggressively enforced anywhere.  But I suspect it has milage as long as it doesn't create huge waves.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

And whatever the rest of its social platform consists of, it's imperative that the GOP continues to be known as "the pro-life party". That one item will keep most social conservatives voting Republican in spite of the party's liberalization on other issues, and current polls indicate that that position won't hurt them much among youngs.

Yeah, other than the few issues you mentioned, the GOP doesn't have much shifting to do, and abortion has been a 50-50 issues since the 1970s and will remain so for a long time. The problem they have is they keep trivializing rape or making dumb comments that distract away from the actual abortion debate.

The "libertarian shift" of the GOP is really going to come on gay marriage, legalizing marijuana, civil liberties, and maybe certain forms of corporate welfare. Other than that, it's still going to be the party of gun rights, low taxes, low spending, strong defense, "family values", free markets, anti-affirmative action, school choice, free trade, controlled borders, etc.

[pbrower2a]

1. Support a $15 an hour minimum wage. What's more conservative than opposing government handouts to businesses that pay their employees so little that they have to take advantage of food stamps and other government programs in order to make ends meet?

Doesn't work that way. Higher min wage is associated with lower levels of employment, lower labor efficiency, and higher entitlement spending.

More of an incentive to work, to improve skills, and to stick with a job that one already has (lower turnover and hence lower training costs). Add to that, those with higher pay are able to spend more. 

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Unions have no acquitted themselves as being agents of the employees they represent. Their mission statement cannot overcome their recent history. [/quote]

Corporate America hates unions. Without unions it would be able to hire spies to investigate workers to see if they have vulnerabilities to exploit in allegedly one-on-one 'negotiations' that better resemble a troika than a real negotiation.

Much of Corporate America would be perfectly happy to return to near-starvation pay for people compelled to work to exhaustion.

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The marginal tax rate is 100% for workers who do not eclipse the minimum income threshold. The current system is nearly as bad. Expanding the problem is not a solution, and no one wins if we continue pandering to the know-nothings.[/quote]

The question may not be so much whether we can afford it as whether we can't.

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More conservative and liberal is creating an economy where the mother can choose to remain at home, if she is so inclined. [/quote]

Ideally a husband's income is strong enough to allow that.

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Women with equal education and experience are paid the same as men. The "pay gap" is a fictitious construct, exploited by amoral politicians who wish to disparage women for sacrificing compensation to have stable careers with lots of flex time (e.g. teaching).
[/quote][/quote]

In government agencies and to some extent in corporations with bureaucratic methods of setting compensation based on merit.

[Mopsus]

And whatever the rest of its social platform consists of, it's imperative that the GOP continues to be known as "the pro-life party". That one item will keep most social conservatives voting Republican in spite of the party's liberalization on other issues, and current polls indicate that that position won't hurt them much among youngs.

Yeah, other than the few issues you mentioned, the GOP doesn't have much shifting to do, and abortion has been a 50-50 issues since the 1970s and will remain so for a long time. The problem they have is they keep trivializing rape or making dumb comments that distract away from the actual abortion debate.

Yes. Much of the difficulty that Republicans have in appealing to certain demographics stems from perception, not policy. The GOP would do well to adopt a policy by which officeholders who make ignorant comments are publicly shamed and expelled. 

[Maxwell]

I do think that it's in the GOP's long-term best interest to liberalize on marijuana, the gays, and perhaps even criminal justice. However, if it's going to do that, it needs to keep a few points in mind: Everything must be rationalized using conservative logic; i. e., "The War on Drugs is expensive and breaks up families", "It makes good fiscal sense to reform the prison system", etc. This extends to same-sex marriage, support for which should be approached from a "pro-family" perspective. And whatever the rest of its social platform consists of, it's imperative that the GOP continues to be known as "the pro-life party". That one item will keep most social conservatives voting Republican in spite of the party's liberalization on other issues, and current polls indicate that that position won't hurt them much among youngs.

This sounds about right. I think Republicans are running out of time to get ahead of the whole pot issue.

Can they run on just personhood? It's not becoming more popular just not less so and will probably start feeling the gravity of modernity like other issues once personhood ever gets passed and aggressively enforced anywhere.  But I suspect it has milage as long as it doesn't create huge waves.

Eh, I think personhood is too far.

[AggregateDemand]

Not really. The GOP has no awareness of any problem in this country because they don't believe anything is wrong.

The poor aren't really that poor and don't need any help, the environment is just doing it's thing and doesn't need anybody's help, schools are just being wasteful and don't need any help, infrastructure is fine don't worry about it, defense department's budget can't spare one penny, we our money losing health care system as is don't reform anything. Their anger is about completely intangible ideas.

Once Republicans get into power in DC, they suddenly feel like they're living in a utopia and not one thing need be changed.

The GOP's stance is that most of the suffering in the United States is caused by poorly conceived and poorly executed government policy. Their platform is basically a postulate at this point.

When the GOP get elected, they enjoy drinking from the chalice of legislative power, and since most of them are accomplished individuals, they aren't really effected by government incompetence. Rather than upset the applecart, they administer stimulus and pain killers to counter-act the effects of bad policy.

Eventually, the disease grows stronger and overpowers the Republican drugs. Democrats are elected. They blame Republicans for the disease, and Dems set about making the disease much worse to appease the viruses in DC. Eventually, people lose faith, and move back towards Republicans.

[Joe Republic]

^ lol that's what he actually believes

[Person Man]

^ lol that's what he actually believes

This is America. You have a right to be wrong but that doesn't make it not hilarious, right?

[AggregateDemand]

^ lol that's what he actually believes

Prove me wrong. Show me examples of Democrats fighting to stop generational theft. Find examples of Democrats trying to reduce the incredible tax rates within the welfare system or examples of Democrats defeating paternalistic non-cash benefit systems. Show me examples of Democrats working to eliminate the inherent inequality caused by graduated tax bracket systems. Identify a circumstance in which the war on poverty actually produced a sustainable long-term result.

I've been looking for years. As far as I can tell, Democrats are only interested in raising taxes on the wealthy to redistribute money to the people who are adversely affected by Democratic policies. The disease of legislative inequality compounds its growth rate.

[King]

lol "generational theft"

The conservatives are the ones proposing  real generational theft. They get to pay the low taxes, they get full Medicare/SS benefits, they get every thing as is. Younger people? Don't worry, we'll slash all of your benefits and rights to pay for ours so you aren't saddled with the debt. We'll also be sure to repeal Medicaid, Food Stamps, the law that lets you stay on your parents healthcare coverage until your 26, and do nothing about student loan debt. Good luck kids!!!

Really caring about the next generation would involve tax increases for now, benefit cuts to Medicare and SS for right now, and more focus on social programs for the youth. GOP faux caring for our next generation is just an attempt to wash their fingerprints off the cookie jar after cleaning it out.

[AggregateDemand]

lol "generational theft"

The conservatives are the ones proposing  real generational theft. They get to pay the low taxes, they get full Medicare/SS benefits, they get every thing as is. Younger people? Don't worry, we'll slash all of your benefits and rights to pay for ours so you aren't saddled with the debt. We'll also be sure to repeal Medicaid, Food Stamps, the law that lets you stay on your parents healthcare coverage until your 26, and do nothing about student loan debt. Good luck kids!!!

Really caring about the next generation would involve tax increases for now, benefit cuts to Medicare and SS for right now, and more focus on social programs for the youth. GOP faux caring for our next generation is just an attempt to wash their fingerprints off the cookie jar after cleaning it out.

What tax cuts are you speaking of? I don't see any appreciable decline in Federal Revenue, except for the phenomenon created by W Bush, which I explained earlier. In fact, FICA taxes have been increasing for the last half-century. Originally capped at 100% median income, the tax threshold is now over 200% of median income, the exclusions for self-employed have been dropped, and the rates are higher.

The theft is caused primarily by lack of means-testing and unwillingness to adjust qualifying age to reflect lifespan.

[traininthedistance]

The GOP's (and, sadly many of the Democrats') unwillingness to try and prevent global warming, or at least soften the blow by making the necessary investments towards mitigation, resiliency, and decarbonization, is the clearest example of "generational theft" there is.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

There are a LOT of problems.

Vosem's point about "well...we do win elections, so we must be doing OK" is valid. The GOP does well when no one turns out and the races are local (and/or gerrymandered).

The fundamental issue is national politics, essentially, the Presidency.

What this thread has shown me is that the GOP genuinely think that the American people actually support them and their policies, but it's about the sales pitch and the person delivering it. It might work in local GOP meetings where they sit around telling each other how terrible Democrats are for 'confusing' people.

Let's look at another example. Bush won nearly 51% of the national vote in 2004 by winning 40%+ of Latinos and 48% of women. While this was an anomaly, Bush benefited from actual policies that impacted those groups. And people go, "hey, let's put up Martinez, because she's a latino woman!!... that'll help". No, it won't.

The GOP cannot win nationally by appealing to its base, but that is what they've been doing. If they want to win the Presidency at any point in the near future, they don't have to just 'appeal' to various groups by speaking Spanish, or talking about 'lady things' ... they have to put in place policies that impact them.

Stop purging moderate voices - how the hell do you expect to ever play the West, the Northeast and most of the Midwest with a fire-breathing conservative... it won't happen.

But of course, the base has become so accustomed to getting its own way, that compromise IS death ... I don't expect this to change any time soon.

[Bojack Horseman]

Drop all of the social issues out of the platform, and silence the guys who keep talking about them. And stop nominating guys like Ted Cruz and Mike Lee.

[Indy Texas]

^ lol that's what he actually believes

Prove me wrong. Show me examples of Democrats fighting to stop generational theft. Find examples of Democrats trying to reduce the incredible tax rates within the welfare system or examples of Democrats defeating paternalistic non-cash benefit systems. Show me examples of Democrats working to eliminate the inherent inequality caused by graduated tax bracket systems. Identify a circumstance in which the war on poverty actually produced a sustainable long-term result.

I've been looking for years. As far as I can tell, Democrats are only interested in raising taxes on the wealthy to redistribute money to the people who are adversely affected by Democratic policies. The disease of legislative inequality compounds its growth rate.

The Social Security program has dramatically reduced poverty rates among those over 65.

Our food stamp program is considered one of the most successful and beneficial in-kind benefit programs, even by many conservatives.

[AggregateDemand]

The Social Security program has dramatically reduced poverty rates among those over 65.

Our food stamp program is considered one of the most successful and beneficial in-kind benefit programs, even by many conservatives.

True, and look at what social security taxes and senior citizen take-over of Medicaid have done to the under-24 poverty rates and employment rates. We merely shifted hardship from one demographic to another. Most troublesome is that SS functions as workfare, while welfare and Medicaid are more like retirement pensions.

Food Stamps has done wonders for the ag industry. I will concede that much, but non-cash benefits are virtually never more efficient that cash benefits.