You're Advising the Republicans....

[JSojourner]

...and your goal is to win back several states the party lost in 2008, while also making serious advances in others states, closing the popular vote gap though not winning...

What do you tell the GOP to do to win back...

Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Iowa, Florida, Ohio and Nevada 

And how do you advise the party to make it close in...

Pennsylvania, Washington, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Oregon and Michigan?

Feel free to add others as you wish. 

[Scam of God]

Step one: Drop the mindless social conservative rhetoric that alienates many New England and coastal voters. Many of these people are moderately libertarian, and as long as the Democrats build a new 'Solid South' in those two areas you will be hard pressed in the future to win elections. The Mormons and the rednecks will vote for you anyway, just as the South voted for Al Smith in 1928.

Step two: As a corollary to the above, stop feeding the real-life racial trolls through anti-immigrant rhetoric. Immigration is good for business, and hence good for Americans; and as long as you continue whining about an illusory racially pure America of the past, you will never again win Colorado or New Mexico or Nevada, and without these you cannot win the Presidency.

Step three: Focus purely on the economy. Demonstrate to voters that conservative principles, applied intelligently and with an eye towards maximizing economic efficiency, is better for them and their pocket-books than big government programmes. A good Republican President in the future will probably be indistinguishable from Bill Clinton - or Jack Kennedy.

[Jacobtm]

Take the gloves off and destroy the Democrats. You didn't beat John Kerry by being nice. John McCain's good manners (compared to the Bush campaigns') didn't do him any good.

[RI]

Similar to what Einzige said, I think the Republicans should focus more on economic issues. One of the most important things that they have to do is eliminate the perception that the Republicans are a white-only party. They must reach out to minorities, the most obvious ones being hispanics, who are fairly conservative on social issues, and asians, who are fairly conservative on economic issues. If they could win the Hispanic and perhaps Asian votes, then the Republicans could take back Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada, perhaps even making serious inroads into California. If they were to moderate on social issues, then they could perhaps make a few inroads in the Northeast, though more likely on the congressional level.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Yes but the social conservatives also control a good deal of the party, they don't just pander to them. When moderate republicans tried to soften the social platform in 96 they were crucified.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I agree with many of these Democrats. We need to focus more on economics and why free-market principles are the best way for the economy, not harp on why abortion is bad and why gays shouldn't have rights. We can keep these positions without becoming obsessed with them. As the general populous because more and more accepting of these views, less and less will want to hear it and the party will suffer.

[Mint]

Step one: Drop the mindless social conservative rhetoric that alienates many New England and coastal voters. Many of these people are moderately libertarian, and as long as the Democrats build a new 'Solid South' in those two areas you will be hard pressed in the future to win elections. The Mormons and the rednecks will vote for you anyway, just as the South voted for Al Smith in 1928.

I agree to an extent. The Republicans should try to be a big tent again on social issues, but I see their dilemma here: if they go too far they will implode. Maybe a states rights position is the best they can do, as repugnant as I personally find it that's still a massive improvement over what they're favoring now.

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I disagree. Other than a small, increasingly isolated fringe represented by people like Tancredo most Republicans are not arguing against immigration.. Although a majority of the American public actually feels that we have too much of that (a source of growing friction). They are at most arguing the law should be upheld, a position which even many hispanics are for. The Republicans do need to reach out to minorities more (some policies like vouchers help), and tone down all the code words they've historically used to win though. That isn't a viable strategy. But I'm not holding my breath here.

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I agree for the most part. However, while Clinton was pretty much a moderate economically Kennedy was a totally different animal. Let's not forget much of the great society, price controls, etc. were his ideas.

[Scam of God]

I want to comment on one thing in particular:

Kennedy was a totally different animal. Let's not forget much of the great society, price controls, etc. were his ideas.

He also cut the top tax bracket from ~90% during the Eisenhower years to under 75%, which is a larger per capita tax cut than that delivered by Ronald Reagan.

[Mint]

I want to comment on one thing in particular:

Kennedy was a totally different animal. Let's not forget much of the great society, price controls, etc. were his ideas.

He also cut the top tax bracket from ~90% during the Eisenhower years to under 75%, which is a larger per capita tax cut than that delivered by Ronald Reagan.

That's just one issue though. Going by that I could argue Bush is an economic liberal.

[Ronnie]

I agree with many of these Democrats. We need to focus more on economics and why free-market principles are the best way for the economy.

This is the Democrats' position on the economy?  I would have never guessed.

[Scam of God]

I agree with many of these Democrats. We need to focus more on economics and why free-market principles are the best way for the economy.

This is the Democrats' position on the economy?  I would have never guessed.

It is mine, and Mint's, and a not-insignificant number of other Democrat's who support free-market economics and would vote Republican on the issue if you nitwits wouldn't pander o the lowest-common-denominator of social bigots.

[The Ex-Factor]

I agree with many of these Democrats. We need to focus more on economics and why free-market principles are the best way for the economy.

This is the Democrats' position on the economy?  I would have never guessed.

It is mine, and Mint's, and a not-insignificant number of other Democrat's who support free-market economics and would vote Republican on the issue if you nitwits wouldn't pander o the lowest-common-denominator of social bigots.

[Scam of God]

Or, alternatively, I suspect that the Republicans will get one more thrashing during the 2010 midterms over their resistance to the stimulus package and will re-shape themselves as the modern-day inheritors of William Jennings Bryan, running to the left of the Democrats economically but retaining their zombie-like affection for the social stratification of the 19th century.

[Rob]

We need to focus more on economics and why free-market principles are the best way for the economy

Most Americans don't support "free-market principles." I doubt McCain would have carried ten states if everyone had voted solely on economic issues last year. Of course, you're also right in noting the long-term decline of social conservatism, so I'm tempted to just say you're screwed and leave it at that.

Honestly, though, if I were a Republican strategist, I would keep waving the flag and screaming about "pansy-ass, tea-sipping" Europeans and scary brown people. The political climate is bound to get better for the right eventually, and this formula will work (again) when that time comes. Becoming some kind of half-assed Libertarian Party would lose a lot more votes than it gains.

[Scam of God]

I can tell you now what they're going to (eventually) do, and I can do it in such a way that even our social conservative friends can understand it: through pictures.

[Person Man]

I agree with many of these Democrats. We need to focus more on economics and why free-market principles are the best way for the economy.

This is the Democrats' position on the economy?  I would have never guessed.

It is mine, and Mint's, and a not-insignificant number of other Democrat's who support free-market economics and would vote Republican on the issue if you nitwits wouldn't pander o the lowest-common-denominator of social bigots.

...yes...and what has pushed me away from the free markets has percisely been those trying to apply their social rightism to economic rightism.

[Psychic Octopus]

Pink: Weak Democrat
Red: Strong Democrat
Turqoise: Weak GOP
Blue: Strong GOP


This may just be the map of the future. I think the GOP should court the Hispanics in the Southwest, and try to appease the Midwesterners. Iowa will be a swing state for a while (though not this year) and vote for their favorite candidate. North Carolina and Virginia will turn DEM, but not so diffrent then Minnesota this year. New Hampshire and Maine will lean DEM but won't be out of reach. Anyway an alright scenario for the GOP.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

My advice would be a fifty state strategy.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Take the gloves off and destroy the Democrats. You didn't beat John Kerry by being nice. John McCain's good manners (compared to the Bush campaigns') didn't do him any good.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Take the gloves off and destroy the Democrats. You didn't beat John Kerry by being nice. John McCain's good manners (compared to the Bush campaigns') didn't do him any good.

The Republicans did take the gloves off. Repeatedly. The GOP pretty much accused Obama of being in the bed with terrorists.

The verdict on whether one was destroyed is often determined by who wins... Obama would have been "destroyed" by the GOP if McCain had won, even if he used the same tactics.

[Nixon in '80]

While I love what Einzige is saying, and would be in heaven if the party actually adopted these principles, I don't know if the proposed reforms would really cure the party. Sure, we need to tone down the rhetoric on wedge issues... but as much as I hate to admit it, we (rational, Rockefeller Republicans) do take the Religious Right for granted...

[Scam of God]

While I love what Einzige is saying, and would be in heaven if the party actually adopted these principles, I don't know if the proposed reforms would really cure the party. Sure, we need to tone down the rhetoric on wedge issues... but as much as I hate to admit it, we (rational, Rockefeller Republicans) do take the Religious Right for granted...

It doesn't matter anyway, since within twenty years all those pissant rednecks that you are presently in collusion with will be lining up Crosses of Gold along Wall Street to crucify the brokers - and you'll have long been voting Democratic.

[Matt Damon™]

Drop the economic libertarianism, drop the globalism, drop the dixie accent.

[Nixon in '80]

While I love what Einzige is saying, and would be in heaven if the party actually adopted these principles, I don't know if the proposed reforms would really cure the party. Sure, we need to tone down the rhetoric on wedge issues... but as much as I hate to admit it, we (rational, Rockefeller Republicans) do take the Religious Right for granted...

It doesn't matter anyway, since within twenty years all those pissant rednecks that you are presently in collusion with will be lining up Crosses of Gold along Wall Street to crucify the brokers - and you'll have long been voting Democratic.

So you believe there is no hope to save the party from the "pissant rednecks"?

[Scam of God]

While I love what Einzige is saying, and would be in heaven if the party actually adopted these principles, I don't know if the proposed reforms would really cure the party. Sure, we need to tone down the rhetoric on wedge issues... but as much as I hate to admit it, we (rational, Rockefeller Republicans) do take the Religious Right for granted...

It doesn't matter anyway, since within twenty years all those pissant rednecks that you are presently in collusion with will be lining up Crosses of Gold along Wall Street to crucify the brokers - and you'll have long been voting Democratic.

So you believe there is no hope to save the party from the "pissant rednecks"?

No. This is a natural evolution of the Parties: the Republicans from economically/moderately socially conservative to populist/hardline social conservative; the Democrats from populist/slightly socially conservative to economically moderate/socially liberal. The Republicans will probably be the 'left' Party economically speaking in 20 years, and the impetus for this transformation is all the poor white people the Republicans grew to rely on in the last three decades.

But everything comes around in the end. The influx of blacks into the newly populist Republican Party (they seem to like that sort of thing) will drive many racialists out, as it comes to be viewed as 'the black party', and eventually, in forty years, the Republicans will be the liberal Party, and the Democrats the conservative, just as it was in that first election of 1860.

That's my prediction at any rate.