In the wake of defeat, the Republican party is in retreat and regroup mode. Members of the party are jockeying for key new leadership roles, conservatives and moderates are currently meeting to redefine what the party is and what the party should become. Yet for all of the self-reflection, will they actually miss the point of their great loss?
The party is now in a battle with itself. Conservatives are challenging moderates to take back the party. Conservatives did not lose this election because they were conservative. Moderates did not win because they were moderates. The Republican party must go back to it's roots. It must go back to the good ole Reagan days. Unfortunately, in today's political climate it may not be enough.
The only voting block that Republicans won were white males. They lost the voting blocks of women, hispanics, and blacks. Now obviously with the first black candidate running for President of the United States, it was a vote that they were all but guaranteed to lose. However, without painting all of them with a broad stroke, most Hispanics are conservative by nature. The women's vote is one that should be a challenge, but is attainable with a little effort.
Yes, Sarah Palin was a great first step. However, if John McCain hadn't decided to throw that "hail-Mary pass", how long would it have taken the party to nominate a women for President or Vice-President. The fact of the matter is that Republican leadership has done a pitiful job of reaching out to women voters. There is no female bench in the Republican party. As great as Kay Bailey Hutchinson is, she can no longer be the token Conservative woman. Yes, there are a few others, but only one or two are known nationally.
Only 11% of the GOP's candidates for Congress this year were women (38 of 342 candidates were women). Eleven percent is pitiful to say it politely. I am not suggesting that there be a quota system set up, but there are extremely talented conservative women who need to be given the opportunity to not only run, but need to be given leadership roles in the party. No, Sarah Palin does not give the party a pass. She wasn't elected.............yet.
If the Republican party is going to truly have a chance to regroup and come back with a vengeance, it must actually change with the times and stop bowing to that "old boys network". They already have the white male vote in the bag. If they do not change now, the name for the future GOP should be the "grand ole dinosaur."
Saturday, November 8, 2008
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24 comments:
Amen sister!
A friend of mine sometimes says, "The problem with the Grand old Party (GOP) is it's to damn old." It's time to inject some youth into the party structure.
Good evening.
First of all, let me congratulate you on a post that we liberals wholeheartedly agree with! Err, well this social liberal at least (who just happens to be a fiscal conservative and religious moderate).
Let me explain a bit if I might, there was a PBS round table discussing the future of the Democratic and Republican parties. The Democratic representative smiled smugly and stated that based on census data, the future of the Democratic party was absolutely breathtakingly bright. I thought about this for a bit, and suddenly realized to my horror that he was absolutely right.
But why should I be upset by the thought of a fabulous DNC future? Because Americans need strong competition to insure that our candidates are the best America has to offer. Without GOP and DNC competition... well we both know what would happen.
Please, conservative women, the GOP has lost their way, and we need you to help them find their way.
Warmest Regards.
An American Liberal
I agree with you, but I think you fall short too of what's wrong with the GOP. I too conincidentally blogged about this very subject yesterday. ( http://bungalowbillscw.blogspot.com/2008/11/steep-grade-ahead-for-republicans.html ) The GOP is viewed as the party of white men, and now it's going to face the possibility of falling even further behind connecting with other voters. If it does fall, it may be hard to revive the revolutions of Reagan and Gingrich.
American Liberal wrote: "Without GOP and DNC competition... well we both know what would happen."
Yeah, we get the inexperienced and dangerous Obama.
I discovered your blog while doing a Google search the week before the election. I'm not a woman, just an old, retired Navy Sigint Officer, but two of my best Internet buddies are conservative women. I look forward to some interesting discussions.
"Yes, Sarah Palin was a great first step." From this independent's perspective, this is where the GOP is so very wrong. To put forth this particular woman as the best and brightest female candidate the GOP has to offer is so, so sad. She may be a very bright woman, who knows? I saw no evidence of that - they just didn't put it forth. I saw charisma, an incredible presence, a great memory for talking points, an energy and ability to mobilize the base -- but nothing that made me feel like she'd be a competent leader. She doesn't appear to be possessed of intellectual curiousity - what seems to come most naturally to her is flirting and charm.
Please, let that not be the best you can do. I'd love a strong female candidate to get behind, not one who doesn't realize what she doesn't know, and who is used to getting by on her beauty. A "role model" like that puts us way back.
I wanted to vote for McCain, but this woman pushed me away.
I wanted to vote for McCain, but this woman pushed me away.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. My wife and I had just the opposite reaction.
Speaking from an exodus Democratus, my observation of the McCain/Palin loss was the McCain campaign staff. I have voted in almost 12 Presidential elections and the McCain camp gets the prize for the worst campaign ever. At one point I was sure they were secretly working for the opposition. They were so busy stepping over their egos and priority status positions that they failed to do their job. Just the back-stabbing and finger-pointing after the elections was indication enough that McCain failed his first real test of leadership - - - he didn’t secure a staff that was working to get him elected. He was weak and at times it looked as if the only one in that campaign that wanted to win was Gov. Palin. I do not fault Sarah Palin if she had been testy with the inefficient, useless, back-stabbing, disloyal, unprofessional, intellectually-challenged staff she inherited. The only thing they appeared to be proficient at was whining and blaming others for their disgracefully deficient strategy.
Although McCain wasn’t my first pick, he was the only one of the trio of Obama, Biden and McCain that I thought could be trusted with the best interests of our country. Hillary would not have been malleable for Pelosi, Reid, et al, but Obama will do what his handlers tell him to do and that is truly a scary thing for a lot of us.
If Republicans were not satisfied with McCain for their choice, how did he get there? There were contenders that were much more charismatic and better qualified to deal with the economy than McCain, with the added bonus of not being part of the Washington machine. At times McCain appeared to be protecting ALL members of the House and Senate, regardless of Party affiliation, from any and all responsibility for our current mess. Now that is what I call the “good ole boys” club and McCain appears to be a card-carrying member. I campaigned for him but watched him continually make bad decisions; he forced Obama into the Whitehouse meeting for the bail-out in which Obama looked to be in control and McCain looked to be pathetic. He jumped the campaign trail to look like a fool - - - which one of his staffers gave him that bad advice?
I do not believe Gov. Palin would put up with such an inferior campaign staff and hope she gets the chance to prove it in 2012. Hillary lost her chance to become the first woman president, but I hope she finds occasion to get even with Pelosi, Reid, et all.
For Anonymous:
Despite some news reports suggesting otherwise, a new poll shows that Sarah Palin was a definite asset to John McCain in his run for the White House.
According to a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, 69 percent of Republican voters say the Alaska governor helped McCain’s bid for the presidency. Twenty percent of GOP voters said she hurt the ticket, six percent said she had no effect, and 5 percent were undecided.
Other results of the poll:
91 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of Palin.
65 percent of Republicans have a very favorable view of Palin.
8 percent of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Palin.
3 percent of Republicans have a very unfavorable view of Palin.
64 percent of Republicans say Palin is their top choice for the GOP 2012 presidential nominee.
For Anonymous' edification and education:
http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/11/10/palin-in-the-aftermath/#more-5999
I have read that Gov. Palin was expected to draw moderates and Independents to the McCain ticket and she failed to do so. I’m here to tell you that I was a Democrat and a moderate all my life and now an Independent who was considering not voting in the General Election for the first time ever. After seeing and researching Gov. Palin, I volunteered for the McCain campaign. Not only would I vote for Gov. Palin for President in 2012, I will actively campaign for her anytime, anywhere.
To say that you didn’t vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin is not only ridiculous but asinine and shows the complete ignorance and jealousy of the blogger.
With regard to Gov. Palin’s “flirting and charm”, perhaps anonymous could list Obama’s qualifications other than his charisma and inciting silly women to fall in love with him because of those very same attributes anonymous uses to denigrate Gov. Palin. Palin’s credentials put Obama’s in the shade. With Obama’s past associations, he couldn’t even be a Secret Service bodyguard for himself. Anonymous’ double-standards are what has been holding women back for generations.
Sarah Palin IS the coming attraction and role model for so many females all over the country, young and old. Powerful men and women in the U.S. have recognized Palin’s potential and are backing her for 2012 - - She’s the real deal and she ain’t too hard on the eyes either.
Thank you for this blog! The Chicks at EMFK would love to join your cause. Please visit us at excusemeforkickin.blogspot.com
Good evening.
From the Democrats' perspective, Palin would be a dream matchup, and that unto itself should tell Republicans something.
I know you people don't want to hear this, but the Gov. Sarah Palin "brand" has been damaged beyond repair.
Sure, you can notch this up to some "Obama troll" showing his "fear" for the Palin ticket, and move foward. Or you can look for a more moderate, fully vetted female Republican candidate.
That would be an interesting series of posts: "The Republican Women". Discussing the current female power brokers in the Repub party. Just to get the creative juices flowing, what about Secretary of State Rice?
Warmest Regards,
An American Liberal
Wow, I've mobilized some response. Thanks!
pf - you cite polls of Republican support. Mobilizing the base is great, but to win you need to draw independents. Sources seem to agree that independents went the other way this time.
"64 percent of Republicans say Palin is their top choice for the GOP 2012 presidential nominee." I really wish they'd tone it down on this and let her avoid overexposure that plays to this media feeding frenzy. Let the GOP retreat, regroup and then move to build her support strategically after all this has faded from memory.
andi - it's not a personal thing, just joining the conversation from a different perspective - and not from a position of support for Obama. Who says I voted for him? I admire your passion, but your discourse would have more weight if it weren't framed as a personal attack. Vigorous political debate is a great thing, but personal attacks are not productive. I'm here commenting on where I feel Palin fell short - because I'm one of the voters you need to persuade. Understanding outside opinions can help you craft strategy - if you know what I didn't like you can work on combating that next time around. I'm not wrong, I just don't agree with you.
Obama is very charismatic as well but he also provided a level of intellectual discourse that Palin didn't match. He displayed a thoughtful mastery of the issues and an unmatched ability to communicate his perspectives. She didn't come close. Perhaps that was a failure of the campaign, or a function of her inexperience. I cannot wholly write it off to liberal media bias, however. She didn't knock it out of the park with Hannity, either. Or in the view of many conservative pundits who were calling for her to step off the ticket just one month after she joined it.
eva - I agree, this was one of the worst run campaigns in recent history. I'm surprised that a Steve Schmidt campaign went so woefully wrong, but I think that probably played the largest role in the ticket's loss. And I agree with many of the points on the linked blog. Where I differ - I don't believe she held her own in the debate, as she didn't display mastery of the topics under consideration. And I am puzzled by the assertion that McCain lost because he didn't have a mandate from his own party. What everyone else seems to be saying on both sides of the aisle is that Palin really energized the base and brought them out.
And no question that the obsequious treatment afforded Obama was an embarassment.
As I put together this response, I find myself repeatedly stacking Palin against Obama. In my decision matrix, I should have been stacking Obama against McCain. Perhaps one of the biggest failures of the campaign was letting the VP candidate overshadow the headliner. They allowed her to become too much of the story, which magnified every perceived flaw.
At the end of the day, if it turns out my judgment of Palin was wrong, I'll be thrilled and I'll eat my hat. I'd love to be able to get behind a strong, qualified female candidate. If she can be it, great. But she didn't do it for me this time, and telling me how wrong I am won't change the fact that millions of others shared my opinion and voted the other way.
I say all of this in support of a dynamic political system that brings the best possible candidates to the forefront of each party - and hopefully someday to more than just two parties. Regards to you all. It's people like you that make this process more powerful - people who care.
Would you like Mayo, Ketchup or Mustard with that?
Stacy: Just to change the subject and add a bit of sunshine to after-election gloom and doom - - - Congrats to Western Pennsylvanian Carol Semple-Thompson who was inducted into the Golfer's Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida this evening. Carol is a Sewickley resident and a member of Allegheny CC and the WGAWP. She has had a stellar career as an amateur golfer and is deserving of this honor. She has served on numerous golf committees both in PGA and LPGA. We need to honor all women of exceptional achievements whether in sports or politics or whatever (especially if they are from the erroneously maligned Western Pa. area.).
"damaged beyond repair" is is highly inaccurate. She made some blunders but so did biden and obama. (ie 57 states and j-o-b-s as a three letter word.) The only thing with Palin was that her mistakes were highlighted for days with nothing but a bunch of trash talk. Remember when she first popped up and how sooo many people put out so much false info about her? And somehow that false info gained traction and was supposed to be truth. She scares them.
The truth is Palin has the Obama attraction(which freaked the O people out), just not the marketing (which allowed them to hurt her). If she was at the top, instead of in the number two spot, she could run things very well.
What I think everyone needs to take away from this is that despite the damage, she's STILL popular and we are STILL talking about her. She's the new face of the Republican party. In a few years, she'll be great. Obama had to go through the same metamorphosis. Though unlike Obama, she's not going to have the media on her side or even in the middle so she has to fight harder to make sure any falsehoods are promptly corrected.
IF she wants it, she can take. Simple as that. Personally, I want a common sense populist in office. I've been through academia and I'm tired of the theoretical; I want solutions.
Join: http://www.teamsarah.org
We CAN make a difference in 2012. The bloggers on this site dissing Gov. Palin are really Democrats who recognize the potential of this woman to usurp Obama in 2012. She was the driving force behind the McCain ticket and that is also making the Republicans a bit nervous as well.
Like the Democrats, the Republicans also want to bury Palin as neither of the good ole boys network or Nancy Pelosi want to see her become POTUS; but for different reasons: Republicans do not mind a woman being “one-step behind” them, but certainly not out in front; and Nancy Pelosi is currently third in line for the throne and she wants no other woman in a more powerful position. If I were Obama or Biden, I’d be guarding my back.
Xax, and Jen,
I am glad you found a politician that you can get behind and support. Based on some recent polls, many other Republicans agree with your point of view (thanks PF).
With that stated, it would be nice if Sarah Palin and the rest of the Replican party would do more to recruit and empower more women into the party.
Bush is a populist President, and count me in the roughly seventy percent who disapprove of his tenure. Obama is an academic, and I think it would be premature to pass judgement on his presidency before it begins? So lets hold off on calling for another populist just yet....
Could I ask you both why Secretary of State Rice doesn't appeal to you?
Warmest Regards,
American Liberal
PS Stacy, cough, sorry for the far too many posts.
Why would you think Rice would be interested in running for President? One would think she has had enough of government and politics, lies and corruption.
Also, from what I garnered pre-Primary, AA's did not consider Condoleezza Rice one of them and would not have voted for her. I personally think she is an exceptional woman but her downside is that she was around Geo. W. much to long not to be jaded - - - a new broom sweeps clean and all that.
If Obama lives up to his promises, it is a moot point what female would be running; however, as he is already hmm and hawing over some promises, there is always the possibility that he will be a one-term President. We’ll hope for the best but keep our options open; and in the meantime, Gov. Palin should have acquired sufficient knowledge to appease most skeptics - - - with the exception of the “anonymous’” who have been conditioned to continue the suppression of women by women.
Could I ask you both why Secretary of State Rice doesn't appeal to you?
She appealed to me a great deal. Long before the primaries Condi was my preferred candidate. But, as Jen points out, she would have been easier for the Obama campaign to tie to Bush than McCain was, plus She repeated numerous times that she had absolutely no interest in the job.
Stacy,
The new look (design) is fine, but, IMO, the white print on black background is harder to read. BTW, I've already steered a couple women Internet buddies to your blog, but I hope you don't mind if an old, retired Navy fart puts in his 2 cents worth once in a while.
retired spook-I will take your advice any day. As for sending me more women....thank you thank you thank you. Stacy
I find all the RNC soul-searching really interesting, and I am doing much of it myself. I find it amazing that Obama campaigned non-stop for two years with approximately 600 million dollars, obsequious reporting from the media, and he was still only able to win with about 4 per cent of the vote, despite an entrenched historical trend that puts the governing party in a market downturn out on its ear. McCain simply wasn't a very strong candidate--he is not very well-spoken, and he was huffy and obnoxious at times with the media, and all the whining about how the media was treating Palin really turned me off, not to mention that he stretched the truth in his ads, and didn't defend himself aggressively when Obama accused him (wrongfully) of lying (I still voted for him, because I think Obama is a fraud). This shows me that America is still quite conservative. It also shows me that Obama's best skill set is community organizing--organizing voter drives, and it put him over the top. Obama is an excellent communicator, and that is to his advantage, but if his ideology is wrong, then that isn't good for the nation. Much of McCain's problem was that he couldn't put two intelligible sentences together to form a conservative idea to save his life right when the economy fell apart. It took Joe the Plumber for him to get a voice again, but it was too late.
Obama was articulate, but I simply think big-government solutions are short-term solutions that force our great-grandchildren to pay, such as we are paying when FDR established the leveraging practices that are killing us today. I fear Obama, partially because I don't know what we're getting. His past is sketchy, and he has wasted the funds that he was responsible to administer (Chicago Annenberg), and he is against states rights' to set abortion limits, and he has not shown good judgment in his international and personal associations. Obama is also the master of saying two opposite things and making is sound like supports both of them, which makes for a good politician, and it also aggravates my vagal nerve's reflex.
I have never been one to respond to politician's charisma, and Clinton, Obama, and Palin, all leave me cold in that regard--I never could feel any tingles up my leg. But I did admire Palin's ability to govern her own state, her knowledge of the energy industry, and her ability to negotiate unexpected benefits for her state. I think she has an incredible amount of integrity, and with all the digging for dirt, they came up with nothing, as she was completely exonerated in the troopergate issue (after the election, they cleared her on all counts, grrr). I couldn't care less if she is attractive, or if she has an accent. Clinton had an annoying accent when he became pres, and took elocution to get rid of it.
(:
Lori
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