The lessons of defeat for the GOP
The media’s postelection narrative is that Democrats won because of a demographic shift. There is some truth to that, but a more accurate description is that Democrats won in a smaller turnout by getting out more of their vote.
Turnout dropped by 7.9 million voters, falling to 123.6 million this year from 131.5 million in 2008. This is the first decline in a presidential election in 16 years. Only 51.3% of the voting-age population went to the polls. …
Strategically, Republicans will need to frame economic issues to better resonate with middle-class families. Mr. Romney had solid views on jobs, spending, deficits, health care and energy. But even among the 59% of voters for whom the economy was their top concern, he prevailed by only four points (51% to 47%). …
The GOP must reduce the destructiveness of the presidential primaries. In the first place, activists can withhold support from candidates who make reckless assaults on competitors, which happened too often this time. Also, the Republican National Committee should limit the number of debates and, by showing wisdom in picking debate moderators, limit the media’s ability to depict the party as a fringe group.
Blowback
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By the way, hey, if Walker Jindal and others run and win, they run and win. You can still be butthurt if you want though and rail against Sarah’s choice of lipstick or something.
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:18 PM
LOL. Another squish mainstay. “Our guy lost, so it means the electorate is waaaaaaaay left!!!!”
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:20 PM
ROFL, yep. “It’ll give us breathing room!!!!”
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:22 PM
Oh, ok. So the Tea Party doesn’t primary politicians that disappoint them. Got it. Maybe, just maybe, they learned their lessons from the suicide missions in Delaware and Nevada a couple of years prior.
The Count on November 15, 2012 at 12:22 PM
And Florida?
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:23 PM
Marcus on November 15, 2012 at 12:13 PM
Moron, you gave us Romneycare. Now it’s our turn, let’s see Reagan, I mean Palin give it a try.
But I forgot, you Rino’s only want us conservatives to vote for your liberal GOP pondscum, but when you azzwipes have to vote for a conservative you vote the other side.
I’m so sick of you rino’s you have NO MORE CREDIBILITY!!!!
Danielvito on November 15, 2012 at 12:24 PM
Do I need to ask you a third time for the True Conservative that ran better than Romney?
The Count on November 15, 2012 at 12:25 PM
Oh, don’t bother. It’s a hold-out butthurt PerryKrishna.
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:25 PM
I don’t know if anyone has said this yet but:
Dear Mr. Rove:
shaddup-Shaddup-SHADDUP!!!
That is all.
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 15, 2012 at 12:26 PM
I told you my congressman did. The question is where was that moderate wave?
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:27 PM
Do any of you heavy snacking diabetic teabaggers know where I can get bulk popcorn at a discounted rate? I am running out and I’m thinking this movie might just go on for months, if not years.
tommyhawk on November 15, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Nah, just find another moderate. Conservatives are utterly toxic to Americans, but you can always shame them into voting for your moderates. /sarc
Aitch748 on November 15, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Couldn’t have said it better myself. ♥
tencole on November 15, 2012 at 12:29 PM
The land deserves Obama.
If you own a business fire a bunch of millennials. They deserve a reality check.
Schadenfreude on November 15, 2012 at 12:29 PM
Rick Perry is on his 3rd term as Governor of Texas, thank you very much. You Palinbots are going to be as kooky as Ron Paul’s gang. You really think she can do absolutely zero for close to TEN years and beat Hillary. LMAO.
Marcus on November 15, 2012 at 12:31 PM
Huh? “Heavy snacking diabetic teabagger”? None of the above.
But the popcorn’s going to come in handy when the O-care bill comes due. That’s going to be delicious.
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:31 PM
1) In what universe is Florida anything like Massachusetts. 2) If you’re talking 2012, Nelson was the incumbent – there were no Republicans to primary. 3) If you’re talking 2010, a) the Angle/O’Donnell lessons had yet to be learned and b) if Rubio ever made a “2nd amendment solutions” or “rape” comment like those other doofuses, Crist is reelected easily.
The Count on November 15, 2012 at 12:31 PM
tommyhawk on November 15, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Just get a jar of regular popcorn and put it where the sun don’t shine. It willl pop…eventually.
kingsjester on November 15, 2012 at 12:32 PM
LOL…going against the incumbent in FL lets the squishes off the hook, but Angle going against the friggin’ Senate Majority Leader and losing means those ‘baggers are craaaaaazy, man.
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:33 PM
I don’t know if anyone has said this yet but:
Dear Mr. Rove:
shaddup-Shaddup-SHADDUP!!!
That is all.
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 15, 2012 at 12:26 PM
Well stated My Fair Lady!
ToddPA on November 15, 2012 at 12:34 PM
No, actually you’re starting to sound like Bradky or Bill Maher or Moesart or Meredith.
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:34 PM
Who is your congressman? His seat was probably as at a similar risk to Pelosi’s.
The Count on November 15, 2012 at 12:35 PM
Incredibly Rand Paul and Marco Rubio are the same fools on illegals as is Rove and co.
Schadenfreude on November 15, 2012 at 12:36 PM
Marcus on November 15, 2012 at 12:31 PM
Explain to me how your boy perry, goes into public service 35 years ago poor and is now a multi millionaire.
Between him changing parties 1990 for political benefit and his pay to play cronyism, you picked a real winner.
By the way, Palin drag his carcass over the primary line in 2010 and this is how you repay her. You ungrateful punk!!!
Typical!!!
Danielvito on November 15, 2012 at 12:36 PM
22% of GOPers in my district voted for Obama. My congressman did better than that.
By the way, Bradky Jr…I wonder if do-nothing Palin might’ve had better luck against Romney? Ya know, maybe she would’ve won at least ONE primary or somethin’?
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:38 PM
Much like your “arguments” today, Connie Mack too got destroyed.
Harry Reid is despised in NV. His victory had nothing to do with his being the majority leader. Any Republican that talks about “2nd Amendment solutions” to lost elections will lose. Every. time.
The Count on November 15, 2012 at 12:39 PM
LOL, yeah, and I think that at the time Reagan Rick didn’t care if Palin had appeared on Greta or whatnot.
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:40 PM
You’re an idiot. It’s pointless. Until the moderate cancer which you represent continues to infect the GOP, it’s going to lose until it finally goes the way of the Whigs. Period.
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:42 PM
* While, not Until
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:42 PM
Oh, so all those true conservatives in your district voted for your true conservative congressman, but then 22% of them peeled away to vote for Obama. Got it.
The Count on November 15, 2012 at 12:44 PM
Yep. Moderate GOPers. That’s something none of you squishes have tackled yet: the fact that Obama won the moderate vote. It’s your 800-pound gorilla.
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:46 PM
By the way, Bradky Jr…I wonder if do-nothing Palin might’ve had better luck against Romney? Ya know, maybe she would’ve won at least ONE primary or somethin’?
ddrintn on November 15, 2012 at 12:38 PM
Hey, I’m as big of a Palin supporter as anyone….
BUT, all this speculation on how she would’ve fared in
the Primaries is just that-Speculation.
She has to run……with her, unlike other potential
candidates, I think we’ll know very quickly, if she has
enough support to win. IMO.
Also, IMO, her speech as CPAC was one of the best speeches
ever given at that event…she blew away every person running
who spoke there (Gingrich, Romney, Santorum, and a few others)
Unfortunately, she was not a candidate….
ToddPA on November 15, 2012 at 12:46 PM
Moderate GOPers that voted for your conservative congressman because he’s more conservative than a moderate presidential candidate. Makes all the sense in the world. What are you, 8?
The Count on November 15, 2012 at 12:49 PM
You know when Palin can prove her worth? 2014. As a candidate for something. But she’ll be nothing more than a glorified cheerleader on the sidelines and her minions will shout “SEE!? SEE!? See how powerful she is?!!”
Marcus on November 15, 2012 at 12:54 PM
I’m going to comment on this from a different perspective. In the modern email era I have been mostly in MO and we have had as senators Kit Bond (R), Jim Talent (R), Roy Blunt (R), Jean Carnahan (D) and Claire McCaskill (D). At the state level we have had 2 different senators and 3 house reps all (R) (We have had the same House Rep the entire time and as I have had an ongoing personal relationship with their local office I always get a response from them so that is an outlier.)
As a local business owner I attempt to correspond with my gov reps on a not irregular basis. Here’s how their responses break down over the last decade:
Kit Bond – never a single response by email, fax, phone or mail. Not even a screw off we don’t care what your opinion is.
Jim Talent – every letter/email/fax was followed by a request for money and nothing else
Roy Blunt – nothing. Nada. Just like Bond. I know he uses much of the same staff which is probably why.
Carnahan/McCaskill – 100% response rate. Even if just a position email or mailing, every single email or correspondence led to some statement of position and McCaskill’s staff have engaged in numerous email long conversations about certain topics with me.
State Level: Our last senator emailed me personally and had numerous discussions with me via email and once by phone whether or not we were agreeing on a topic. House reps … nada. Not a single response except to put me on the crap monthly email newsletter list. The last House rep was just elected senator. I didn’t vote for him even though he ran unopposed. I won’t vote for him in the future.
(We have had the same House Rep the entire time and as I have had an ongoing personal relationship with their local office I always get a response from them so that is an outlier.)
So, my experience in my little corner of the world is that the (D) elected officials, even if I am apoplectic about some vote, always respond directly and on topic to my concerns even if a canned position statement. The (R) elected officials with 2 exceptions haven’t even had the courtesy to send me “go f-yourself email”. GOTV? Stay in touch with constituents?. Nope. Actually, several of Talent’s MO state level staff (yes, I talked to several personally after the election) blame his loss to Carnahan directly on this failure.
I don’t know how this would track nation wide but I have a feeling that it may not be much different elsewhere.
deepdiver on November 15, 2012 at 12:55 PM
Time for a third party.
davidk on November 15, 2012 at 12:58 PM
Interesting point..
Dire Straits on November 15, 2012 at 1:01 PM
The Money Quotes
Republicans need not jettison their principles. But they must avoid appearing judgmental and callous on social issues. Offensive comments about rape by GOP Senate candidates in Missouri and Indiana gave the media an excuse to put social issues at the election’s center in a way that badly hurt the entire party, as well as costing Republicans two Senate seats.
The GOP must reduce the destructiveness of the presidential primaries. In the first place, activists can withhold support from candidates who make reckless assaults on competitors, which happened too often this time. Also, the Republican National Committee should limit the number of debates and, by showing wisdom in picking debate moderators, limit the media’s ability to depict the party as a fringe group.
Another idea: Holding the convention in late August made sense when candidates relied on public financing for the general election. That will never happen again. The Romney campaign had tens of millions it couldn’t spend for months until he was officially nominated on Aug. 28. Future conventions should be held as early as late June.
And hold the primaries in the swing states that voted Republican – in order of support.
Basilsbest on November 15, 2012 at 1:09 PM
I wasn’t going to follow up on a Rove Report, but he is correct on this:
But this advice:
Instead of stacking the primaries with strawmen to dilute the vote, run honest candidates only. That would have eliminated McCain, the loser’s loser. Same game this time.
Most people know they are being jacked by the time the primary is over, if they cared to watch
Romney had solid empathy and kindly manner. However, he assumed people understand lowering taxes boosts economy. The ones he did not convince, did not vote.
This segment assumes politicians are crooks. Should this voter help rich people get lower taxes on the honor system in hopes the rich guy hires him after the election and it is too late to retract, or should he vote for the phoney in return for bogus health care promises and longer unemployment
The people who should have been on stage at the convention were not Christie, or Newt, but a Businessman who could show with a chart how X taxes and expenses left Y for jobs. How removing a certain tax will allow so many new hires. etc Why they are going bankrupt right now. Forget the weeping and family photos. The lost voter needed more than promises on this one. They needed education at the micro level.
entagor on November 15, 2012 at 1:16 PM
Yes. Less primary debates. Shorter primary season. Earlier convention.
Go full-on Atwater on the Democratic nom from day one.
And, fight the media just as hard as you fight the Democrats.
Moesart on November 15, 2012 at 1:30 PM
Chin up, Brave Todd! It seems easy to lose heart in here lately…
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 15, 2012 at 1:52 PM
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