Can Jindal, Rubio, and Ryan save the GOP?
Even the language the three men are using these days is similar. “We need to show folks that we are an aspirational party,” Jindal said. “We need to be the party that represents the upward mobility,” a party that believes “every single American has the same American dream, and we want to help them.”
Liberal commentators have pointed out that this rhetoric hasn’t been matched by much in the way of innovative new policies. None of these men has proposed that Republicans push for a larger child tax credit with the same passion they bring to lowering taxes on capital, for example. But they are heading in the right direction.
Another complaint from some of the liberal reviewers — that these Republicans still hold a range of views that are fairly typical of their party — is beside the point. As Jindal put it, there’s no need for a second Democratic Party. He’s interested in “coming up with smart policy solutions, connecting that to the aspirations of all voters, and going out there.”
Going out where? Jindal, the next chairman of the Republican Governors Association, may have provided a clue when he said, “Republican governors are going to provide the examples of leadership.” Watch your backs, Messrs. Rubio and Ryan.
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Let’s tackle the massive advantage Democrats have with voter fraud, first before we even talk about running future candidates.
ericdondero on December 11, 2012 at 7:17 PM
No. No.
and,
No.
sauldalinsky on December 11, 2012 at 7:17 PM
They can, with the help of a few others such as Jim DeMint and Rand Paul.
petefrt on December 11, 2012 at 7:17 PM
Can we just leave McCain’s BFF, Marco “Amnesty-Boy” Rubio, out of the mix?
Pork-Chop on December 11, 2012 at 7:19 PM
Asking a bunch of RINOs to save the Republican Party is insanity. They’ll end up the same results as Dole, McCain and Romney. What we need is a conservative.
sauldalinsky on December 11, 2012 at 7:21 PM
Better question: Is the GOP worth saving?
Al-Ozarka on December 11, 2012 at 7:24 PM
Do not resuscitate.
bettycooper on December 11, 2012 at 7:24 PM
I think Rand Paul has a better shot than these three at this point.
Punchenko on December 11, 2012 at 7:24 PM
no no and no. if the three were smart they would leave the gop party.
unseen on December 11, 2012 at 7:25 PM
I like Rubio, Jindal and Ryan…..but the thing that is gonna save the GOP in the next four years is the Dems horrible leadership!
terryannonline on December 11, 2012 at 7:25 PM
Yes and Yes for Rubio and Ryan. No for Jindal unless were thinking about transformational in the way Crist is.
Illinidiva on December 11, 2012 at 7:26 PM
the only way to save the GOP at this stage is if a reaganite enters the picture. none of these three are reaganites. Rubio’s ambition is a problem. Jindal is the closest but not sure he has the charisma. Ryan while he has charisma and a good hea don his shoulders is too tied to the corrupt gope to be his own man. out of the three i would take jindal and leave the rest.
unseen on December 11, 2012 at 7:28 PM
Yeah, right. Just like that horrible Dem leadership put Romney in the White House.
The only thing that’s going to save the GOP is a takeover by the grassroots. Otherwise the GOP is as dead as the Whigs, I don’t care how many posterboy saviors-of-the-moment are thrown out there.
ddrintn on December 11, 2012 at 7:28 PM
No. They cannot save the GOP because they are part of the problem.
sharrukin on December 11, 2012 at 7:28 PM
Bingo.
ddrintn on December 11, 2012 at 7:28 PM
Stiff, stiff and stiff. No, those men are milquetoast garbage. They bring nothing new to the party. No new ideas. No enthusiasm. Don’t expand the party. Skin color is not going to save the Republican Party.
thphilli on December 11, 2012 at 7:29 PM
If innovative new policies were a requirement for electoral success, Obama wouldn’t have made it out of the 1940s.
besser tot als rot on December 11, 2012 at 7:29 PM
I’m on board with that.
besser tot als rot on December 11, 2012 at 7:30 PM
I bet that’s what you said last time too about McCain. But Romney, an avowed moderate, dusted up the likes of Perry, Cain, Gingrich, et al. The only reason he lost because so-called real conservatives trashed him so heavily during the primaries.
He was conservative enough to win without the hard-right pander.
Had he not been pigeonholed into using the language of nutbars he would have won. People ultimately came to like him. Socons and TP cost the GOP this last election.
Capitalist Hog on December 11, 2012 at 7:31 PM
Wrong Question: Can Jindal, Rubio, and Ryan save the GOP?
Right Question: Are the GOP worth Saving?
portlandon on December 11, 2012 at 7:31 PM
On what planet?
Capitalist Hog on December 11, 2012 at 7:31 PM
I might be confusing you with another commenter but weren’t you anti-Rubio?
terryannonline on December 11, 2012 at 7:31 PM
Do you own any weapons?
Capitalist Hog on December 11, 2012 at 7:32 PM
Except he took something that wasn’t being discussed at all, healthcare, and threw it to his base. That excited them. It made the entire election about HIS issue in 2008. He got to set the stage. Thats what new ideas do, they shape the election in your favor. New ideas also bring out a hell of a lot of voters.
thphilli on December 11, 2012 at 7:32 PM
rofl.. that’s funny. The media will cover for the horrible dem leadership and programs. If the gop wants saved they have to find a leader that will take the slings and arrows and hold the dems to account, unlike that horrible candidate Mitt who couldn’t tie Obama to his horrible 4 years of leadership. Waiting on the dems missteps is a good way to lose the entire gop party. YOu either fight them every step of the way with a real leader who believes in the platform of the gop or resign yourself to being the minority party for the next 50 years like the gop was after FDR
unseen on December 11, 2012 at 7:32 PM
The planet Paul… I really don’t think a debate on the Constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act serves the GOP.
Illinidiva on December 11, 2012 at 7:34 PM
I see. GOP criticism of Romney as “too moderate” lost Romney the election against Obama. Do go on, I want to hear more.
alwaysfiredup on December 11, 2012 at 7:35 PM
True, I did say that about McAmnesty.
He didn’t pander, so he got pigeonholed into language he didn’t use? Very creative
sauldalinsky on December 11, 2012 at 7:37 PM
Ummm…reality is calling on line two!
sharrukin on December 11, 2012 at 7:37 PM
Americans personally like Obama but Obama isn’t on the ballot in 2016.
terryannonline on December 11, 2012 at 7:37 PM
still having trouble with reality? Mitt lost to the worse POTUS in modern history. He wasn’t conservative enough to win or he would have won. facts are hard. Not enough people came to like him or he would have won. facts are hard I know. You run a moderate then blame conservatives for not voting for a moderate/liberal lite? That’s rich.
Here is a thought you want conservatives to vote for your guy run a conservative. If we want to vote for a liberal we can just vote dem.
unseen on December 11, 2012 at 7:38 PM
What will serve the GOP? Because nice, inoffensive aspirational Demorat-lite assurances certainly don’t, and that’s all they’re offering thus far. Ryan and Rubio are middle-of-the-road when it comes to the GOP. They are less statist than Romney, but that isn’t saying a whole lot. Many in the Tea Party like them, but Ryan and Rubio won’t publicly support the Tea Party, so they’re not really part of the group. (I don’t know enough about Jindal to comment.) We need someone who will do something different, that will catch the attention of Americans, and will strike strong blow for conservatism. We need a happy warrior. These three guys are probably not it.
alwaysfiredup on December 11, 2012 at 7:39 PM
LOL, ROTFLOL, and ROTFLOLMAO.
The GOP is as dead as a 1900s fashion catalog.
MelonCollie on December 11, 2012 at 7:44 PM
Yeah so what? they will personally like Hillary in 2016 and hate the GOP candidate. That’s what the media does. They drive up GOP negatives and control the negatives of the dem candidate. If you are waiting for a gop candidate to be persanally liked by the population you will be waiting for ever. That is why you must always make the campaign about issues not about personalities. And it is also why you have to run a person who’s record matches what issues they are running on. Mitt did neither. He didn’t tie Obama to the economic mess we are in. Hell Mitt agreed with 80-90% of OBama’s polices. He had to make it a personal campaign and he tried to paint Obama as in over his head. Nice guy but not POTUS material. That might have worked with a non incumbant but the people already saw OBama was able to do the job for 4 years. Unless Mitt made it aboout the issues he was destined to lose. You make people hate the polices not the man. I don’t think the GOPe will ever understand that. Reagan did. The rest didn’t.
The gope still think the swiftboat ads did Kerry in. It wasn’t. Kerry and his proposed policies did Kerry in.
unseen on December 11, 2012 at 7:44 PM
terryannonline. Rubio has issues as he is fluffy as hell. And he is not a good candidate now, but fluffy can at least be partially dealt with. And it is a great thought experiment to see if the Rs can get away with running an empty campaign ala Barry 2008 and would amuse me if it worked. Don’t think it works with Rs which is why I’m not gung ho on Rubio. Ryan strikes me as more substantive and who actually could come up with really interesting forward looking policies and sell them. Jindal is definitely a heavy weight but his behavior over the last few months has been unappealing. The whole Romney thing was a cheap headline grab worthy of the Oompa Loompa or Butterball.
Illinidiva on December 11, 2012 at 7:47 PM
Perhaps you should take a look at the percentage of blacks and hispanics who vote for the Demoncrat welfare state every single chance they gey.
Tell me it isn’t at least time for a debate about why we hold it as d@mn-near sacred for entire sections of the population to vote themselves more money on our dime?
MelonCollie on December 11, 2012 at 7:49 PM
I only know one person that fits the bill, and her name isn’t Rubio, Jindal, Ryan, or Paul.
huckleberryfriend on December 11, 2012 at 7:50 PM
gey = get.
not referencing gays. stupid machine…
MelonCollie on December 11, 2012 at 7:50 PM
So do I.
Yagadda B. Kiddin 2016!
MelonCollie on December 11, 2012 at 7:50 PM
I’m sorry but Hillary doesn’t have the charisma Obama does. If she runs (which is a big if) I don’t think it would be hard to find someone more likable than her.
After 8 years of Dem control…..I thy ink people will be listening to what Republicans even with the media whispering in their ears.
Romney made his campaign about issues and he lost. I’m sorry but personality matters, unfortunately.
Kerry was horribly wooden…I don’t think that helped him.
terryannonline on December 11, 2012 at 7:51 PM
“Used car salesman” was a term I heard a LOT, even from liberals.
MelonCollie on December 11, 2012 at 7:52 PM
I still think Kerry and Mitt were long lost brothers.
unseen on December 11, 2012 at 7:55 PM
I don’t think Rubio is fluff though. I’ve listened to most of his recent speeches and I’ve noticed that in almost every one of his speeches he talks about the break up of the American family, which I think is very bold for a politician to do.
terryannonline on December 11, 2012 at 7:56 PM
Didn’t Ramesh Ponnuru tell us to support McCain in 2008 & romneycare in 2012. Ramesh, you beltway swine, stick it up your azz!
I’m sick of losing listening to you morons! Vote conservative, not democrat lite!
Everybody in out, everybody out in!!!
Danielvito on December 11, 2012 at 8:00 PM
the dems blamed hoover and the gop for the depression for 50 years until people like goldwater and Reagan came on the stage and gave a different version. they will blame Bush for the next 50 years for all the economic problems unless a leader like those two come on the stage.
Mitt didn’t run on the issues. He ran on “Obama’s a nice guy he is just in over his head. I can do it better.”
by the time the media get done with Hillary people will think she can walk on water and if its hillary it will be whichever dem caniddate they pick in 2016.
The only reason Bush won in 2000 and it was very close was because he ran as a “compassionate conservative” not a moderate/liberal even if he turned out to be one he wasn’t stupid enough to run as one. Mitt wasn’t even that smart.
unseen on December 11, 2012 at 8:01 PM
Yes, maybe, and no, in that order.
Stoic Patriot on December 11, 2012 at 8:03 PM
rubio has a good story to tell. He gets a lot of the conservative talking points rigght. His record is so-so. He has major ties to the establishment and clan Buh which is a negative in my book. Im still on the fence about rubio. His treatment of the TP who got him elected does not show good character however you slice it and is a major sticking point for me. His support of immigration and open borders is also a concern.
unseen on December 11, 2012 at 8:05 PM
The very idea that the GOP can be saved cannot be any more wrong.
Spliff Menendez on December 11, 2012 at 8:05 PM
people get paid to write silly stuff like this all the time. So take it for what it is…filler. Someone HAS to write something.
Few ideas, Lots of Filler
the pop-culture of politics is pretty deadly. Oh..we need a Cult Leader. Well, no, we need a system that is run professionally. Attact, Retain and Train.
There are lots of arguments against National Planning and lots against Welfare Giantism. And lots and lots against Cronyism.
so ignore crap articles like this…Rs need to draw deeply at all levels form the well of ideas
r keller on December 11, 2012 at 8:11 PM
Thats great, but no one gives half a S*&@ about that. The people who do are already voting for the GOP. Its another worthless thing to be babbling on about. What is going to pull in the fiscally conservative and socially liberal segment of America with Rubio? Rambling on about the breakdown of the family isn’t. His skin color isn’t going to magically win the GOP Hispanics. What does he bring to the table with regards to new ideas that will cause people to WANT to vote for Republicans instead of just as a vote AGAINST Obama/Hillary???
thphilli on December 11, 2012 at 8:15 PM
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