https://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2013/02/22/the-republican-party-needs-a-reality-check/feed/HotAir is the leading conservative blog for breaking news and commentary covering the Biden administration, politics, media, culture, and current elections.en-usTue, 09 Jun 2026 07:43:12 -0400<![CDATA[In retrospect, last year’s Republican primary process was entirely disconnected from the actual needs of the party. One candidate pledged to build a 20-foot-high electrical fence at the border crowned with the sign, in English and Spanish, “It will kill you — Warning.” Another promised, as president, to speak out against the damage done to American society by contraception. Another warned that vaccinations may cause “mental retardation.” In the course of 20 debates and in tens of millions of dollars of ads, issues such as upward mobility, education, poverty, safer communities and the environment were rarely mentioned.]]>Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:15:34 -0500<![CDATA[Erika Johnsen]]>https://hotair.com/headlines/2013/02/22/the-republican-party-needs-a-reality-check-n100344