GOP, 2012: Angry White Men and Their Women

[Mr. Kotter]

Honestly, that is what the Republican party has become. Think about it...

Think about most of the obnoxious conservatives in this forum: Angry White Men....it says it all. They've been drinking the Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck Kool-Aid for over 20 years now. Is it really surprising, then, that the party no longer appeals to anyone else--especially with their seething contempt and venomous attacks toward anyone who dares to disagree with them?

The Democrats went though a similar thing...between 1968 and 1988, when they lost 5 out of 6 Presidential elections, because they were out-of-touch with the country (too beholden to bleeding heart liberals and minorities.) Between 1992 and 2012, the Republicans have now lost the popular vote for President in 5 of the 6 elections, for the same reason (too beholden to the Tea Party and talk radio addicts.)

Until the GOP admits they have a a big problem, and are out-of-touch, and seek to moderate their policies and rhetoric....they will remain the party of Angry White Men and the Women Who Love Them. They must find ways to appeal to larger numbers of Blacks, Asians, women, and Hispanics--otherwise they are screwed. And they will continue to struggle to win national elections.

It's simple math. Demographic shifts have become political inertia, and the GOP has to recognize that reality--instead of pretending not to notice.

In 1992, Clinton brought the Democratic party back toward the mainstream. For the GOP to turn things around in 2016, they'll need to do the same thing. Whenever political parties are sucked into lunatic fringe politics, they alienate the voters who matter--in our republic, a majority. Republicans had better soon remember the role of majority rule in our country, or they may yet become this century's version of the Whigs.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by mlyonsd

Speaking of angry old men, I hope someone kicks Chris Matthews ass for saying he was glad Sandy hit.

I mean a literal knock his teeth out ass kicking.

That was pretty bad. I don't know about an ass kicking, maybe a public bitch slap from Oreilly?

[KCTitus]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

...The Democrats went though a similar thing...between 1968 and 1988, when they lost 5 out of 6 Presidential elections, because they were out-of-touch with the country (too beholden to bleeding heart liberals and minorities.)...

LOL...Maybe you forgot to check the demos on the results.

...Republicans had better soon remember the role of majority rule in our country, or they may yet become this century's version of the Whigs.

I think this is accurate...the shift is left and more left. The republican party will have to shift left, meaning arguing over how much stuff to give to the respective demographic versus the democrats. There's no appetite for any real liberty any more.

[frazod]

Originally Posted by KCTitus

There's no appetite for any real liberty any more.

They will make excellent drones.

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by KCTitus

LOL...Maybe you forgot to check the demos on the results.

I think this is accurate...the shift is left and more left. The republican party will have to shift left, meaning arguing over how much stuff to give to the respective demographic versus the democrats. There's no appetite for any real liberty any more.

[Mr. Kotter]

[Iowanian]

Pretty nice of Cybil to post his yearbook photo.

[blaise]

Is there a little picture for Douchey Teacher Guy?

[Mr. Kotter]

March 18th, 2013
08:35 AM ET

1 hour ago

Republicans Want to End Perception as 'Stuffy Old Men'

Posted by
Washington (CNN) – The beleaguered Republican Party put into writing Monday what many of its top strategists and leaders have been saying since last year's election losses: The GOP is too old, too white, and too insular to win national contests.

In a months-in-the-making report which tops out at 100 pages and includes hundreds of recommended fixes - the Republican National Committee acknowledges its messaging problems, identifies structural setbacks to the primary calendar and spells out how to target specific demographic groups that voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in 2012.

"The report notes the way we communicate our principles isn’t resonating widely enough," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who also happened to be celebrating his birthday, said at the report's release in Washington. "Focus groups described our party as 'narrow minded,' 'out of touch,' and 'Stuffy old men.' I’m only 41, by the way. Today."

"It all goes back to what our moms used to tell us: It's not just what we say; it's how we say it," Priebus continued. "The promise of opportunity will be our message, and a spirit of optimism will infuse everything that we do."

The report was initiated by the RNC soon after last November's vote, which saw Republicans lose the presidency as well as seats in the U.S. House. Mitt Romney, the party's White House hopeful, lost big among Latinos, African-Americans and Asians, a fact that helped spur collective soul searching among the party's leaders.

"Public perception of the Party is at record lows," the report states. "Young voters are increasingly rolling their eyes at what the Party represents, and many minorities wrongly think that Republicans do not like them or want them in the country. When someone rolls their eyes at us, they are not likely to open their ears to us."

Romney won only 27% of Latino voters - a lower percentage than the last two GOP presidential candidates. Many pointed to Romney's hardline stance on immigration, including his endorsement of a policy of "self-deportation," as a reason.

In Monday's report, that policy was specifically shunned as a turnoff for voters who could potentially vote Republican.

"If Hispanic Americans perceive that a GOP nominee or candidate does not want them in the United States (i.e. self-deportation), they will not pay attention to our next sentence," it states. In one of its few policy recommendations, the report counsels Republicans to "embrace and champion" comprehensive immigration reform.

And in order to attract young voters, the party recommends a "change in tone," particularly on social issues.

"In every session with young voters, social issues were at the forefront of the discussion; many see them as the civil rights issues of our time. We must be a party that is welcoming and inclusive for all voters," it states, adding later that it's imperative that young people not regard the GOP as "totally intolerant of alternative points of view."

"Our policies are sound, but I think that in many ways the way that we communicate can be a real problem," Priebus said at the report's release.
He continued, "Decent people can disagree on issues. I don't agree with my wife on 100% of the issues, but it doesn't mean we don't have a good marriage. I think that we have to be a welcoming party. I think that we have to have a party that says, 'If you want to support our party and you want to walk through that door, I don't need to agree with you on every single issue.'"

"Republican Party is, indeed, a big tent," said Ari Fleischer, a CNN contributor who was one of the report's authors, on Monday. "We need to make sure that's a big tent, and not just rhetoric."

"Take the issue of gay marriage, for example, and gay rights. There is a genuine generational split in the Republican Party on that issue. Many, many young conservatives are for gay rights, are for gay marriage. And we openly talk about that and acknowledge that and we welcome that. That's part of what a big tent should be about," Fleischer said on CNN's "Starting Point."

The party's primary process has also generated problems for Republicans, the report finds, including the months-long primary process that saw candidates ripping each other in front of too many debates.

The number of debates should be cut in half, the report recommends, and the Republican National Convention should be moved earlier in the summer, so that the party's presidential candidate can start using RNC money earlier - the candidate is prevented from using those funds until they are officially nominated at the convention.

Also necessary, according to the report: a more robust digital effort, including the creation of a chief technology and digital officer for the RNC, to compete with Democrats online.

"Digital can simply no longer be an afterthought in our campaigns," the report states. "It has to be embedded in every function and backed up with appropriate staffing and funding."

CNN's Paul Steinhauser, Kevin Liptak and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.

[blaise]

Of course. They have to market themselves better. Look at the success Democrats have marketing themselves to the mouth breathing MTV crowd.

[Comrade Crapski]

Why shouldn't white men (who pay most of the taxes to finance the pigs in wash dc) be angry?

They get two parties to choose from when voting:

1. The Democratic Socialist Party
2. The Vichy Regime

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Change on two major grounds, that I can see:

1. Fight for conservativism instead of regressivism: instead of dismantling the social safety net, support various efforts to make it more efficient without cutting benefits.

2. Embrace pluralistic politics that see value in promoting women's issues, Hispanic issues, inner city issues, and gay issues.

As for how... well. That's for the party to figure out.

1. No matter what the GOP proposes, the Dems (and their lapdogs in the media) will still attack them for "destroying" the welfare state. There is literally nothing they could say that would change that attack narrative.

2. The GOP could embrace abortion, affirmative action, and gay rights. But they might - might - just lose a couple votes by doing so. No?

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Donger

I disagree. White people just need to begin breeding more.

White Republicans do out-breed white Democrats. They're just getting swarmed by immigration. Which the DC think tanks in the GOP seem to think is no big deal. After all, when you attend pricey luncheons with big business donors addicted to cheap labor, you start to get only 1 perspective on the issue.


The GOP's loss among Asians is quite perplexing though. They used to win that demo but the last 15 years have lost it. While they're not a huge demo, that's still 5% that they're now losing 4-1. They need to win them 3-2. Had that happened in 2012, you would've had a 49-49 tie. (Not enough to swing the Electoral College based on their location probably but it's a start)