Mac1958
Diamond Member
There does seem to be some indication that at least parts of the party are waking up, like the comments by Jeb and Jindal, the pushback against Norquist, etc. All that stuff happened pretty much right away, much faster than I was expecting.
There was no excuse for the Dems to keep the White House and make gains in both houses of Congress with unemployment at 8%, at least that's what conventional wisdom would say. The hardliners in the GOP can stay in denial, but there may be enough momentum brewing for the more pragmatic Republicans to pull the party's ass out of the fire.
If that happens, those wallowing in denial will just have to deal with it.
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Republicans acting like Democrats won't be elected. If we want Democrats, we'll elect Democrats. And, if Republicans act like Democrats to try and get elected, Republicans won't vote for them. And, Democrats aren't going to vote for them when they can elect a Democrat. And, although I'm unaware of what you're talking about with respect to Jeb? From the comments I've heard of Jindal, he's a dick and he might just as well go stuff his nose up Democrats' asses and change his party affiliation appropriately.
I know the standard meme is "if our candidates are not hardcore conservatives, then they're democrats." But let me float a crazy idea by you, and see what you think:
Let's assume the hardliners are completely confident with their stance on the issues. That seems pretty clear. So how about this: What if you worked backwards - instead of trying to win elections from the hard right, instead of talking about "legitimate rape" and "deport the illegals" and "no abortion ever" and all that, you tried the following strategy:
1. Politely marginalize the absolutist hardliners who have pretty clearly turned off a significant portion of the electorate, keep them busy with only the base
2. Get elected with a pragmatic and respectful approach that leans to the right but keeps the absolutism out of the picture
3. Govern with the same pragmatic and respectful approach that leans to the right but keeps the absolutism out of the picture
4. Lead by example, demonstrate that your generally conservative approach has the country moving in the right direction (assuming it does, of course)
5. Change the hearts and minds of those in middle who previously were put off by you, by pointing at your successes and suggesting more of the same
6. Continue your general movement in the direction you want, with a current track record that shows how women, minorities and moderates probably should have been with you all along
Just a thought there.
Or, you can continue the my-way-or-the-highway, black & white, all or nothing, shove it straight down your throat approach that served you so well in 2012, as you stunningly lost the White House and seats in Congress to a party that was in control during 8% unemployment.
Is this a crazy idea? And if so, why?
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I guess my crazy little idea was a little over the top, huh?
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