Since Obama's victory, the Republicans have begun to play the game that Democrats have been good at for almost a decade: blame everyone else for the failings of the party. Blame John McCain, blame Sarah Palin, blame George Bush, blame Steve Schmidt, blame the message, blame the lack of the use of the internet, blame anyone but yourself.
The truth is that, while the Republicans made some mistakes, they lost one election in a terrible economy, with anti-incumbent fever at an all time high, against the best Democratic candidate since Kennedy. So while the Republicans have some work to do, considering the circumstances, a six-point loss to Obama is not the end of the world.
All this being said:
-The Republicans need to find a messenger: Right now, the blame game is preventing them from finding someone who can unify the party.
-The Republicans should be troubled by their lack of minority outreach: The Republicans are overwhelmingly white, and lost heavily with both African-Americans and Latinos. The party of Pleasantville just won't work anymore.
-The Republicans need an effective economic message: McCain was never good on the economy. For all of his strengths in this climate as someone who could run against the Republicans, McCain never was strong on the economy. The Republicans should find an economic message that resonates with average Americans.
Most importantly, however, the Republicans need to not panic. They won 46% of the popular vote in a nation that had the highest "wrong track" polls in history. George Bush was beyond unpopular, and yet McCain still managed to cobble together quite a few votes across the nation. Now that Bush is gone, the Republicans should look to fashion a more inclusive message that can appeal to some minority groups while speaking to the middle class economically.
The key will be found in the statehouses and not on Capitol Hill. Look for Bobby Jindal to be a lead contender in fashioning a Republican message that can incorporate the concerns of Indian-Americans while building up the middle class.
The last thought is that Sarah Palin is an ineffective messenger: at least for now. Because she was elevated too quickly, her lack of experience haunted her. The Couric interview and the Tina Fey skits on Saturday Night Live came to dominate how people viewed her: as someone well out of her league on issues of the day. While it is far too soon to count Palin out, she should get out of the spotlight, head back to Alaska, bone up on foreign policy experience and a solid economic message, and then get back in the fray. 2012 might even be too soon for her.
RG
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
An Introduction to Ryan's Politics Blog
This blog is a political blog to discuss relevant political issues of the day. Look for updates in the post-election season and how these events affect politics, rhetoric, and communication.
RG
RG
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