Republicans Ask: Just How Bad Is It?

Politico: Young GOP Leaders See Permanent Defeat If Republican Party Does Not Change

(The Politico)  This column was written by
Jonathan Martin.

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Party leaders agree that the GOP has had a rough go of it at the polls in recent years.

How could they not?

Since 2004, they've gone from 55 Senate seats to no more than 43 once this year's last winners are determined, and from a 29-seat edge in the House to a 30 seat hole-and now they've lost the presidency, too.

They differ, though, on whether the heavy losses Republicans suffered in the past two election cycles were a result of unique circumstances and the ever-swinging political pendulum or structural problems that could keep them shut out of power for years to come.

GOP officials and strategists at party conferences last week offered sharply contrasting assessments of what went wrong, and of how difficult it will be to rebuild. Perhaps not surprisingly, the split tended to fall along generational lines.

Older party hands pointed to John McCain’s lackluster campaign and the difficult terrain Republicans found themselves battling on this year, and eschewed any sky-is-falling rhetoric. The up-and-comers, meanwhile, sounded the alarm of impending permanent minority status unless the party changes.

“I have looked down at the grave of the Republican Party and this ain’t it,” assured Mississippi Gov. and 90s-era RNC chairman Haley Barbour, “I’ve seen it a lot worse."

Barbour, speaking on a panel session at the Republican Governor’s Association meeting in Miami devoted to sifting through this year’s electoral destruction, recalled serving as executive director of his state party in the aftermath of President Nixon's resignation, when Democrats elected 49 “Watergate Babies” to the House in 1974.

It got so bad, Barbour recalled, that there was a task force set up to consider whether Republicans should change their name.

As for this year, Barbour argued there was a way to defeat Obama-by rendering him unacceptable to American voters.

“And the McCain campaign did not choose to try to make that argument,” he observed.

RNC Chairman Mike Duncan, who has worked at the highest levels of Kentucky and national Republican politics for decades, expressed optimism about the GOP’s prospects for the 2010 mid-term elections, suggesting the GOP losses this year were a result of a toxic stew very much unique to the cycle.

“The mood of the country is what was bad in this campaign,” Duncan said in an interview at the governor’s meeting. “It was 90-10 wrong track, you had the war, we had the economy going south on us, we had the third-term curse, all those things.”

What it was not, he insisted-offering post-election polling that showed voters still supported right-leaning positions, just not McCain, to make his case-was a rejection of the party’s conservative philosophy.

“If you look at the American electorate, and where they stand and what they believe-we’re in good shape.”

A group of younger Republicans expressed a very different view, warning that the GOP was on the verge of irrelevance if it did not make changes to appeal to a changing electorate.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty opened up a luncheon speech to his fellow governors by noting that excuses could be made, citing the unpopularity of President Bush, the Iraq war and the poor state of the economy.

But, he continued, such a rationale was “not fair and it’s not complete.” The party's problem, he said, is far more grave.

“We cannot be a majority governing party when we essentially cannot compete in the northeast; we are losing our ability to compete in the Great Lakes states, we cannot compete on the west coast,” Pawlenty argued, also citing similar problems in the mid-Atlantic and interior west. “Similarly, we cannot compete and prevail as a majority governing party when we have a significant deficit as we do with woman, where we have a large deficit with Hispanics, where we have a large deficit with African-American voters, where we have a large deficit with people of modest incomes.”

While just 43 percent of whites voted for Obama, the group now makes up just 74% of the electorate, down from 89% in 1980. And that trend is accelerating. Just since 2003, whites' share of the electorate fell four percentage points, while blacks, Latinos and Asians increased by three points, to 23 percent, and gave the Democrat 95%, 66% and 61% support respectively.

Later, talking to reporters, Pawlenty put it more plainly: “The Republican Party is going to need more than just a comb-over.”

He doesn’t advocate for a major ideological shift-few prominent voices in the party are-but rather for aggressively offering solutions on issues such as health care, energy and education that have been viewed as Democratic turf.

[clovisbuford]

Posted by jamshied at 09:50 AM : Nov 18, 2008
err you had to post in all CAPS so i couldnt read that , no need to shout , you are no more important than anyone else that posts here and that is annoying .. a little nettiquette would be handy .. thanks

[clovisbuford]

"raflin0010, I agree the main problem with the democrats is their anti-FAMILY values! Posted by stlouisman3 " err working americans being able to feed their families , send their kids to college,go to the church of their choice ,whether they are muslim, jewish, christian ,bhuddist etc, not fighting a 12 billion dollar a month war on our grandkids credit card is Pro -family.Not holding up torture as an american value is pro family ,Having a health care system where 45 MILLION americans that dont currently have health insurance have that opportunity is Pro family .not doubling our deficit in 8 short yrs like BUsh and republicans have done is pro family . someone needs to get a clue .. caue they obviouls think when it comes to republicans ..denial is a river in egypt.

[biblethumpar]

GOP, Toe Tapping their Wider Stances on Family Values!!

YOU BETCHA!!!!

[mytoosense]

This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois . And he''''s gonna ''''fix'''' Washington politics for us?
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Posted by keystonebull

I love Chicago. It''s one of the coolest cities I''ve ever visited. It''s taller, cleaner and friendlier than New York City.

Obama should be proud to call Chicago, Home.

My opinion is jaded though, I live in Detroit.

[mytoosense]

Give Obama two years and the congressional elections will reverse many of the gains being claimed now.
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Posted by stlouisman3

Hopefully by then we will have universal health care, a solution to the social security mess, an improved economy, a working alternative energy program, troops out of the sand box, Gitmo closed, and a majority of Americans happy enough with these results to build on the Democrat''s majority.

The advantage the Democrats have is, they actually want to help the average American.

Most Americans have come to realize the Republicans only provide lip service to average American issues whenever an election rolls around.

[cheteunice]

raflin0010, I agree the main problem with the democrats is their anti-FAMILY values!

[cheteunice]

It seems that the media and the Democrats are anxious to bury the Republicans, if the economy had not tanked when it did the outcome would have been much different. Give Obama two years and the congressional elections will reverse many of the gains being claimed now.

[jamshied]

SOME REPUBLICAN''S ARGUMENT THAT THEY RECOVERED FROM 1960S AND 1970S DECLINE, ARE NOT VALID ARGUMENTS.

I THINK MINNESOTA GOVERNOR, PROBABLY, KNOWS WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT.

YOU CANNOT APPLY 20th CENTURY SOLUTIONS TO THE 21st CENTURY PROBLEMS, ENVIRONMENT AND DEMOGRAPHICS.

THE VOTERS TODAY , ESPECIALLY YOUNGER ONES, ARE FAR MORE EDUCATED AND HAVE BETTER GRASP OF WHAT IS GOING ON. THANKS TO THE INTERNET THAT PROVIDES ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON YOUR FINGER TIPS. YOU CAN SEARCH A SUBJECT AND GET VARIOUS VIEWS AND MAKE KIND OF YOUR OWN ANALYSIS. IN THIS DAY AND AGE THE POLITICIAN ARE MORE AND MORE ARE BEING EXPOSED.

ANOTHER THING IS THAT CERTAIN REPUBLICANS PHILOSOPHIES ARE JUST OUT DATED. THOSE ARE THE SO-CALLED CONSERVATIVE IDEALOGIES THAT ARE RELIGION BASED. FORTUNATELY US CONSTITUTION PROHIBITS INTERFERENCE OF RELIGION WITH GOVERNMENT, BUT UNFORTUNATELY REPUBLICANS KEEP INSISTING ON INJECTING THEIR RELIGIOUS IDEALOGY INTO GOVERNMENT BY WAY OF LEGISLATION. WE HAVE SEEN HOW REPUBLICANS KEPT FIGHTING FERVENTLY FOR school prayers AND THEY ARE STILL NOT FINISHED WITH ABORTION ISSUE AND STEM CELL RESEARCH.
YOU CANNOT LEGISLATE YOUR VERSION OF RELIGIOUS MORALITY AND BELIEF. YOU HAVE FREEDOM TO PRACTICE THEM IN YOUR PRIVATE LIFE, PREACH THEM IN YOUR HOUSE OF WORSHIP BUT YOU CANNOT LEGISLATE THEM ANYMORE.

[mytoosense]

Didn''t The Republicans brag, after Bush''s second election victory, that the Republicans would be in charge forever. Didn''t they also predict the slow death of the Democratic Party?

Karl Rove has a spot in the history books under the heading "Loser".

[bks59]

The republicans have to go back to the reagan years. The bush''''s took control and completely destroyed the party.Corrupt, murdering theives do not make good leaders.


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Posted by armydog2 at 07:18 AM : Nov 18, 2008


Right! and under Reagan the US deficit grew, HW raised to taxes to cover regans'' debacle, clinton restored some financial stability and shrub has put us near bankruptcy.

Yeah republicans and reagan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bks59]

gov. pawlenty did not recieved more than 50% of the popular vote, either time running for govenor, less than 50% of the voters elected this guy to office, yet he speaks as if a majority of MN citizens elected him.

perfect repubasnob.

[earache4]

Don''t despair GOPricks, the wicked witch of Wasilla will save you!!

[armydog2]

The republicans have to go back to the reagan years. The bush''s took control and completely destroyed the party.Corrupt, murdering theives do not make good leaders.

[gekejo1]

Obama_Dkhed- You are the Dkhed, not Obama and the people intelligent enough to vote for him. Keep up the good work with your comments since it only cements how stupid your redneck a** is- LOL!

[flexsf]

Don''t forget about your disgusting base of bigots! I hope they''re all dead soon so I can live my intimate life without a bunch of holy-rollers voting my rights away. If I ever have the opportunity, I''ll support a similar measure to vote against their rights! Until then, I hate the Republican party too!

[tayled95]

"Republicans Ask: Just How Bad Is It?"

Well... lets see....

The People of the United States make the following decisions in undeniable majorities:

Democrats increase their lead in the House.

Democrats increase their lead in the Senate.

A new Democratic, liberal, half-black president is chosen.

Sounds to me like....

Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter and the other fascists are wrong and failed.
The Religious Reich is wrong and failed.
Republicans are wrong and failed.
Neocons are wrong and failed.
Hate is wrong and failed.

Poor bitter neocons, whining about their failure, day after day after day.

That about wraps it up. See you in four years - losers.

[estabwary]

I think they are fine, don''t change a thing.

Be who you are. LOL.

[CNH]

Ever since the 1960''s, the GOP consistently has been, and will always be, the party of exclusion, the party that attempts to diminish those who look different than themselves, pray to a different deity, or follow a different lifestyle. They are the party that uses fear and hatred as a weapon to intimidate any who do not share their points of view. The GOP offers 20th century solutions to 21st century problems.

[torva-2009]

I just hope that the GOP keeps swimming in that river of DENIAL...that way they will never again trouble us with another presidency or GOPer-stamped congress again.

Wild!

[treknutz]

Perhaps the U.S. should pull out of Chicago
Posted by keystonebull

Hey KeyStonedBullcrap,

You magnificently ignorant jerk. You are so bent on blaming the ills of the US on Obama you somehow can''t get it through your thick skull Dubya got us into this mess. Quit whinning, Obama won the election and you have to deal with it. By your rants I can only guess that you are scared to death he will unite the majority and fix this Bush caused debacle. You are the complete picture of what a sore loser is and can''t say anything positive about anything because you are having a temper tantrum and your widdle feewings are hurt.....poor BABY!

Oh by the way, I''m so sorry your favorite TV show was cancelled...King of the Hill! You illiterate PUTZ!