Republican Governors are having a meeting. They are discussing the Presidential election. They are getting advice from a Governor who has actually won election in a Democrat State.
The most astute proposal came from New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Latina Republican with a record of bringing traditionally Democratic voters into the fold. In 2010, she ran as a conservative in a state where a majority of voters have supported a Republican presidential candidate only once in the past 20 years. She won by more than 6 percentage points.
“Republicans need to stop making assumptions, and they need to start talking to younger people, people of color, and ask them—not talk to them—ask them, ‘What is it that we can do better? How do we earn your vote?’” Martinez said. “We have to start electing people who look like their communities all the way from city council to county commissioners to county clerks all the way through the state and up into national politics.”
Well lets see. Young people. That is easy. End the War On Young people. The Drug War is a loser. Give it up. People of Color? Well that is easy. The Drug War disproportionately attacks people of color. You might in fact say that it is racist. In origin and effect. Give it up.
One governor says it is best to avoid talking about social issues. Do tell.
If pressed on social issues, they were told to find a way to pivot back to the economy whenever possible. During a meeting Wednesday, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert warned that he saw the country turning “center-left” on issues like gay marriage, and asked what Republicans could do to survive the shift without violating their principles. The answer: If you must discuss it, stand by your beliefs, but please, for the good of the party, try not to sound like a jerk.
“You can articulate your opposition for example to same-sex marriage,” advised Bill Bennett, a former adviser to Ronald Reagan. “But you can do it in a dignified way, in the right language, in a forceful way that shows you’re not a bigot or intolerant.”
I have a better answer for avoiding the issue: “It is none of the government’s damn business.” Or “The idea of morality police may be good for Saudi Arabia but it is anathema to true Americans.” Or if you want to be more generally understood you might replace “anathema” with “abhorrent”.
And BTW Americans are not turning center left. They just favor small government ON ALL ISSUES. Libertarian if you will. Well they can’t come out and say that explicitly. The socon remnant of the party would have a collective heart attack. But that is the message.
Funny. I have been preaching that message for over 25 years. And – glory be – my kids have picked that up. Preparing them well for the coming age.
Comments
15 responses to “What Can We Do Better?”
“The idea of morality police may be good for Saudi Arabia but it is anathema to true Americans.”
let’s get rid of all laws as they are based on morality
Well I wouldn’t go that far. I’d limit them to attacks on others and fraud.
What you do with yourself or consenting adults is your business.
But if the Republicans insist on being the Party of the morality police the communists will continue to win elections.
I can live with that. But can you?
“But if the Republicans insist on being the Party of the morality police the communists will continue to win elections. ”
dude the morality police are the demonrat party. every effin’ reg is their gospel. some folks believe that killing truly innocent beings is wrong. some folks believe that owning peeps is wrong. some folks think that letting big time drug dealers unleash the full free market system on the use of drugs is wrong. debate these folks don’t demonize like the proggtards do.
“We have to start electing people who look like their communities all the way from city council to county commissioners to county clerks all the way through the state and up into national politics.”
How bout we start electing people based on qualifications and experience rather than “what they look like.”
Or maybe that’s racist…..I don’t know anymore…….
new,
Ah. I see I am not getting through.
Drop the culture war. Stick to fiscal conservatism. Win elections.
BTW in case you hadn’t noticed the drug dealers are supported by prohibition. Prohibition has unleashed them.
But OK. You are RIGHT. And people who don’t agree with your version of right should call down the government on themselves and vote for you.
Good luck with that.
BTW how did the country survive for so many years with opiates freely available and no national laws against cannabis?
“Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere.”
– George Washington,
You know I do believe the Republicans WANT to put the commies in power. Otherwise why wouldn’t they try to win elections?
Winning elections is a process of addition. What you propose is a process of subtraction. Brilliant.
Resist,
Are you saying the Republicans can’t find qualified blacks? Hispanics?
You know – despite the fact that most Jews vote Democrat the Republicans seem to be able to find Qualified Jews.
Drop the culture war. Stick to fiscal conservatism. Win elections.
Propose an actual plan first and then go into an election. Don’t repeat “fiscal conservativism” ad nasseum without actually having a tangible plan. If this involves dismantling Medicare and Social Security, then please, explain it to the voters. I wouldn’t expect that much from a political philosophy whose most enthusiastic supporters are 65+ Social Security and medicare dependents (aren’t you one of them?) but it would certainly be entertaining to see.
newrouter,
Your argument isn’t with me. It is with the electorate. Either they change or the Party does.
I do believe that with a concerted effort it MIGHT be possible to change the electorate (Republican youth are going libertarian).
Ah. Well. I can live with he Communists. Can you?
“If the words “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” don’t include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn’t worth the hemp it was written on.”
– Terence McKenna quote on Marijuana
Yes new, some folks believe that. But not enough to win elections.
And yes. All laws are based on morality. In a country without a national religion the laws should be based on the morality everyone holds in common.
Crimes:
Murder, rape, robbery, theft, etc. are universally acknowledged.
In the commercial sphere – fraud, weight shaving, etc.
The rest of morality is specific to time place and culture. Otherwise cannabis and opiates would have been illegal from the start.
Government can’t save culture. I’ll go farther. It shouldn’t try. Just as government enforced religion weakens religion so too does government enforced culture weaken culture. After all the Amish keep their culture without laws enforcing it.
AJ,
If any one asked me I would start with Drug Prohibition. End that culture war. Save money. Maybe gain some in taxes.
As to the programs you mention. When the government either inflates away the value of the money or crashes the economy with taxes they will not matter.
Reality eventually intrudes. Energy balances. F=ma. E=mc^2 F=g m1 m2/d^2 etc.
But politicians almost made pi equal to 3.2 So you can have a lot of idiocy. Until nature intrudes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Pi_Bill
I’m currently 68. I’m against social security and government medicine.
The price of government medicine goes up. The price of LASIK goes down. A little study of economics might explain the difference. You might want to start with the differing incentives.
They would also do well to take advice from another New Mexico Republican governor who was elected twice: Gary Johnson.
Simon,
“Are you saying the Republicans can’t find qualified blacks? Hispanics?”
Thats not at all what I was saying. I understand that people seem to relate better to those that look like them. I’m just not sure how much that helps conservatives, when they(minorities) will likely be considered uncle toms or sellouts by the “tolerant” progressives. I think conservatives would be far more successful if they were able to focus less on what people look like, and more on showing what big government overreach has done to the communities it has pandered to the most.