I was reading How The Republicans Lost The Election and about 1/4 of the way through the first thing I thought was – the Libertarian wing of the party could do this. And what was the first comment? The Libertarian wing of the Party can do this.
And what does the “base” want? Fewer Libertarians in the Party. Too funny.
Comments
10 responses to “How The Republicans Lost The Election”
I have long suspected that the left wants “the base” in charge of the GOP.
Well, of course they do. “The Base” is just as fiscally left as the left is.
Republicans used to be the Party of “free thinkers” until Nixon effectively drove them out with his Southern Strategy.
Republicans are the party of dull and doctrinaire. No deviation allowed. At least according to the “base” I come in contact with.
The Solid South changed parties with Nixon. It did not change culture.
I thought it was his “Silent Majority” that drove us out – but I could be wrong.
Honestly, you guys are just as bad as the conservatives. There’s no time left for ancient hatreds, and there’s not a majority for either “real” libertarianism or “real” conservatism. So you’re all going to have to hang together or hang separately.
For the foreseeable future, progressives are intoxicated with the idea of complete control over the details of your life, and they have the statutory power to achieve just that. Obamacare, CPSIA, and Frank-Dodd give them that power. The drug and money-laundering laws give them the muscle to enforce it. Just a little more time in power and they’ll get a VAT and an energy tax, too. You’re dreaming if you think they’ll give that up for a libertarian future.
If you want to hang on to any personal liberties at all, the only way is to reach an accommodation with conservatives. I’m not libertarian-bashing, either. I say the same thing to conservatives.
Neil,
What the libertarians of the party get and the base doesn’t is that elections are won at the margin and it is the most marginal voter you have to attract that makes party policy.
The trouble with Republicans is that they treat politics like it was religion and they don’t want anyone who isn’t staunch a member of their faith.
How many times have you heard “you can’t be a fiscal conservative if you aren’t a social conservative” ? I think what they really mean is “you can’t be a Republican if you aren’t a social conservative”. Fine by me. I’ll vote for some one else. (a Libertarian if they are on the ballot).
It is why I have taken to calling the GOP the POG. A prime example of that was the Republicans running Alan Keyes against Obama in Illinois.
Let me quote you from a comment at another venue discussing the subject.
====
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/01/how-republicans-got-clobbered-in-tech-in-two-images-and-a-few-links/comment-page-1/#comment-407719
I’m sorry, but I just don’t believe the Republicans lost because of inferior technology. They lost because they have inferior philosophy; It’s cluttered and inconsistent, and their “leaders” never seem to be able to articulate exactly what it is that they stand for. They hate big government but increase its size and power every chance they get. They simply refuse to stand up for individual freedom and capitalism. When was the last time a Republican congressman ever said, “That’s not the proper function of the federal government; Better to leave it to the States or the People”? Yeah, I can’t remember either…
======
And how did we get the Patriot Act? The Democrats? Medicare Part D? Democrats?
At this time we are given the choice of totalitarians. If I have to chose I prefer secular ones. Obama over Keyes. The Communist over the Theocon. A lot of people in Illinois felt the same way.
Here are the numbers:
http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2009/11/obamakeyes-vs-kerry-bush.html
====
Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. CS Lewis
Let me add that the technology failure was important because data mining helps identify the marginal voter and the policies that will attract him/her.
@Simon ” data mining helps identify the marginal voter and the policies that will attract him/her.”
That only helps if you are willing to adopt the policies that will attract him/her. GOP seems determined to reject said policies.
Their choice, their bed, let them lie in it.
But the rest of us need to find an electable alternative. Unless we want to embrace socialism.
Kathy said,
That only helps if you are willing to adopt the policies that will attract him/her. GOP seems determined to reject said policies.
Exactly!
Here’s what I don’t get, Simon. You reject the Republican party because of something self-described conservatives said to you in blog comments.
Why don’t you apply the same criteria to the Democrat party? Go hang out at Democrat Underground for a while and see the Jew-baiting that goes on there. Oh, and the blood-lust for dead gun owners, entrepreneurs, business owners… Their kill list goes on and on.