RNC Report: Voters see GOP as 'scary' and 'out of touch'

[Deadvolcanoes]

The Republican National Committee released a report today detailing an "autopsy" of their failures during the 2012 election. It also calls for a revamping of GOP policies and principles. Some items of interest are:

We should speak out when CEOs receive tens of millions of dollars in retirement packages but middle-class workers have not had a meaningful raise in years.

If Hispanic Americans hear that the GOP doesn’t want them in the United States, they won’t pay attention to our next sentence

On messaging, we must change our tone — especially on certain social issues that are turning off young voters

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...uture/?hpid=z2

growthopp.gop.com/default.aspx

[Zangeiti]

Thois is the problem with the plan its also helping cut the salaries of military men and women cutting educatrion and retirement. They are cutting it by 300 bill

all though i might soun dlike a craze lunie its a real problem for us.

[breadisfunny]

clearly the 300 billion can better be spent on......more tanks.

[Kujako]

They remind me of Homer Simpson "If only they'd elect me, I'd make them pay."

[Roose]

GOP pushes marijuana legalization and they win in 2016. Simple as that. If Democrats are going to let them have that platform they would be fools for not taking it.

Really is wide open for the GOP. People are starting to realize that the Democrats are really not much better. Both parties suck.

[breadisfunny]

GOP pushes marijuana legalization and they win in 2016. Simple as that. If Democrats are going to let them have that platform they would be fools for not taking it.

Really is wide open for the GOP. People are starting to realize that the Democrats are really not much better. Both parties suck.

i think your overestimating the legalize pot movement. vastly overestimating.

[The Riddler]

This report is a product of the "Consultant Class" of the GOP - which are mostly RINOs and paid professional campaigners. The quickest way for the GOP to 100% marginalize itself is to listen to what this report says. The upshot is that they want the GOP to become more "Democrat Lite" with more spending on social programs and more pandering to minority groups. If that's what the GOP does, then they're finished.

The position of the GOP today is less a fault of the GOP, and more a fault of the blatant bias of the media. Every since the Clinton scandal, the media has been virtually lockstep in their biased defense of Democrats, and their attacks on the GOP.
1. Clinton years... The media template was that Clinton & the Democrats were innocent victims of a "right wing conspiracy" to end Clinton's presidency over a sexual mistake that had nothing to do with his job. Meanwhile the GOP was portrayed as sex obsessed starvers of children and the elderly.
2. Bush years... Bush first 'stole the presidency', and was then constantly portrayed as a stupid idiot puppet of bloodthirsty war-obsessed neo-cons. He had about 2 months where the media backed off after 9/11, but the entire rest of the time the media was on constant attack mode.
3. Obama years... Obama was treated like a god who could do no wrong, despite a shady past with questionable associations. The GOP has been portrayed as nothing but a bunch of stonewallers who would never give him a fair chance (which was of course perfectly OK during the Bush years...).

You can't have literally 21 YEARS of this kind of media bias without it slopping over into the public opinion. The public's opinion of the GOP is largely a result of the Democrats carefully crafting a series of attacks, and repeating them in lockstep to a willing and biased media -who then repeats the DNC party position verbatim off the DNC's fax machine as if it was factual. And the GOP is surprised that this is the perception of the average low-information voter?

The GOP only has to do one thing. Focus like a laser on the economy, and broom everything else. Become the party of small government and fiscal responsibility, and stand back. Where the GOP loses people is trying to SAY it is for small government and then turning around and behaving the opposite (ala Bush). Immigration, Gay marriage, and all that other social crap should be almost 100% ignored. Don't even talk about it. When asked - just say, "This isn't what we're focusing on" and go back to the economy. There. Now you're a 66% national majority.

[Sky High]

GOP pushes marijuana legalization and they win in 2016. Simple as that. If Democrats are going to let them have that platform they would be fools for not taking it.

Really is wide open for the GOP. People are starting to realize that the Democrats are really not much better. Both parties suck.

doubtful, both sides LOVE the money they get from the prison industrial complex that feeds off nonviolent drug offenders. the FDA, alcohol manufactures, pharmaceutical manufacturers and prisons love the war on drugs. one knows its bad for their business the for others its their business. but as you said people are starting to grasp how shitty BOTH parties are, and yes i will gladly say thanks Obama.

---------- Post added 2013-03-18 at 03:16 PM ----------

This report is a product of the "Consultant Class" of the GOP - which are mostly RINOs and paid professional campaigners. The quickest way for the GOP to 100% marginalize itself is to listen to what this report says. The upshot is that they want the GOP to become more "Democrat Lite" with more spending on social programs and more pandering to minority groups. If that's what the GOP does, then they're finished.

The position of the GOP today is less a fault of the GOP, and more a fault of the blatant bias of the media.

i assume you don't know a thing like Fox news exists. and oh, how horrible it would be to try and cater to growing demographics instead of one thats slowly DYING. but by all means, keep your head buried in the sand and see the rest of the world walk on by.

[lupii]

This report is a product of the "Consultant Class" of the GOP - which are mostly RINOs and paid professional campaigners. The quickest way for the GOP to 100% marginalize itself is to listen to what this report says. The upshot is that they want the GOP to become more "Democrat Lite" with more spending on social programs and more pandering to minority groups. If that's what the GOP does, then they're finished.

The position of the GOP today is less a fault of the GOP, and more a fault of the blatant bias of the media. Every since the Clinton scandal, the media has been virtually lockstep in their biased defense of Democrats, and their attacks on the GOP.
1. Clinton years... The media template was that Clinton & the Democrats were innocent victims of a "right wing conspiracy" to end Clinton's presidency over a sexual mistake that had nothing to do with his job. Meanwhile the GOP was portrayed as sex obsessed starvers of children and the elderly.
2. Bush years... Bush first 'stole the presidency', and was then constantly portrayed as a stupid idiot puppet of bloodthirsty war-obsessed neo-cons. He had about 2 months where the media backed off after 9/11, but the entire rest of the time the media was on constant attack mode.
3. Obama years... Obama was treated like a god who could do no wrong, despite a shady past with questionable associations. The GOP has been portrayed as nothing but a bunch of stonewallers who would never give him a fair chance (which was of course perfectly OK during the Bush years...).

You can't have literally 21 YEARS of this kind of media bias without it slopping over into the public opinion. The public's opinion of the GOP is largely a result of the Democrats carefully crafting a series of attacks, and repeating them in lockstep to a willing and biased media -who then repeats the DNC party position verbatim off the DNC's fax machine as if it was factual. And the GOP is surprised that this is the perception of the average low-information voter?

To be fair, the GOP have had some pretty stupid people that have spoken on their behalf. Especially around racial and gender issues. The most immediate example would be the proposed ability for women to reject sperm from a rapist, as if it knows... The GOP has a part to play it its terrible media presence when they offer voices that hurt their voter bases. From gay marriage to 'illegal' latinos, they give people who have controversial opinions voices to represent them.

They literally are feeding the beast. It is not just the 'liberal media' as you are referencing, it is them doing stupid things that recklessly hurt any image they have. If they took away the voices of the more controversial speakers and get control of things they would be fine.

[Deadvolcanoes]

The GOP only has to do one thing. Focus like a laser on the economy, and broom everything else. Become the party of small government and fiscal responsibility, and stand back. Where the GOP loses people is trying to SAY it is for small government and then turning around and behaving the opposite (ala Bush). Immigration, Gay marriage, and all that other social crap should be almost 100% ignored. Don't even talk about it. When asked - just say, "This isn't what we're focusing on" and go back to the economy. There. Now you're a 66% national majority.

The GOP made the economy their highest priority in the 2012 election. It wasn't good enough.

Like it or not, people want to know how what their opinions are on a wide range of social issues, particularly immigration, abortion, gay marriage, and social programs. Ignoring these issues will result in public distrust, and fewer votes.

[logintime]

This report is a product of the "Consultant Class" of the GOP - which are mostly RINOs and paid professional campaigners. The quickest way for the GOP to 100% marginalize itself is to listen to what this report says. The upshot is that they want the GOP to become more "Democrat Lite" with more spending on social programs and more pandering to minority groups. If that's what the GOP does, then they're finished.
.

What you call 'pandering to minority groups', most people call listening and outreach. But hey, if you want to keep hiding under a rock and pretending like the GOP doesn't have an issue with the way it talks about (and talks down to) minority groups, be my guest. It'll just mean Republicans stop winning the presidency in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, and that's perfectly well by me.

[Elegiac]

If it really took them this long to grasp it....well, no. I really can't say I'm surprised.

The Republicans have squirrelled themselves into a hole by relying on a voter base that is not likely to ever grow again, versus the Democrats which have put together a coalition of currently expanding demographics.

And The Riddler, there is no such thing as the liberal media. Journalism is an inherently liberal field owing to its relativism, but the people that control the media tend to align with the Republican bloc. The only overarching bias in American media is a corporate one.

[smelltheglove]

The GOP made the economy their highest priority in the 2012 election. It wasn't good enough.

i dont know about that. they were pushing pretty hard on their social shit in elections other than the presidential, and while many of them won on that crap it hurt romney by association

[Rukentuts]

I see the GOP as "batshit crazy". They profess to be conservatives, but they don't even adhere to conservative ideals.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

They'd probably do better if they threw out the extreme nut-jobs. They would need to rethink what it means to want "smaller government" and adapt it to be a position that is more in line with the American electorate.

Regardless of the actual position of the Republican party, those people are on the Republican ticket and potentially turn off more voters than they attract.

[Elegiac]

I see the GOP as "batshit crazy". They profess to be conservatives, but they don't even adhere to conservative ideals.

Honestly the Republicans just need to give up their efforts to legislate morality and just focus on economic issues. They won't win for a while because they'll lose their current voter base, but it will be better for the country overall if we stop pandering to conservative white males.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Honestly the Republicans just need to give up their efforts to legislate morality and just focus on economic issues. They won't win for a while because they'll lose their current voter base, but it will be better for the country overall if we stop pandering to conservative white males.

Especially as that voter base is dying out (literally).

[McCulloch]

Reince Priebus has already tried to distance himself from this report and the tea partiers have criticized it.

[smelltheglove]

Honestly the Republicans just need to give up their efforts to legislate morality and just focus on economic issues. They won't win for a while because they'll lose their current voter base, but it will be better for the country overall if we stop pandering to conservative white males.

with all the armchair economists out there i think they might win quickly if they dumped the fundamentalist dogma. i dont agree with their economic policies at all, but plenty out there eat them up like candy and are just scared of the associated zealotry

[Bane Falcon]

In my opinion, the biggest issue the Republican party faces is that the party itself is becoming outdated and in need of a split. It's trying to be both moderate and conservative in order to claim the liberal votes, and in the process, either puts its own foot in its mouth, or has individuals make headlines when they *should* have just stopped talking. Alienating their own voter base in order to seek out new votes has been screwing them over recently, and let's face it... Romney and McCain were jokes of candidates.

Give the Republicans a few more years, maybe have some younger Fiscal Conservatives rise up in the party (The only thing the federal government SHOULD concern itself with, not religion, marriage, or morals), and maybe we'll have a chance with Rubio in a few years. If they stay the course, however, they're doomed.