What Is The Republican Path To Victory?

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has stated that the GOP is in a demographic death spiral due to lackluster support for immigration reform leading to poor approval ratings among Latino voters. I believe that he's right, but that he's missing a larger picture; namely that the GOP has encountered a perfect storm of issues over the past several years, with their base turning parasitic, and their supposed leaders losing control of the party.

So, NSGers, here's the question: If you were a Republican strategist, what would you do in order to rebuild the party, and to win elections (particularly the Presidency) in the future? This is one of my favorite games to play as a Democrat, as it forces me to completely shift my perspective. My thoughts?

1-Drop any potential talk about tax cuts for the upper class, or even putting up anything but a symbolic fight against minor hikes. This is what happens during economic downturns. The economy is slowly improving, so refocus the rhetoric on "streamlining regulations" and "removing red tape" for small businesses. Once the economy improves to a greater degree, take up the tax cut banner again.

2-When Graham's right, he's right. Path to citizenship for undocumented aliens currently here, and talk up stronger border security. Most of the GOP seems to already be on board with this.

3-Kick the ball down the field on foreign policy. There hasn't been a single issue in that area that's been a winner for the GOP for about a decade, despite their attempts to turn Benghazi into a thing. Whether they're right or not, it's a dud topic, and there's no traction to be gained there.

4-Shift focus to marijuana as being up to the states to decide. Promote education and rehabilitation efforts regarding drug users, combined with get tough rhetoric regarding dealers.

5-This is going to be a tough one, and it's going to hurt for a while: do to the Tea Party what the Democrats did to the Dixiecrats. Their brand of anti-intellectualism may appeal to part of the base, but it's hurting the party nationally, and the people who currently make up these organizations are on the wrong side of history.

Suggestions? Thoughts?

[Gauthier]

Tea Withdrawal.

[Blekksprutia]

Give up.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Tea Withdrawal.

Absolutely. It's a scorpion and frog thing with them.

[Arglorand]

Give up.

Assuming the hypothetical situation that for some reason I need to live in America, but I wouldn't vote for the GOP even if they promised to give up if elected.

[Regnum Dominae]

Kick out the Tea Party and the far-right Christian Dominionists. Stop trying to push anti-science policies, and focus on sane center-right economics instead of "OBAMA IS A COMMIE!!11!!". Stop the war on non-Christians, women, gays, etc. Reform on illegal immigration and turn drugs into an issue for the states. And also offer alternatives to Democrat legislation: instead of REPEAL OBAMAKARE!!!111!! they should offer constructive alternative solutions.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Kick out the Tea Party and the far-right Christian Dominionists. Stop trying to push anti-science policies, and focus on sane center-right economics instead of "OBAMA IS A COMMIE!!11!!". Stop the war on non-Christians, women, gays, etc.

The rhetoric against the President has been horrible, true. I don't recall any President from either party being subjected to such shoddy treatment at the hands of other elected officials and major opposition party figures in my lifetime.

[Zavea]

keep inching to the left, because liberalization is the direction the world is taking and the more they dig their heels in, the worse they'll be perceived

[Nazis in Space]

Use the military to oust the democratic president on charges of voter fraud and being a godless communist. Establish martial law, deal with dangerous elements in society, then put a sympathetic general in the white house.

[Vetalia]

The rhetoric against the President has been horrible, true. I don't recall any President from either party being subjected to such shoddy treatment at the hands of other elected officials and major opposition party figures in my lifetime.

Bush had it pretty bad, too, but he had the advantage (for him, not so much for the country) that the Republicans had solid control of the government for the most of his Presidency. So there wasn't much obstructionism really possible, at least not on the scale seen now.

[Hippostania]

Every single proposal here is literally "turn Republicans into Democrats." Seriously, if these proposals would be accepted, what would be the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

[Regnum Dominae]

Kick out the Tea Party and the far-right Christian Dominionists. Stop trying to push anti-science policies, and focus on sane center-right economics instead of "OBAMA IS A COMMIE!!11!!". Stop the war on non-Christians, women, gays, etc.

The rhetoric against the President has been horrible, true. I don't recall any President from either party being subjected to such shoddy treatment at the hands of other elected officials and major opposition party figures in my lifetime.

To be fair, the rhetoric against Bush was pretty horrible too. But I don't think that it was quite this continuously bad.

[Diopolis]

Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has stated that the GOP is in a demographic death spiral due to lackluster support for immigration reform leading to poor approval ratings among Latino voters. I believe that he's right, but that he's missing a larger picture; namely that the GOP has encountered a perfect storm of issues over the past several years, with their base turning parasitic, and their supposed leaders losing control of the party.

So, NSGers, here's the question: If you were a Republican strategist, what would you do in order to rebuild the party, and to win elections (particularly the Presidency) in the future? This is one of my favorite games to play as a Democrat, as it forces me to completely shift my perspective. My thoughts?

1-Drop any potential talk about tax cuts for the upper class, or even putting up anything but a symbolic fight against minor hikes. This is what happens during economic downturns. The economy is slowly improving, so refocus the rhetoric on "streamlining regulations" and "removing red tape" for small businesses. Once the economy improves to a greater degree, take up the tax cut banner again.

2-When Graham's right, he's right. Path to citizenship for undocumented aliens currently here, and talk up stronger border security. Most of the GOP seems to already be on board with this.

3-Kick the ball down the field on foreign policy. There hasn't been a single issue in that area that's been a winner for the GOP for about a decade, despite their attempts to turn Benghazi into a thing. Whether they're right or not, it's a dud topic, and there's no traction to be gained there.

4-Shift focus to marijuana as being up to the states to decide. Promote education and rehabilitation efforts regarding drug users, combined with get tough rhetoric regarding dealers.

5-This is going to be a tough one, and it's going to hurt for a while: do to the Tea Party what the Democrats did to the Dixiecrats. Their brand of anti-intellectualism may appeal to part of the base, but it's hurting the party nationally, and the people who currently make up these organizations are on the wrong side of history.

Suggestions? Thoughts?

Turn from vilifying anything even remotely resembling government services as a welfare state and socialism to advocating better education. Turn more moderate on economics; almost everyone votes based on the economy, and the reason latinos don't tend to support republicans is that they tend to be more economically liberal.

[Regnum Dominae]

Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has stated that the GOP is in a demographic death spiral due to lackluster support for immigration reform leading to poor approval ratings among Latino voters. I believe that he's right, but that he's missing a larger picture; namely that the GOP has encountered a perfect storm of issues over the past several years, with their base turning parasitic, and their supposed leaders losing control of the party.

So, NSGers, here's the question: If you were a Republican strategist, what would you do in order to rebuild the party, and to win elections (particularly the Presidency) in the future? This is one of my favorite games to play as a Democrat, as it forces me to completely shift my perspective. My thoughts?

1-Drop any potential talk about tax cuts for the upper class, or even putting up anything but a symbolic fight against minor hikes. This is what happens during economic downturns. The economy is slowly improving, so refocus the rhetoric on "streamlining regulations" and "removing red tape" for small businesses. Once the economy improves to a greater degree, take up the tax cut banner again.

2-When Graham's right, he's right. Path to citizenship for undocumented aliens currently here, and talk up stronger border security. Most of the GOP seems to already be on board with this.

3-Kick the ball down the field on foreign policy. There hasn't been a single issue in that area that's been a winner for the GOP for about a decade, despite their attempts to turn Benghazi into a thing. Whether they're right or not, it's a dud topic, and there's no traction to be gained there.

4-Shift focus to marijuana as being up to the states to decide. Promote education and rehabilitation efforts regarding drug users, combined with get tough rhetoric regarding dealers.

5-This is going to be a tough one, and it's going to hurt for a while: do to the Tea Party what the Democrats did to the Dixiecrats. Their brand of anti-intellectualism may appeal to part of the base, but it's hurting the party nationally, and the people who currently make up these organizations are on the wrong side of history.

Suggestions? Thoughts?

Turn from vilifying anything even remotely resembling government services as a welfare state and socialism to advocating better education. Turn more moderate on economics; almost everyone votes based on the economy, and the reason latinos don't tend to support republicans is that they tend to be more economically liberal.

Unfortunately, with the rise of the Christian Right that is no longer true.

[Diopolis]

Kick out the Tea Party and the far-right Christian Dominionists. Stop trying to push anti-science policies, and focus on sane center-right economics instead of "OBAMA IS A COMMIE!!11!!". Stop the war on non-Christians, women, gays, etc. Reform on illegal immigration and turn drugs into an issue for the states. And also offer alternatives to Democrat legislation: instead of REPEAL OBAMAKARE!!!111!! they should offer constructive alternative solutions.

So your solution is to turn them into left-libertarians?

[The Orson Empire]

They should just disband the entire party. There is no way to fix it at this point.

[Regnum Dominae]

Kick out the Tea Party and the far-right Christian Dominionists. Stop trying to push anti-science policies, and focus on sane center-right economics instead of "OBAMA IS A COMMIE!!11!!". Stop the war on non-Christians, women, gays, etc. Reform on illegal immigration and turn drugs into an issue for the states. And also offer alternatives to Democrat legislation: instead of REPEAL OBAMAKARE!!!111!! they should offer constructive alternative solutions.

So your solution is to turn them into left-libertarians?

No, my solution is to turn them into center-rightists economically who are sane on social issues.

[Diopolis]

Turn from vilifying anything even remotely resembling government services as a welfare state and socialism to advocating better education. Turn more moderate on economics; almost everyone votes based on the economy, and the reason latinos don't tend to support republicans is that they tend to be more economically liberal.

Unfortunately, with the rise of the Christian Right that is no longer true.

Almost everyone who makes voting decisions on social issues is staunchly in one camp or another. Do you seriously believe values voters would switch sides, short of the parties occupying opposite poles? Besides, what's wrong with having people vote on social issues?

[The Serbian Empire]

Every single proposal here is literally "turn Republicans into Democrats." Seriously, if these proposals would be accepted, what would be the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

The problem is that the Democrats would be forced to move further left and become even more popular. The solution is for the Republicans to go full Ron Paul at least on social policies which is States' Rights which leaves Colorado and Washington looking drastically different than Idaho or Oklahoma.

[St George]

Coup?

[Sane Outcasts]

They need to get Congress working again and simply steal credit for the ideas the public likes rather than trying to push their agenda to satisfy party ideologues. Whoever displays the leadership to end deadlock in Congress will get a major boost in the eyes of the general public, no matter who started it. They don't need to bend over backwards and accommodate all of the Democrats ideas, just stop the stupid symbolic gestures like trying to repeal Obamacare and take small victories in pieces of legislation rather than the entire bill. Then they can take the credit for what works and foist the blame for what doesn't on the Democrats that were involved.

[The Serbian Empire]

So your solution is to turn them into left-libertarians?

No, my solution is to turn them into center-rightists economically who are sane on social issues.

It's not enough to make them sane in social policy; we need to open the floodgates and make the Democrats look like the Republicans of today.

[Regnum Dominae]

Every single proposal here is literally "turn Republicans into Democrats." Seriously, if these proposals would be accepted, what would be the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

No, my proposal would have them drop the insane Christian Dominionist anti-science nonsense, and start offering actual alternatives to Democrat economic policies instead of just shooting them down while offering no alternatives. They've become the party of no (except when it comes to restricting rights for gays, women, etc) and they really need to start coming up with their own proposals.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Every single proposal here is literally "turn Republicans into Democrats." Seriously, if these proposals would be accepted, what would be the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

Not at all.

Democrats are historically very pro-regulation, and we unfortunately tend to ignore the effects that extra red tape can have on small business owners, particularly those opening new businesses. I don't see us dropping that in the immediate future, so talking about easing the strain on small business owners is a perfect idea for Republicans.

I'm not saying that the GOP should drop the idea of lower taxes for top earners, only that it's not a winning plank in the platform right now. Put it off until people are a bit more secure in their own finances. The Democrats will likely be split on their response, and the GOP can pick up some votes that way.

Democrats aren't jumping on the states' rights argument when it comes to marijuana, despite the administration's earlier assurances to the contrary. This could pick up a HUGE amount of the youth vote. And, yes, many stoners are (sadly) single-issue voters. Take a look at the Ron Paul supporters who didn't have a clue about his positions regarding welfare and abortion.

Kicking out the Tea Party isn't anti-Republican. It's a basic housecleaning that both parties have done in the past in the face of shrinking popularity.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Every single proposal here is literally "turn Republicans into Democrats." Seriously, if these proposals would be accepted, what would be the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

No, my proposal would have them drop the insane Christian Dominionist anti-science nonsense, and start offering actual alternatives to Democrat economic policies instead of just shooting them down while offering no alternatives. They've become the party of no (except when it comes to restricting rights for gays, women, etc) and they really need to start coming up with their own proposals.

And in the current economic climate, it needs to go beyond "Keep/Reinstate the Bush tax cuts for the top earners".