RSS 2.0 FeedAre The Republicans Damaged Goods ?
by Doug MataconisJames Joyner writes about an upcoming column by Charlie Cook in the National Journal where he says this:
“Republican campaign consultants have been publicly expressing a great deal of concern that the ‘GOP brand’ has been damaged, or at least tarnished. For top strategists to be so candid about their party’s problems is fairly unusual, and it reflects just how urgent they consider the party’s need to redefine itself as it prepares for the 2008 campaign.”
GOP pollster Glen Bolger explains: “We’re still good on taxes and values, but have big problems on ‘less spending’ and ‘less government,’ and there are cracks in the wall of our strong national security fortress. The other tarnish is that for a long time, Democrats were the party of the professional politicians, while Republicans came to Washington to fix the mess and go home. The scandals and the way Republicans ran the House mean that we have been more interested in power than in doing what is right — which means we are no different than that which we replaced in 1994.”
This, I think, is the central problem that Republicans had in 2006 and will continue to have well into the 2008 election cycle absent events in the news that change the public’s focus. Thanks largely to the leadership from the White House, as well as the lackluster Congressional leadership they’ve been dealt over the past six years or so, the Republicans are perceived as not really standing for anything anymore. Less government Less Government ? Don’t tell George Bush that.
Even the one issue that used to be golden for the GOP, national security, has seen the parties’ image damaged thanks largely to what the public believes to be a completely mishandled war that was fought for the reasons that later turned out to be completely, totally wrong.
It’s similar, I think, to the taint that was on the Republican Party in the years after Watergate. The fact that Gerald Ford came as close as he did to beating Jimmy Carter in 1976 is largely, I think, a testament to just how weak a candidate Carter was.
The analogy to Watergate, though, means that the damage is not irreversible. First of all, we are hardly dealing with a new Democratic Party. If anything, the Congressional leadership today is even further to the left than the Congressional leadership that Newt Gingrich helped topple in 1994. As such, they are still outside the mainstream in many parts of the country. The problem is, a lot of people don’t think the GOP can do any better, any I can’t say that I blame them.
The Republican Party can come back from this, but they need good candidates and they need to return to the ideas that helped them succeed in the first place. The ideas of limited government and individual liberty that helped put Gingrich and Reagan into power. And, this time, they need to make sure they actually follow through on their promises.
Previous Posts:
Why The Republicans Lost
Why The Republicans Lost Part II
Why The Republicans Lost Part III
Why The Republicans Won’t Recover
Why Republicans Need Libertarians
Why The Republicans Lost Part IV
Why The Republicans Lost Part V
Doug,
Your coding for the Previous Posts is messed up.
Why The Republicans Lost Part III
Why The Republicans Won’t Recover
Why Republicans Need Libertarians
all go to the bottom URL
Comment by James Joyner — January 13, 2007 @ 8:53 amThe root of the Republican Party’s problem is that they are seen as incompetant and unfit for leadership. Address that issue and the rest of the issues will fall into line.
Comment by Kevin — January 13, 2007 @ 9:04 amJames,
The coding is fixed. Thanks for pointing that out.
Comment by Doug Mataconis — January 13, 2007 @ 9:05 am“The fact that Gerald Ford came as close as he did to beating Jimmy Carter in 1976 is largely, I think, a testament to just how weak a candidate Carter was.”
The fact that Bush, a weakened president seeking a second term, was barely able to beat John Kerry is a testament to just how weak of a candidate Kerry was. Bush was beatable in 2008, but the Dems whiffed.
Comment by Brad Warbiany — January 13, 2007 @ 12:49 pmI’d hope the Dems can beat a guy who can’t even run in 2008 :D
Comment by Kevin — January 13, 2007 @ 1:50 pmIt is critical that the Republicans run a strong candidate for President in 2008. That will be critical to leading the party in a new direction and an effort to take back the House.
Comment by Charlie — January 13, 2007 @ 7:03 pmKevin,
Remind me not to comment after drinking homebrew…
Comment by Brad Warbiany — January 13, 2007 @ 7:07 pmIt’s not the gun-grabbing mayor, John McKeating, or the Massachusetts flip-flopper.
Comment by Kevin — January 13, 2007 @ 8:40 pm“The root of the Republican Party’s problem is that they are seen as incompetant and unfit for leadership. Address that issue and the rest of the issues will fall into line.” – Kevin
Leadership was a HUGE issue to me before the 2006 elections. The House was completely off track with Hastert and don’t even get me started on Frist – that man has NO backbone.
Comment by Adam — January 13, 2007 @ 9:04 pm[...] Adam: “The root of the Republican Party’s problem is that they are seen as incompetant and unfit for leadership…. [...]
Pingback by The Liberty Papers»Blog Archive » The GOP Still Doesn’t Get It — January 13, 2007 @ 11:16 pm