It’s been half a year since I wrote these few paragraphs. In the intervening months, the GOP has wrung their hands dry attempting to figure out what happened in the November, 2012 election, and how to “fix” things so they can run the government once again. As a result, I’ve updated a few things.
I find it interesting that the author of this little article mentions the things he mentions, but excludes some other, rather serious and large elephants standing about the room. The recent campaign by Mitt Romney highlighted a number of issues that the GOP embraces, which, if you happen to be a white, “Christian” male of Baby Boom age (or older), there’s obviously no problem. But when you look at a mirror and see something else, you have reasons galore to look elsewhere for your political affiliation.
I think a growing percentage of Americans view the Republican party as: White, evangelical Christian, middle-class or wealthier, pro-guns of all sorts, anti-choice for women, anti-gay, anti-climate change, pro-fossil fuel, etc., etc., etc.
As a matter of fact, according to this article at Politico.com, The College Republican National Committee has recently identified a rather large list of problems young voters have with the current edition of the GOP. Apparently, many non-aligned, young voters see the party as: “closed-minded, racist, rigid, old-fashioned”.
I say, good for them. (The youth, not the GOP.) The simple truth is, the GOP as it presently exists as a national, political party, is all those things. And more.
When people say, “I’m a Republican”, almost everything they are affirming and aligning with is riding, at differing speeds, into the sunset. These are people, by definition, who do not like change, and in particular, the changes they see happening all around them. It’s hard to imagine (or believe) that millions of Americans once felt similarly about slavery. We like to think of our country as exceptional. Sadly, history teaches us that sometimes our national uniqueness exists only in our founding documents, and not in our practice.
The GOP represents a mindset among Americans. (Of course, so does the Democratic party, but in important ways, that mindset is profoundly different.) In recent years, the GOP mindset has calcified, (read: Tea Party), and it now views all others as the enemy, and eschews the notion of compromising with others of different mindsets. That’s clearly unfortunate, because we, the Village, need the diverse complexities of competing mindsets to maintain our culture and society. But we need those competing mindsets to be willing to compromise and negotiate.
When the leadership of your party — or the loudest voices — or the financial backers — are the folks in this montage?
You do the math.
Based upon the recent surveys noted in the links above, Republican worker bees STILL think the way out of this mess isn’t to change what Republicans believe, support and promote. No, the political hacks are going to, once again, do their best to mute or otherwise tone down the message so non-Republicans don’t hear the hate. Instead, they want to emphasize their principles, whatever that means. It’s a sure bet those conversations about principles won’t include much deep-diving into topics that have gotten them into trouble in the past; things such as women’s reproductive rights, immigration, taxes, voting rights, minority rights, gun-control, the environment, (that list goes on), but you know what I mean. It’s the usual suspects. Anyway, the GOP wants to avoid — as much as is humanly possible — bringing those things up in national conversations.
From The College Republican National Committee survey:
The purpose of the report is, we need to do a better job communicating our principles.
So the message is, stay ON message, which is actually NO message, because the Republican message is laced throughout with a mean, hateful, stingy, bigoted philosophy that is quickly alienating a growing majority of Americans.
So, listen up, all you elephants! Mum’s the word!
Until after the elections of 2012, 2014, 2016, etc., etc., etc.
