Can the GOP expand its base?

[finnbow]

All the talk about Romney's defeat points mostly to demographics (lack of support from Hispanics, blacks, females, gays, youth).

Currently, the GOP base (other than corporate CEO's) is made up of evangelicals, older whites, and southern men.

How can the GOP appeal to females if support of women's health issues loses the Evangelicals? Similarly, how can they appeal to Hispanics if it'll alienate the nativists in their base? They have plenty of policy positions, not to mention unsavory rhetoric, which are highly appealing to their base while being highly objectionable to blacks, gays and young folks.

How do they make converts among these groups while they're at the same time making them the brunt of their red-meat rhetoric? It seems to me that have to make inroads with these groups, but how do they do it without losing their reliable evangelical and southern base?

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by finnbow

All the talk about Romney's defeat points mostly to demographics (lack of support from Hispanics, blacks, females, gays, youth).

Currently, the GOP base (other than corporate CEO's) is made up of evangelicals, older whites, and southern men.

How can the GOP appeal to females if support of women's health issues loses the Evangelicals? Similarly, how can they appeal to Hispanics if it'll alienate the nativists in their base? They have plenty of policy positions, not to mention unsavory rhetoric, which are highly appealing to their base while being highly objectionable to blacks, gays and young folks.

How do they make converts among these groups while they're at the same time making them the brunt of their red-meat rhetoric? It seems to me that have to make inroads with these groups, but how do they do it without losing their reliable evangelical and southern base?

Their unholy alliance with the evangelicals was a deal with the devil so to speak.

Regards,

D-Ray

[bobabode]

Give the evangelicals their very own Eastern Diamondback, one for each.

[Oerets]

Just was talking to my Tbagger family members today about this very subject. I asked them what they were gonna do when the GOP changes it stand on immigration,abortion along with other issues to try and reclaim voters. They both said "that not going to happen, the problem was they were not conservative enough"!

When my sister stated "Obama is a So************************ts and going to stay in power now and forever ". I kinda lost it and told her "he could be more of a So************************ts and I would be happy". To this she then told me "Why don't you just move to another country". I laughed and said back "I have as much right to this country as you"!


Thanksgiving going to be fun this year, that is if I get an invitation!



Barney

[BlueStreak]

Only if we start letting the mentally ill and convicted felons vote.

Regards,
Dave

[ebacon]

There is an easy way for the GOP to expand its base. They could talk to voters like adults instead of scaring them while giggling behind the curtain.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by Oerets

Just was talking to my Tbagger family members today about this very subject. I asked them what they were gonna do when the GOP changes it stand on immigration,abortion along with other issues to try and reclaim voters. They both said "that not going to happen, the problem was they were not conservative enough"!

When my sister stated "Obama is a So************************ts and going to stay in power now and forever ". I kinda lost it and told her "he could be more of a So************************ts and I would be happy". To this she then told me "Why don't you just move to another country". I laughed and said back "I have as much right to this country as you"!


Thanksgiving going to be fun this year, that is if I get an invitation!



Barney

Spoof 'em Barney. Tell them you have it on good authority that Obama is canceling Thanksgiving & Christmas this year to stop the teabagger House from driving over the cliff.

[bhunter]

Originally Posted by finnbow

All the talk about Romney's defeat points mostly to demographics (lack of support from Hispanics, blacks, females, gays, youth).

Currently, the GOP base (other than corporate CEO's) is made up of evangelicals, older whites, and southern men.

How can the GOP appeal to females if support of women's health issues loses the Evangelicals? Similarly, how can they appeal to Hispanics if it'll alienate the nativists in their base? They have plenty of policy positions, not to mention unsavory rhetoric, which are highly appealing to their base while being highly objectionable to blacks, gays and young folks.

How do they make converts among these groups while they're at the same time making them the brunt of their red-meat rhetoric? It seems to me that have to make inroads with these groups, but how do they do it without losing their reliable evangelical and southern base?

If the democrats swing too far left, then the GOP has a chance. Personally, I'd like to see a third party composed of members from both sides. That, unfortunately, is not likely to happen. This election was close and could have went the other way despite the supposed "mandate" the DailyKos claims. One must also consider the uniqueness of Obama being the first black president and what effect that had on the election. The GOP's best hope is getting more of the hispanic vote since I can't envision the other polar issue groups switching sides anytime soon. Furthermore, as much as I disdain the religious right, they must be at least placated, but remain within the GOP.

[icenine]

Actually I would look to see a party come in from the left rather than the right. In other words Obama may have co-opted the moderate GOP into a Centrist Democratic Coalition that someone who in the 1970s would be a considered a moderate/liberal Republican would feel very comfortable in.

[ebacon]

Originally Posted by bhunter

If the democrats swing too far left, then the GOP has a chance. Personally, I'd like to see a third party composed of members from both sides. That, unfortunately, is not likely to happen. This election was close and could have went the other way despite the supposed "mandate" the DailyKos claims. One must also consider the uniqueness of Obama being the first black president and what effect that had on the election. The GOP's best hope is getting more of the hispanic vote since I can't envision the other polar issue groups switching sides anytime soon. Furthermore, as much as I disdain the religious right, they must be at least placated, but remain within the GOP.

bhunter,

Have you considered that placating the right is part of the problem? I think at some point the voters need to be reminded that change is incremental. Fox News placated the hell out of them until they crystallized into a mass on the far right. By far right I mean a mass that thinks they want extreme social stratification. Sure some of them do, but not all. I would guess not even a majority.

It's been years since I've heard words like moral hazard, community, states rights, religious tolerance, etc. come from either voters or politicians in the GOP majority. Their vocabulary since the neocon takeover in 2000 has been narrowed to mo' money is mo' better.

During the Reagan era the richest guy in the world was worth $2B and happy. Today $2B will only get a rich guy a bleacher seat at Forbe's and they are pissed at Rove for not persuading voters to sell out more federal government.

The GOP has crossed a line of decency. It might be a blurry line and we not all agree where it is, but the fact is they have managed to lose traditional white Republicans like myself.

Old man Bush might have dirty laundry, but at least he had the courage to call the Laffer Curve voodoo economics. I would like to think that he had workers best interest in mind when he said that. The modern GOP concern for workers has flat disappeared. Instead they are more focused on placating workers. And it's failing them.