Comments on: Rebuilding the GOP — One Internet User at a Time

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:05:50 +0000

My own thinking about this that it might be a wise move of the republican party to put a Hispanic man in running for the next President. Seems like this would be a logical direction, especially considering the changing demographics of the nation.

By: elfman

elfman — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:36:44 +0000

“We did not intend to provide an all-encompassing manifesto that will guarantee a renewed Republican majority.”

STEP #1: Find another word for “manifesto”.

By: Jeff Perren

Jeff Perren — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:25:03 +0000

By all means, use modern communications facilities to spread the message. But more important is the message you have to spread. I didn’t see anything on that here, nor on the website in question.

Ideas drive history. Obama won not chiefly because of better organization (though that helped), but because he inspired many people with certain ideas. All wrong ideas, but plausible appearing ones to our current society.

There is still time for Republicans to regain the public trust, re-capture Congress and then the White House. But they must return to being a party that believes in the Constitution, individual rights, and capitalism. Genuinely believes, not merely gives lip-service to while-me-tooing the Democrats. Then they must argue persuasively for those views.

Instead, we have Sen. McConnell debating the Democrats about which pocket to pick on the stimulus plan and whining because Republicans have not been sufficiently consulted. That is not an opposition party. That is a recipe for obsolescence and irrelevance.

Until they can do that, all the marketing and modern communications methods will not make a dent. Don’t worry overmuch about mechanics. Advocate the rights ideas with ample facts and sound logic and word of mouth will do the rest. Above all, do not implicitly accept the oppositions views on morality; it disarms you in the realm of economics and every other policy decision.

Jefferson and Madison should be our guides, not Teddy Roosevelt or Herbert Hoover.

By: Tired of RINOs

Tired of RINOs — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:20:03 +0000

I’m a conservative. What has the Republican party done for me lately?

By: Nana

Nana — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:01:46 +0000

How about picking a handsome Muslim man for Republican presidential nomination. Or even better, Muslim woman.

By: Maverick

Maverick — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:13:56 +0000

It sounds great, but everyone has to on board. To begin with the Republican nominee MUST have 100% support from the beginning of the campaign trail to the election. We can’t afford to have those in the party who attacks the Republican nominee as much as the Democrats do. That sends mix messages to the voters. There must never be a time when our party supports a Democrat if there is a run off between two Democrats, like the one we witness between Obama and Hillary. At no time must the voters crossover and vote for a Democrat thinking it’s some kind of strategy, like we witness in Operation Chaos. One last thing, there are too many who demands too much in exchange for their support of the Republican nominee, and they know who they are. The new media is fine, but if it brings with it the old faces who do nothing but pull the rug out from under the Republican nominee months before an election with their negative attacks then forget it, and they know who they are too.

By: K Heck

K Heck — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:22:02 +0000

Every 25 or so years Republicans (read conservatives) need to get back to person to person contact. In the 50’s Ray Bliss in Ohio developed a plan that involved knocking on your neighbor’s door, finding fellow conservatives, and getting them registered and to the polls. We elected Ike, and Nixon. In the low times when Kennedy/Johnson were in power, we started over again…with Goldwater, which led to electing Reagan, etc. finding and registering new (read young) conservatives. It seems that the Democrats have followed our example with local organizing…and we have forgotten again the basics of finding and organizing our fellow thinkers. Only the medium changes….the person to person contact is still necessary….and the followup of registering and getting our friends to the polls. Let us start over……….

By: Ann

Ann — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:49:37 +0000

5.Craig. So noted!

By: '08ama

'08ama — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:34:19 +0000

The GOP will not make a recovery until they take all their HATE of everything non white and non old out of their mantra.

By: David S

David S — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:48:13 +0000

@11

Chuck,

You made me laugh.

“That’s what America needs. A leader whose willing to murder the ‘opposition’.”

Your assessment of Alinsky speaks volumes. Maybe if you actually studied his work it could be helpful to your cause? His observations and tactics are hardly radical today.

The internet is a tool, and it is only as useful as we make it. The worst part about the internet is that people tend to compartmentalize, and see only a small slice of reality, usually one that reinforces attitudes and beliefs. Rather than seek out a balanced perspective, taking advantage of the diversity of ideas available, people tend to stick with their own interest group.

This compartmentalized medium serves to make divisions between groups more distinct and foster misunderstanding. Just as FOX news preaches to the choir, so do right wing websites like the author’s.

The fundamental element missing here is that you are working within a closed ecosystem, and it is not a sustainable one. US demographics are trending against the GOP, at an accelerating rate, and simply gathering all the GOP internet users together will not be sufficient to increase the ranks. GOP voters belong to the shrinking portions of the demographic.

Alinsky could teach the GOP quite a lot, and I suspect he has. The one lesson that never seems to stick?

Justice for all.

Peace.