While there are no catchy phrases for the Republicans of 2013, their image problems are readily apparent in national polls. The GOP has come to be seen as the more extreme party, the side unwilling to compromise or negotiate seriously to tackle the economic turmoil that challenges the nation.
It is no surprise that even elements of the Republican leadership that had been so confident of a Mitt Romney victory — including when it was clear that he was going to lose the election — are now looking at ways to find more electable candidates and cope with the disproportionate influence of hard-liners in the GOP. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus only scratched the surface this past week when he dissected the party’s November defeat: “There’s no one reason we lost. Our message was weak; our ground game was insufficient; we weren’t inclusive; we were behind in both data and digital; and our primary and debate process needed improvement. So there’s no one solution. There’s a long list of them.”
A long list, but one that doesn’t address the emergence of a staunch conservative bloc that has undermined the GOP’s national image.
The Republican Party’s ratings now stand at a 20-year low, with just 33 percent of the public holding a favorable view of the party and 58 percent judging it unfavorably, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Although the Democrats are better regarded (47 percent favorable and 46 percent unfavorable), the GOP’s problems are its own, not a mirror image of renewed Democratic strength.
Americans’ values and beliefs are more divided along partisan lines than at any time in the past 25 years. The values gap between Republicans and Democrats is now greater than the one between men and women, young and old, or any racial or class divides.
But while members of the Republican and Democratic parties have become more conservative and liberal, respectively, a bloc of doctrinaire, across-the-board conservatives has become a dominant force on the right. Indeed, their resolve and ultra-conservatism have protected Republican lawmakers from the broader voter backlash that is so apparent in opinion polls.
So does the GOP need a make over or what? I see the dilemma. If they go to the center, they lose the far right wing nuts. If they go to the far right where the wing nuts live, they can’t win the White House. I expect there is a civil war of sorts going on now as responsible Republicans try to lead the party back on a more reasonable track.
Between the social issues conservatives and the tea party types, I can’t imagine voting Republican. That’s a sad situation because I think we need moderate Republicans to help balance the Democrats out, when they get a little too big for their britches.
The R’s lost too many people during the Bush years – and spent too much political capital. They proved to be the party of fiscal mismanagement, even all the while saying that they were the party of fiscal restraint. Cheney often repeated the phrase – “deficits do not matter”. On social issues, you can see what they are trying to do here in Virginia – and I do not think McDonnell is close to being a wing nut, but the Cooch is to the right of the wing nuts. I glanced at the report, and they are just starting to scratch at the surface,
I am not sure sure I don’t consider McDonnell a wingnut. He signed the bill that will close 17 clinics in Virginia by making them have to retro-fit themselves into mini hospitals. He signed an ultra sound bill bill. He also had that thesis paper for Pat Roberts school of flat earth.
and I think one thing harming the R’s (and the Conservatives) is the credibility that they give to the likes of Rush, Beck, Levin, Hannity – and allow them to speak for the party. On any given day, they all exaggerate the truth to bend it into their theme of the day.
Totally agree. They also don’t renounce clowns like Senator Cruz who is simply as ass.
Here is my prediction: The GOP will soon split into two viable parties that will give the Dems problems in the future. The first will retain the GOP name and will be a party of fiscal restraint, pro commerce, and well managed national and state governments that will endeavor meet the majority of the peoples needs. It will compete at a national level and in progressive states at that the state level. It will succeed when the Dems make too many wrong decisions (happens often). The second will be a yet unnamed party that will represent the social conservatives and will compete in states and localities that are populated by both strong social conservatives, deep Christian religious leanings and strong small government types (Midwest and South). The lesson to learn for the right wing of the GOP is to keep there mores and morals in their own backyards and to not try to dominate the entire country. 2012 showed them that the US is not a Christian theocracy.
They were so confident that they were going to win the election because they spend all their time in their own echo chambers, even after it was apparent that their man was getting his butt kicked. They were humiliated. Slo poke Rodriguez never showed his face around here after last election. Whoever their next nominee is will need to stand up to the wing nuts in their party instead of being afraid of them.
I found the erroneous confidence baffling. All the numbers going in to that race were on the side of Obama. I never thought for one minute Romney was going to win…not gifted sight…just listening to the numbers (not on FauxNews which might be the key here).
Because we didn’t think that people would be …heck, I don’t know what to write that wouldn’t offend people here….. to re-elect the lying idiot that has caused this recession to drag on and on and on. I mean, who would re-elect a President that has caused our international standing to drop even further than what the Democrats say Bush caused?
Also…Senator Cruz is not a clown. You just don’t like him because he didn’t show enough deference to that thin skinned, egotistical, ignorant Senator Feinstein and made her look like the hypocrite that she is.
@Cargo, don’t you think that was pretty much denial on your part? The reality was how many women were not turning their backs on, but fleeing the GOP. Then there was the 47%. Republicans were in denial about the minority vote. They erroneously thought that minorities, especially black voters would stay home. I thought at the time, just wait…..
I have a dear friend who I had a long talk with right after the election. He was in a bad place. I think he was blind-sided. I never have figured out why. There was a reality that just wasn’t grasped.
Even if Obama had really pissed me off, I simply could not have voted R. Too many insults and offensive remarks….Gov. Ultra-sound to the 47% moochers. I don’t even think I am a 47%-er but only my the skin of my teeth.
As for this graph…what did you expect from a Washington Post Survey? This just proves that the huge media blitz by the Democrats with bylines is successful in advancing their narrative.
The idea that only 39% of general public think corporations make a fair profit; that only 27% still believe that ObamaCare will have a bad effect- even with the actual proof staring them in their faces; that 38% don’t believe that their own country is the best in the world…thereby providing MORE evidence about how many liberals feel; and that 39% don’t think that a massive influx of immigration won’t change America’s traditions…….
well…. that shows that the poll covered more liberals than general public. I don’t think that the general public is that slanted. For one thing…its the liberal Washington Post reporting a survey conducted by the liberal Pew Foundation.
I thought that survey was from the Pew Research Insitute or one close to it.
Cargo: You are like an anchored boat in a fast moving stream. I respect that.
Yes, cargo, under Obama, the economy has been sluggish, and has not had the robust recovery people would have expected in a traditional recession. To be fair, Obama did not get everything he wanted out of Congress, and has been stifled at every turn. Maybe more stimulus would have helped – we will never know.
What we do know, is that we (so far) have not had a double dip recession like many European countries have had, or had our country default like Iceland, or have our banks nationalized and wound down like what is happening in Cyprus. All the while, there was a financial crisis, housing crisis and a run on wall street. Pretty successful, if you ask me.
Now, we do have a mountain of debt that needs to be paid off – something that the R’s did not seem to mind at all until Obama was elected (Cheney said repeatedly, “Deficits do not matter”, and we do have to shore up SS, something that the R’s did nothing about during Bush II, although it was a hot debate topic in 2000. But go ahead, blame Obama for all that is wrong – that was the party line for 4 years, and it did not help them.
@Pat.Herve
I am blaming Obama for his policies. No..he did not get everything that he wanted…Thank God. More stimulus as envisioned by the Democrats would have been money to their supporters, just like the first one. Keynesian economics shows that transfer payments do worse than nothing in helping a recession. And his further plans, complicating business decisions keeps business from risking capital.
The Tea Party was formed because there was already a dissatisfied base unhappy with the GOP’s spending. THAT spending is part of why they lost the House. But you don’t fix Bush’s spendthrift ways with more spending. And even then, Bush’s deficits were no where near these.
You mention Iceland. THEY are recovering. Strongly.
We are still in a recession. And no…the “official numbers” don’t show that..but then they also state that inflation is at 1.9% and that employment is less than 8%. And we all know that isn’t reality.
Cargo: Now that I think about it…you are more like a leaking boat tied to a crumbling dock in a fast moving stream. Don’t believe everything you think!!
If you call nationalizing their private banks, defaulting on debt, increasing debt from 28% of GDP (2008) to 130% of GDP, going from surplus budgets to deficit budgets, having their credit rating dropped from A+ to BBB- – and Still under capital controls of the IMF a good thing, well then, I guess life is good. Although their unemployment rate has come down, the number of hours worked has also decreased – and has been stuck near the low of 2009 – not so good for those who lost their jobs. http://icelandicecon.blogspot.com/2012/07/unemployment-in-iceland.html
Yes, they have come back a long way, and are on track to have a successful economy, but it was not easy.
Conservatives have lost both the abortion and the gay marriage debates. But republican primary fights will bring them up during their nominating fights and beat each others’ heads senseless. The winner in swing states will then lose in the general to the democrat, as has happened in the last two elections. The repuican base will not let these issues go, to the democrats’ advantage.
Sadly, so many conservatives see these issues as black or white, right or wrong with no shades of gray. People like me see abortion, in particular, not as black or white but as conditional. As a pro-choice woman, I obviously see gestational age as an indicator. I have much more concern for a fetus whose gestational age is 7 months than I do a fertilized egg. Many who are anti choice see no difference between 30 weeks gestational age and 1 hour gestational age. I can’t relate to that.
Gay marriage? Gays aren’t hurting me if they marry. They make my marriage no better no worse. Its a civil rights issue.
I just watched a very disturbing program this week on HBO entitled American Winter. It is a documentary about families who have been shoved into poverty by unemployment. It was on a level that is hard to understand in NOVA. These people were basically middle class people, not part of generational poverty. It was heart-wrenching. Sadly, I guess these people would be part of the 47%. Most had a great deal of pride and didn’t want to be relying on social safety nets. Some had been without running water or electricity. food was a problem and many of the food pantries were empty.
Are those who are so willing to make abortion illegal willing to share their own wealth with those who have fallen on hard times? How about the generational poor. Mostly I have just heard the poor being spoken of as though they have had a lifetime of making poor choices. it is so effen easy to be judgemental.
@Pat.Herve
Apparently I read the wrong article. Never mind.
“Its a civil rights issue.” Gay marriage is a religious issue for many folks Moon. You can’t slip that under the rug.
Segregation was a religious issue with some folks. I have heard many a good old boy quote the Good Book in defense of segregation.
I don’t care if gay marriage is a religious issue or not. That simply doesn’t make it right. Why should one group of people be entitled to someothing others are not entitled to? (Especially one that has a fiancial gain such as marriage.)
If you are gay and believe that your God condemns gay marriage—don’t get married. If you are steadfastly against abortion no matter what the circumstances —don’t get an abortion. Simple!!
Totally agree. No one is forcing anyone else into a gay marriage or an abortion.
The GOP has firmly staked out positions that are in contradiction to how the majority of the American people feel, and they’re sticking to them. On gun control, women’s health issues, immigration, social security and medicare, voting rights, etc., they ignore the majority of Americans’ desires. Most people understand from their actions over the past 20 years that they really aren’t fiscally frugal- they just want to “starve” the programs they don’t like, no matter what the majority of Americans think.
Knowing all the above, I can’t imagine why polls show their popularity dropping…
I wonder if all those people will turn down their social security and medicare?