Post by samso116 on Dec 4, 2012 22:22:12 GMT -5
Sam Sokolin
3/5/12
English 3: Honors
Cheddar
The Grand (Really) Old Party
For as long as it has existed, the Republican Party has been based on principles of free market, free labor, free land, and most importantly, free men. Yet today it finds itself in a demographic dilemma as the electorate is becoming less white, less Christian, and less rural – in short, less traditionally Republican. For five of the past six elections the GOP has lost the popular vote, and the gap is only widening. Yet purists are still determined to uphold an outdated agenda that, in its essence, denies reality and does not address the changing American populace. It is this overwhelming consensus within the Republican Party, not policy, that lost Mitt Romney the election.
By putting too much focus on idealistic dogmatism over true fiscal conservatism, the GOP created a campaign geared toward the America of 25 years ago, rather than the one that exists today. In fact, pre-electoral polls suggested that Obama was on track to receive over 90 percent of black votes as well as more than two-thirds of the increasingly important Latino vote. These problems were compounded by Republican stalwarts like Richard Murdock and Todd Akin, whose rant on abortion crippled the GOP’s chances during the election. Undoubtedly, the goal of the Romney Campaign was to underline the failings of the Obama administration and propose a way forward to the American public. However, the GOP’s failure to address crucial demographic changes in the US allowed Obama to take the offensive for much of the presidential race, highlighting the stubborn nature of the Republican Party. Where everything made so much sense from the inside looking out, all of a sudden from the outside looking in the GOP looked backwards and unrepresentative of the American people. Mitt Romney, an extremely successful financier and investor, was turned into an aristocrat with no sense of “the 47 percent”. Yet after investing over one billion dollars into the Romney Campaign, Republican supporters were left dumbfounded, as President Obama walked away with a comfortable victory. As it stands, there is going to be a civil war within the GOP. The consensus is crumbling, but the great question of the day is if a new one will replace it.
As proven by the post-mortem of the Romney Campaign, the Republican Party simply cannot revert back to its old policies and beliefs. America is not what it was 50 years ago and nor should the Republican Party be. The central issues of the campaign cannot be abortion, gay marriage, and voting rights because that is a battle that the GOP can never win. With the 2016 electorate set to be similar to the one this year, albeit even more diverse and challenging for the Republican Party, the GOP simply cannot afford to possess the rigid homogeneity that has dominated the party for decades. If the Republican Party is to survive in this political economy, then emerging characters like Marco Rubio and Bobby Jindal are going to have to bridge the gap between the GOP and the people.
Word Count: 499
Works Consulted:
Grunwald, Michael. "Why the GOP Will Double Down on a Losing Strategy." Time 19 Nov. 2012: 112+. Print.
Murphy, Mike. "Can This Party Be Saved." Time 10 Dec. 2012: 26. Print.
Time. "2016: Let's Get the Party Started." Time 19 Nov. 2012: 118-31. Print.
3/5/12
English 3: Honors
Cheddar
The Grand (Really) Old Party
For as long as it has existed, the Republican Party has been based on principles of free market, free labor, free land, and most importantly, free men. Yet today it finds itself in a demographic dilemma as the electorate is becoming less white, less Christian, and less rural – in short, less traditionally Republican. For five of the past six elections the GOP has lost the popular vote, and the gap is only widening. Yet purists are still determined to uphold an outdated agenda that, in its essence, denies reality and does not address the changing American populace. It is this overwhelming consensus within the Republican Party, not policy, that lost Mitt Romney the election.
By putting too much focus on idealistic dogmatism over true fiscal conservatism, the GOP created a campaign geared toward the America of 25 years ago, rather than the one that exists today. In fact, pre-electoral polls suggested that Obama was on track to receive over 90 percent of black votes as well as more than two-thirds of the increasingly important Latino vote. These problems were compounded by Republican stalwarts like Richard Murdock and Todd Akin, whose rant on abortion crippled the GOP’s chances during the election. Undoubtedly, the goal of the Romney Campaign was to underline the failings of the Obama administration and propose a way forward to the American public. However, the GOP’s failure to address crucial demographic changes in the US allowed Obama to take the offensive for much of the presidential race, highlighting the stubborn nature of the Republican Party. Where everything made so much sense from the inside looking out, all of a sudden from the outside looking in the GOP looked backwards and unrepresentative of the American people. Mitt Romney, an extremely successful financier and investor, was turned into an aristocrat with no sense of “the 47 percent”. Yet after investing over one billion dollars into the Romney Campaign, Republican supporters were left dumbfounded, as President Obama walked away with a comfortable victory. As it stands, there is going to be a civil war within the GOP. The consensus is crumbling, but the great question of the day is if a new one will replace it.
As proven by the post-mortem of the Romney Campaign, the Republican Party simply cannot revert back to its old policies and beliefs. America is not what it was 50 years ago and nor should the Republican Party be. The central issues of the campaign cannot be abortion, gay marriage, and voting rights because that is a battle that the GOP can never win. With the 2016 electorate set to be similar to the one this year, albeit even more diverse and challenging for the Republican Party, the GOP simply cannot afford to possess the rigid homogeneity that has dominated the party for decades. If the Republican Party is to survive in this political economy, then emerging characters like Marco Rubio and Bobby Jindal are going to have to bridge the gap between the GOP and the people.
Word Count: 499
Works Consulted:
Grunwald, Michael. "Why the GOP Will Double Down on a Losing Strategy." Time 19 Nov. 2012: 112+. Print.
Murphy, Mike. "Can This Party Be Saved." Time 10 Dec. 2012: 26. Print.
Time. "2016: Let's Get the Party Started." Time 19 Nov. 2012: 118-31. Print.