Unbiased Political News
After Mitt Romney was whipped into submission by President Obama in the 2012 general election, the Republican Party vowed (for the millionth time) to reinvent itself for next time, so that it could be bigger and better. They promised to make a concerted effort to attract women and to be more inclusive and sensitive to the needs of African-American and Hispanic voters. What a joke!
Since that 2012 election, the GOP is no better and no different than before. They still have a perception problem. They still appear to be the party for rich, white, old men. They are still a magnet for homophobic, gun-totting, right-wing, ultra Christian conservative racists. They’re still headquartered at Fox News and it’s “pretend to be unbiased” network that is really just a puppet for the party. That may appeal to the south or a few under populated states in the west, but it won’t win national elections.
Recently, former Republican senator and presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty acknowledged that the party needs to do much more to broaden its appeal to women, young people and minorities. “The Republican Party, I think, is going to need newer leadership, more dynamic leadership and leadership that’s genuinely interested in earning the support of those groups and has policies and the ability to go out and market and earn the support of those groups,” Pawlenty said. Now, RNC Chairman Reince Preibus is also chiming in.
Unbiased Political News
On Friday at the RNC’s annual winter meeting, Preibus put a positive spin (for the millionth time) on the GOP’s supposed outreach plans. He announced that the RNC is deploying more field workers in Hispanic and black neighborhoods, overhauling its technology to track voters and moving the RNC convention up to June so as to streamline its presidential nominating process.
“We’re getting to know communities where we hadn’t been for a long time and we’re talking to people who hadn’t heard from us for too long. That’s how you grow a party,” Priebus said. “Now, the truth is, this work is never done. It’s a permanent operation. That’s the new normal. To win, it has to be this way.”
Preibus added: “I’ve said many times before that the policies and principles of our party are sound. However as we look to grow the ranks of our party, we must all be very conscious of the tone and choice of words we use to communicate those policies effectively.” Or in other words, “Hey, fellow Republicans…stop opening your mouth and saying what you REALLY mean. Just tell people what they want to hear and we’ll be OK as a party!”
The Republican Party’s issues are much larger than just a simple perception problem. Or to put it another way, they can put lipstick on a pig, but at the core it’s still a pig. The GOP can “pretend” to be more open to women and minorities, but until they walk the walk instead of talk the talk, they will remain a non-factor in national elections.
Let’s face facts: the GOP doesn’t just look like they’re a party of old, white, homophobic, racist males…that is REALLY what a huge chunk of the party is actually made of. The other huge chunk is the Tea Party wing with an agenda that is so radical, even the old guard can’t control them. So, putting lipstick on this pig won’t really change much.
The GOP may need to wait several years for the “older” generation of the party to die off and for a younger and more progressive generation to attempt to implement a new way of doing things. But until then, the GOP = The Same Ol’ Party!
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