Today I start my series on all of the myths and facts circulating the internet on why the GOP lost this election. These topics could be anything from direct reasons why we lost, reasons why we didn’t loose, and anything that stems from out loss. So, let’s jump right into it.
Republican Loss Myth #1 – “This was a just referendum against President Bush, and the GOP will be fine after this election.”
This statement is part fact and myth.
This election was widely geared towards President Bush. Both John McCain and Barack Obama campaigned against Bush. With the President’s current approval rating at 27%, many Americans are obviously tired of the Bush administration and believed that electing John McCain would be more of the same. This idea is spread around many liberal blogs and publications, and it’s pretty accurate to say that this was in fact a referendum against our current President.
The part of this statement that is false would be that, “the GOP is going to fine after this election.” This is a huge misstatement. Now I’m not saying that there is nothing we can do to win in the next election cycle. What I am saying is that we cannot keep thinking that there is nothing wrong with the current state of the party. Although this election was a referendum against President Bush, there is no doubt that we cannot allow the Democrats to capitalize on this momentum going forward. Bush may be out of the picture for the 2010 and 2012 elections that we are so anxiously trying to prepare ourselves for, but we cannot allow the Democrats to gain even more momentum by telling ourselves that our party is ‘fine’.
Hypothetically speaking, let’s say not much changes as far as the balance of power in Washington during the 2010 election season. Let’s also hypothetically say that people are happy with the state of the Nation, and Obama wins a second term in 2012. It no longer becomes of an issue of, “We lost because of President Bush’s approval rating.” The Democrats will be able to gain a huge amount of momentum and support moving into the next election seasons if they’re able to keep the public happy while they control Washington. The view of Republicans will no longer be negative, but will be neutral. And the view of Democrats will then change to positive. Remember, although historically the incumbent party after a Presidential victory typically loses seats in the legislature, there have been two exceptions, and one was in 2002 after President Bush won his first term. I would not be surprised to see no gains in the legislature if things stay the same and we do not start finding some serious solutions for the party.
We all want to pick one reason why the GOP lost so big this year and say, “That was the problem. See! We’ll be fine next time around.” I believe the issues and damage to the GOP go much deeper than that. If we allow ourselves to be blinded by problems of the past, our party cannot move forward like we need to. Politics is an ever changing game. If we do not look towards the future, we are sure to fail as a party.
Last 5 posts by James Clarkson
- A Few (New?) Thoughts - March 31st, 2009
- How to not be 'closed-minded' - December 31st, 2008
- Republican Loss Myth #2 - November 13th, 2008
- Young Voter Turnout in Colorado - November 4th, 2008
- Going Forward Post-Election In 2008 - November 3rd, 2008
I agree. The GOP is not fine. In Pennsylvania, when Jack Murtha can win an election after calling his constituents “Racists” and “Rednecks” by a vote of 60-40, against a career military officer that had a great campaign, you know something is wrong. Their are Young Republicans rising up the ranks, getting elected in places where no one ever thought they could. They are being elected to city councils and state legislatures. These people are the future of the party. The older members of the party have started to stray too far from our core beliefs and are not able to move into the 21st century.
To win any elections, you’re going to need newer Republicans that the people will think of as new and not just link them to the same Republican stereotypes.
I believe that this was only partly a referendum against Bush. In 2004 Republicans gained control of both houses in Congress because we promised less government, lower taxes, a balanced budget, and we promoted accountability and responsibility. While taxes were lowered, the rest of the “contract with America” was broken. We (in general) didn’t keep our word so the people let us know that wasn’t acceptable with their vote. They want actions not words. Most Americans still believe in these values despite the outcome of the elections. It is up to us to not just promote them and “talk the talk” but to actually do what we say and “walk the walk”. This is what I hear often from the left to the right.