After an election, the losing party has an amazing opportunity to restructure and refocus. The ability to change the direction of their party to increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome the next presidential race. GOP, you now have the opportunity to balance fiscal conservatism with progressive social policies to appeal to today’s average voter.
It wasn’t just Obama who won on Tuesday either. Democrats had a strong showing across the country. Two senatorial races in Indiana and Missouri ended up being sound defeats for Republicans even though they were pulling ahead up to that point. What caused their ultimate defeat? What the voters saw as extreme stances on abortion, rape and incest.
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Statements like these and Stephen’s King’s call for citizenship checks turn off entire segments of the population like hispanics — the largest voting bloc this election.
Rather than rallying the party around divisive hardline social issues, why not take a note from Joe Biden (a lifelong Catholic) in the second debate and divorce the political decisions the party pursues from the faith and beliefs of its members.
Obama was able to defeat Romney even though a vast majority of the American population regularly indicated in polls that voters would choose the Republican nominee every time if it was only a question of fiscal policy.
What defeated the GOP, then, was their stances on social issues.
Now is the opportunity to rethink the direction of the Republican party, extend the tent to accommodate more demographics with a message that more of the population can get behind. Fiscal responsibility, state’s rights and social toleration should be the future message of the GOP, a message that will reach further than merely the older, white, religious demographic.