(01-14-2021 10:11 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Republicans are basically where they were in 1993. Democrats control senate, HOR, and White House after defeating a one-team republican president. Differences I see are, 1) democrat margins are a lot slimmer this time, but 2) the democrat agenda is a lot more extreme than it was then.

So what did republicans do then? Newt took various issue positions and tested them with the public through polling and focus groups and put the ones that resonated into the Contract. Then he told every republican candidate to read off the same sheet of music and stay focused. As a result, they won their biggest electoral victory ever in 1994.

All is not lost. Republicans have several things going for them. One, if democrats overreach like they did with health care in 1993, and try to pass too many of their extreme tax and economic policies, they're going to get a lot of blowback. Two, when those policies fail miserably, republicans will have a huge opportunity. Three, democrats are currently overreaching on impeachment, and if republicans play it right, they can make democrats look like banana republic vindictiveness.

That's actually a lot to build on. But republicans need a message, and right now they have none. That's what Newt gave them in 1993, and somebody needs to do it now. Maybe they need to bring Newt out of retirement. I can't see McConnell or McCarthy or anyone else doing it. But let's look at some key issues;

Health Care: Democrats-Obamacare leading to single payer; Republicans-nothing
Taxes: Democrats-tax the rich and corporations; Republicans-nothing
2nd Amendment: Democrats-strict gun controls; Republicans-nothing
Defense: Democrats-cut defense spending past the bone; Republicans-nothing
Immigration: Democrats-open borders; Republicans-Trump's wall, but nothing more

If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything. That's where republicans are. I think a big part is that their leadership is too timid and, at least with Trump, too divided. Trump is not a conservative or a republican, he is a populist. Trump made significant inroads with blue-collar workers and people of color. The republicans' challenge is to keep those gains and bring back the RINOs who deserted.

Republicans have to make elections about issues. They can't win on personalities, in no small part because the MSM will persist in painting republicans in te worst possible light ad democrats in the best possible light. 2020 was about hating Donald Trump, no issues, nothing else. If republicans had succeeded in making it about issues, I think they could have won. But they didn't.

If republicans can put together a coherent Contract II and keep everybody on message, they can repeat 1994. If they muddle along the way they have for 20 years, the won't.

You're wrong on 4 of those. Health care, yes, there is nothing. It cost them the House in 2018 and they still didn't come up with anything.

I think the secret is that the majority of Republicans think health care is ok and don't want changes.

But who is the Newt? Do we have a thinker? I don't see anyone in the House. Cruz in the Senate is smart enough, but he's too much of a political animal.