(02-26-2010 06:58 AM)Dak10 Wrote:  

(02-26-2010 06:28 AM)THE NC Herd Fan Wrote:  If this were ahead of the 2000 election and he were 10 years younger he might be the Republican frontrunner. I think the Bob Dole and John McCain experience should send a signal to the Republicans. NO MORE OLD GUYS!!!

So you're saying Rand will be a future President?
I don't think it's the outer shell that is causing them to lose elections. It's the platform that's costing them.

Oh, I think it's definitely the outer shell.

I think the same thing applies to our politics as one of my Brit friends says applies to theirs--Labor (democrats) have the more attractive candidates, Tories (republicans) have the better ideas. Only right now, the republicans don't seem well able to articulate their ideas. So they lose that advantage, except the democrats are starting to lose support because people REALLY don't like their ideas.

If an election turns into a personality contest, the democrat will win. See Obama, Barack Hussein.
If it's a contest of ideas, the republican will win. See Brown, Scott Philip.

That's why Newt's contract worked, and abandoning those ideas is why republicans have sucked at running the country--and ultimately were voted out of power.

(02-26-2010 11:32 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  That's why Newt's contract worked, and abandoning those ideas is why republicans have sucked at running the country--and ultimately were voted out of power.

Can we please not hold the contract with America up *that* high? It was littered with values voter crap.

(02-26-2010 12:35 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(02-26-2010 11:32 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  That's why Newt's contract worked, and abandoning those ideas is why republicans have sucked at running the country--and ultimately were voted out of power.

Can we please not hold the contract with America up *that* high? It was littered with values voter crap.

I agree, and rereading it recently I was struck with two things:

1. Just how much values voter crap was in there, and
2. Just how little of it actually got done.

Along with the value voters stuff, it also had a lot of good ideas, most of which were never acted upon. To some degree, they sorta became obsessed with the social values stuff and forgot about the good ideas. See Lewinsky, Monica Samille.

It was a far better platform for republicans to run on than trying to beat Obama in a popularity contest. The only problem I see is that if they ran on something like that and won, this time they'd actually have to do it--or lose all credibility forever.

(02-26-2010 11:32 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(02-26-2010 06:58 AM)Dak10 Wrote:  

(02-26-2010 06:28 AM)THE NC Herd Fan Wrote:  If this were ahead of the 2000 election and he were 10 years younger he might be the Republican frontrunner. I think the Bob Dole and John McCain experience should send a signal to the Republicans. NO MORE OLD GUYS!!!

So you're saying Rand will be a future President?
I don't think it's the outer shell that is causing them to lose elections. It's the platform that's costing them.

Oh, I think it's definitely the outer shell.

I think the same thing applies to our politics as one of my Brit friends says applies to theirs--Labor (democrats) have the more attractive candidates, Tories (republicans) have the better ideas. Only right now, the republicans don't seem well able to articulate their ideas. So they lose that advantage, except the democrats are starting to lose support because people REALLY don't like their ideas.

If an election turns into a personality contest, the democrat will win. See Obama, Barack Hussein.
If it's a contest of ideas, the republican will win. See Brown, Scott Philip.

You don't think Bush won the 2000 personality contest? Cyborg Gore vs. "a guy you'd like to have a beer with."

I hope, with the last 2 presidents, we've learned that personality does not = ability to run a nation.