Friday, October 31, 2014
Rand Paul: The GOP's brand 'sucks'
Due to the increased party polarization, many voters are jumping ship from the Democrat and Republican Party's. The GOP seems to have picked up on this trend, and is now making strives to cater to more of the American voters. Hopefully, this will beigin the process to bringing these two party together.
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I don't think the Republican party will be able to pull this off that easily because they have to change themselves first. It will take a lot of time but I don't think they can just win over the votes by addressing unemployment and poverty. This would make them much closer to the Democratic party but I can't imagine the two parties ever working in harmony unless in a crisis. It definitely wouldn't hurt the Republicans to address these issues.
ReplyDeleteI do not necessarily believe that the Republican Party is on the wrong path, but I do believe that they need to alter their image and maybe even some of their values if they want to contend against and beat the Democrats. With the increasing number of minorities and immigrants in America, the Republicans need to become more friendly with these groups and cater to their interests in order to gain more votes. The age of family and moral values above everything has passed, and America is no longer dominated by white men. If the Republican Party wants to win, it needs to change.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Taryna. However, I do think that the Republican party may gain black votes if they actively pursue them. Rand Paul says in this article that the Republican party's biggest mistake was neglecting black voters. It may be naive to suggest but it was the Republican party that was anti-slavery and pro-civil rights so I don't think that African Americans would have any reason not to switch to the Republican party if it was catering to their needs at the same or a better rate than the Democratic party. Party loyalty is also weak in the Democratic party and strong in the Republican party. Low party loyalty definitely would not keep any members around if the other party was supporting the same causes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Raman, the issue lies in the fact that the Republican ideology has come to pass. The point is that they need to change. As the baby-boomers are dying there is not a new republican force to outmatch their loss. If the Republicans want to win they are going to have to attract to the needs of younger and poorer families. In truth, the Republican and Democratic party coming close to each other is bittersweet. It provides an opportunity for mutualistic adaption but also eliminates the idea of polarization which can mean heavily and researched items to fuel the government. I hope to see what the Republican can pull off.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Taryna, I don't think the GOP will be able to pull this off. There's a difference between talking about doing something and actually doing it. Although I would love to see the Democrats and Republicans come together on topics such as education and criminal justice reform. As well as efforts to address poverty and unemployment. I just do not see this happening. That being said, the move would be smart for the GOP because as Raman already stated, America is no longer dominated by white men and if the GOP wants to win they need to start by making the changes Rand Paul said.
ReplyDeleteA big selling point of the current Republican Party to voters who are not old white men is the growing libertarian streak within the party and its policies. Rand Paul is an outspoken figure of libertarianism within the GOP, and I feel he is right in regards to the GOP label sucking. Republicans need to start moving away from futilely denouncing issues like gay marriage and start putting their efforts in places like immigration reform that would have support in non-traditional supporters of the GOP. I believe the Republicans are moving in the right direction, albeit slowly. For instance, if Jeb Bush wins the Republican nomination for the 2016 Presidential Election, I am sure immigration will be a prominent issue. His stance on immigration will likely be approved by immigrant populations considering his wife is Mexican, thus giving him a personal connection to immigration concerns a stereotypical Republican candidate would not have.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that many of you agree with Kellen's statement that "the Republican ideology has come to pass" proves Rand Paul's point. The ideals of personal freedom, individual responsibility, private property, limited government, and moral clarity are by no means outdated. The fact of the matter is that for the better part of fifty years, the Republican establishment has failed to sell these values to the American people. During that time frame, the Democrats have been extremely effective in squelching conservative philosophy, using the media and pop culture to mislead people, convincing them that Republicans don't care about them. If, as Rand Paul suggests, Republicans would market their philosophy to blacks, waking them up to the fact that Democrats are responsible for places like Detroit, and have kept black families in poverty for four generations in the inner cities, nearly all of which have been controlled by Democrats for decades, they would fare much better in elections. The reason most people think that Republicans are the party of old, rich, white males is that the old, rich, white males who have dominated the party's leadership during the aforementioned time frame are politically inept. They personally do not understand how to connect with people of all backgrounds, so they have not pursued the minority vote to much extent. Therefore, people who are not old, rich, white men have bought into the Democrats' lie that conservatism only benefits old, rich, white men. When Republicans match a compelling messenger, such as Ronald Reagan, with an unbeatable message, they win 49 states (525 out of 538 possible electoral votes.)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Taryna and Dan. It is very was to talk about change but to actually do it will take a lot of work and time. I don't think that the Republican Party will be able to pull it off because there will be some to agree to change and others in the party who won't. As Raman said, the GOP is no longer dominated by white men so they have to change with the times and listen to Paul.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Taryna; I do not think the Republican party will be able to pull this off. The party would have to go through a major change to achieve this, which, as easy as it is to talk about, it is not as easy to do in reality. As Aileen said, the party would go through a lot of internal conflict with a change like this. At the end of the day, I think they would just remain the same.
ReplyDeletePersonally issues like these confuse me because people should be voting for what they believe in rather that the brand of the party they associate themselves with. Party polarization causes gridlock not only in government but also every day American life. Less emphasis should be placed on the party in question but instead on the issues at hand.
ReplyDeleteThe Republican Party has a reputation of being conservative, not only politically but also socially. As the country as a whole shifts to become more socially accepting i think the republicans must change their image to accept this more while remaining economically conservative. This will encourage black and women voters a reason to vote republican.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ethan. I believe that our concern over partisanship is taking precedent over policy. If the Democrats and Republicans become one in the same, at least it will facilitate cooperation in the government, cooperation being a word many elected officials seem to have dropped from their vocabulary. I'm not saying every law should pass and we should completely forget about partisanship, but we need change, and it needs to come from the government.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the comments above that in the current political state we are in, it seems near impossible for democrats and republicans to unite. I agree with Taryna that it won't hurt for the republicans to address these issues, but it won't change much. Just by talking about unemployment, you won't be able to stop the feuding between both parties. I think the republican effort is good though.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the Republicans need to change, and I don't think it will be easy for them. They are often associated with old white conservative men. This type of person once dominated politics, but the political atmosphere is beginning to change. A lot of the publicized Republican ideology seems backwards and harmful to many, beneficial to a few. Becoming more moderate on social issues and putting emphasis on economical issues would, I think, help the party.
ReplyDeleteThe country and demographic of people have changed drastically in the last couple years. The republicans no longer appeal to as many people as they did say 50 years ago. They need to become less conservitve and more progressive. Today people want change and the only way they will start getting more votes and support is if they become more progressive.
ReplyDelete