Yet another demonstration of the growing gulf between the remaining rational members of the GOP establishment and the delusional, spittle flecked GOP base is a new 97 page report euphemistically entitled "Growth and Opportunity Project" that was sponsored by the Republican National Committee. The report does a post mortem on the 2012 electoral disaster and outlines changes that are needed to allow the GOP to prosper and attract a wider range of voters. It goes without saying that the report (i) does not flat out recognize the Christofascist element of the GOP base for the toxic poison that it is and (ii) still tries to focus on "improved messaging" and better technology rather than admit the GOP's policies are the real root of the party's problems. It also goes without saying that some of the suggested means of attracting younger voters are anathema to the Christofascists who would rather stone LGBT Americans to death that cease demanding that the GOP cease its official anti-gay jihad. Metro Weekly looks at the report's release: Here are highlights:
In an expansive "autopsy" of the GOP, the Republican National Committee released a report today providing a path forward for the party, one that includes gay inclusion, following a series of defeats last November.
Titled the "Growth and Opportunity Project," the 97-page report specifically singles out the GOP's stance on gay-rights issues as being a key contributor to alienation among younger voters and one that must be addressed if national Republican candidates wish to win at the ballot box.
"For the GOP to appeal to younger voters, we do not have to agree on every issue, but we do need to make sure young people do not see the Party as totally intolerant of alternative points of view," the report states. "Already, there is a generational difference within the conservative movement about issues involving the treatment and the rights of gays — and for many younger voters, these issues are a gateway into whether the Party is a place they want to be."
"If our Party is not welcoming and inclusive, young people and increasingly other voters will continue to tune us out," the report continues, adding that disagreement over 20 percent of the issues should not mean the party cannot come together on the other issues. Polling has consistently shown nearly half of conservatives younger than 30 support marriage equality.
"The Republican Party needs to stop talking to itself. We have become expert in how to provide ideological reinforcement to like-minded people, but devastatingly we have lost the ability to be persuasive with, or welcoming to, those who do not agree with us on every issue," the report states.
Although the report makes no mention of marriage equality nor does it specifically argue for the adoption of a national position on LGBT rights, it does recommend campaigning within the gay community and "communities where Republicans do not normally go to listen and make our case."
The release of the report comes the same day Priebus spoke at the National Press Club in D.C. In a striking statement, Priebus volunteered the name of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who endorsed same-sex marriage last week after learning that his son is gay, when asked what "rising stars" in the party could help "rein in the anti-gay and anti-women sentiments."
"I think Sen. Portman made some pretty big inroads last week," Priebus said. "I think it's about being decent. I think it's about dignity and respect, that nobody deserves to have their dignity diminished, or people don't deserve to be disrespected."
Although Priebus would not say if the RNC supported Portman's position on marriage equality, he said it would not impact the committee's financial support of the Ohio senator.
The bottom line is that the GOP establishment a number of years ago welcomed the Bible beaters into the GOP for short term advantage. Now, the Christofascists are proving to be a metastasizing cancer that is killing the GOP's long term chances of survival. The big issue is how does the GOP establishment marginalize the lunatic base on policy issues yet keep the knuckle draggers going to the polls on election day. A piece in The Week looks at the GOP quandry. Here are excerpts:
Fundamentally, the Republican presidential primaries are not controlled by social liberals or social libertarians. They're controlled by evangelicals. The activist energy in the party, the energy that talk radio feeds on and then regurgitates for cud, is decidedly not ready to flip the switch on gay issues. (Rush? Mark Levin? Hannity?) The party platform won't be written by devotees on Jon Huntsman. The GOP cannot win the presidency without evangelicals voting heavily. There is no magic coalition for Republicans right now that does not place social conservatives at its core. That may change as the electoral cohort shifts, but we're a few presidential cycles away from that now.One thing that's certain: Being pro-gay and Republican won't incur a financial penalty. Almost every big donor in the party either actively or tacitly supports gay rights. The rest are libertarian and don't care. The identifiable social conservative rich folks are dwarfed.
Bryan Fischer at The American Family Association, a registered anti-gay hate group symbolizes the problem the GOP is faced with:
No comments:
Post a Comment