In the last Presidential Election we saw Mitt Romney consistently branded as being out of touch with the average citizen. It was not just the former Governor of Massachusetts who struggled in the race, it appeared that the Republican Party as a whole were not only battling Obama and the Democratic Party, but with themselves and their image.
It is safe to say that the last election ended as a nightmare for the GOP, as it was Barack Obama who came out on top.
It is ever more apparent that there is a stigma shrouding Republicans. Jeb Bush said it best when he proposed that Republicans are becoming more known for what they’re against, rather than what they stand for; anti-gay, anti-women, anti-abortion, etc.
The split between the Tea Partiers and the more moderate Republicans is also hurting the GOP severely. The separation within the party limits Republican functionality. A seeming Party within a Party can potentially weaken the image of solidarity from an outsiders perspective.
Government seems to be in an age where it is very difficult to get anything done. This is due to the fact that the system is designed as a bipartisanship. The key to success in this form of government ought to be compromise. The problem is that on one side there is a Party that for the most part is unwilling to compromise. Republicans in the House seem more focused on detouring Obama’s plans, instead of trying to find the common ground that the President seeks. This is why the country is unable to move forward in politics. This is not only detrimental to the Democratic Party but to the nation as well. The citizens are the ones who will feel the affects of this stand still.
At an event in Chicago Wednesday night Barack Obama stated,
“For me to govern effectively over the next three, three and a half years, part of my task is to constantly, continually reach out to the other side to try to find common ground…If day in, day out, what we confront is obstructionism for the sake of obstructionism and what appears to be an interest only in scoring political points or placating a base … then we’ve got to figure out a way to work around that.”
Rhode Island Governor, Lincoln Chafee, changed his registration Thursday morning to become a member of the Democratic Party. He left the GOP in 2007, perhaps he escaped what he thought was a sinking ship.
If Chafee’s shift of allegiance wasn’t enough to stir Republicans, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has lit up headlines by announcing she will not be running for re-election for a fifth term.
In an interview this past Sunday on Fox News Sunday, former Republican Senator Bob Dole expressed his displeasure and worry for the GOP. Dole discussed the major differences between the Party of his day and present day;
“It seems to be almost unreal that we can’t get together on a budget or legislation, I mean, we weren’t perfect by a long shot, but at least we got our work done.”
Dole believes that previous generations of the GOP were able to set aside their differences with the Democratic Party and get things accomplished, thus having both sides recognizing common ground and compromise as key.
Former Senate majority leader went on to say that he did not believe Republicans, like himself and Ronald Reagan, would able to survive in the current GOP climate.
It has not been all doom and gloom for the Republican Party though. In 2011 they were able to regain control of the House Of Representatives. There are also some viable candidates for the 2016 Presidential Election. Most notably Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Condoleezza Rice, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz.
Unfortunately it is the Republican controlled House that has put the Government in a stalemate. President Barack Obama is pushing for a Democratic take back of the House of Representatives in 2014 (though this is an optimistic scenario). In the mean time it is up to members of the GOP to turn their Party around if they want any shot at 2016, and bring back the image of solidarity, God, country, and liberty to the Grand Old Party.
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