Election Day November 4, 2008
Posted by Chairman Mike Duncan in Uncategorized.Tags: chairman mike duncan, rnc
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Happy Election Day! I woke up this morning and turned the next page on my calendar (see photo below). I am excited to see this day here – so many volunteers and staffers have worked tirelessly on behalf of Senator McCain and the entire Republican ticket. I urge you to vote and take friends and neighbors with you. Today we are going to elect John McCain and Sarah Palin to the White House!
I need to add that Sarah Palin should be held on to and prepared for the next election. That was the only smart choice made by McCain
Good evening. I appreciate the work that you and many others have invested in the recent campaign. Unfortunately, we were all disappointed. While I disagree with Obama’s position on virtually every issue, perhaps there is one I can take to heart. That would be the idea of ‘change’. However, I would suggest that the recent changes in the GOP are the reason for the results of the current election. Our party moved too far center, and even left of center on some issues. I am not a right-wing nut case. But seriously, is there any question that conservatives were less-than-thrilled with our candidates positions on key issues? How’s that ‘reaching across the aisle’ strategy working for the party these days? We will not win as long as we think we have to move left. Let’s get back to the basics of conservatism. Let’s create a way to get the voice of the people back into the party. Most of us are ‘working families’ in the ‘middle class’. How did the Dems steal that position from us? The fact that I’m the first to comment here makes me wonder……..
Our Party had better wake and realize it is not 1980 anymore!!
We used to stand for conservative values, and conservative fiscal values. We are losing the young voters because all they see is the same “old” guys running the party. I know a lot of conservatives voted
for Obama just to send a message that Bush was horrible, and McCain although a very decent man, never had a new idea.
Forget about bashing liberals, you will never change them, think about giving people a reason to vote for the party, not why they should vote against liberal. Learn from Obama, he learned from us.
We came so close, but shame on the rep party for not bring it all the way home. There is no place for gentleman politics. No where did I see add pointing out that the democratic candidate might not even legally be running. No where did I see adds pointing out that he is a socialist may be even tending to be a communist. Nor that he and for sure his wife is racsist. No where did you go after him on his gun control beliefs. I have met many people who were pro gun and had no idea that Obama was anti gun and this would influence their vote. The party and the NRA did a poor job of education. We as a party dropped the ball when therse issues may have been enough to push McCain over the victory edge. Shame on the party. Now we truely will be facing dark times with higher taxes weapons ban and generalized economic downfall worse than it may have been with McCain. Also, no mention that Obama bought the election with huge amounts of soft money. The people should have been better informed about these issues. It would have been the difference. Shame on our party. I would like to get involved in the Republican Party but we need better focus and resolve. Somtimes you can’t take the high road. If your opponent get down and dirty you have to roll up your sleeves and get down and dirty too.
Yesterday was a very sad day in history for Republicans! But today is a new day and somebody in the RNC had better be bringing in the big guns, reviewin the whole debacle of what just happened and start preparing for 2 years from now!! Forget about getting mad…just get BUSY!!
We need leadership, positive reasons for the young, for the miniorities and a vision for this country. Find a different way to connect…make use of ALL resources..not what worked for Reagan, but what works now!! It’s a new season, and it’s time for a NEW Republican platform!
Mr. Duncan – the loss is truly disappointing, but not unexpected. Certainly the Republican Party needs to regroup and reevaluate what’s important to them.
I still can’t understand why the RNC does not file their own suit against an unconstitutional President-elect. Senator Obama cannot deliver a valid Birth Certificate, demonstrating that he is a natural born citizen. What we are witnessing is a constitutional crisis. He is snubbing his nose at the law and the constitution.
The RNC needs to defend and enforce the constitution. Obama has misrepresented himself to the American people, and it needs to be addressed.
The loss of the election provides clear evidence of what most republicans have been stating for years but presumptuously ignored by the republican leadership: (1) republican incumbents have totaly failed to administer the affairs of the economy, security, energy and state and to provide proper council and correction to a failing Bush Presidency. We screamed from the housetops and received from our representatives impotent form letter responses alienating the core of the party (2) The McCain nomination demonstrated a total void of leadership in a party who could provide nothing more than a recycled candidate which we rejected years ago. The Palin decision was ludicrous from inception. We all pretended to support a ticket none wanted in the first place. Yet the republican party continue to play the “kings new clothes” and cram the idea though the process. Simply the Republican Party leadership is out of touch and devoid of solutions. (3) What we see in this Party is folks like Newt, smart, articulate but who are always on the sidelines (appearently),finding it safer and more profitable to be an after the fact, counterpunching political commentator rather than arising to the responsibility of leadership as did those great founders of liberty he quotes so elequently. We have nothing for which to complain, much to regret and a bitter pill to swallow
Personally, I think the key to victory (or at least a less embarassing loss) is LESS “conservativism” (at least in the way the party has drifted from Reagan’s mantra that “the heart of conservativism is libertarianism” since the 1980s) and more embracing of moderate, pragmatic themes to respond to the demands of a very pragmatic nation. I respectfully disagree that Palin was the best choice for Senator McCain, much less a particularly good choice– but that’s Monday-morning quarterbacking, and is far from the GOPs only “revival” issue. All this talk about “liberals”– it worked briefly in the 80s and part of the 90s, but I ask each and every Republican out there to look at the electoral map… count the votes… and then ask yourself if you REALLY believe the Obama electoral coalition was all “liberals” or “voters tricked by liberals.” If that’s what you’re thinking, YOU remain part of the central problem of this party. The American public has moved beyond such anti-intellectual and patently simplistic labeling, and until the GOP does so as well, we run the risk of going the way of the Whigs.
John McCain is as fine and distinguished an American… much less a major party candidate for President… as this party has produced in many years. My fear is that, in trying to use 1960s campaign tactics and oversimplified appeals that assumed a “dumbed-down public,” we did him and the party a great disservice by refusing to give him his own voice, style and full appeal to moderates and independents. And for that, we should be downright apologetic to him.
It seems to me that we were sent a serious message last night that we need to think about. The country is not on board with our party anymore, because our party has forgotten its roots. We need to restore the Republican Party image to one trenched in state powers and people’s rights without federal interference. We need to show that the amazing amount of spending that has occurred is not something our party believes in. It’s shocking, but we look more liberal then the Democrats when it comes to spending now. Plus, we look like we are no longer interested in protecting people’s privacy and freedoms for various reasons.
I truly hope that the party itself steps up and looks a how far we have strayed and how we too need a big dose of change in our ranks. It’s time to place people in power who believe in more than earmarks and personal prosperity for the elected officials alone. I, as a lifelong Republican, desperately hope to see something change. Honestly, we as a party (not McCain) deserved to lose this time around, because we appear to be lost as a whole. The country has put us in check and now we need to rebound.
We do not need less conservatism in the Republican party, we need more of it. There was a time when Conservatism and Republican meant one in the same. This is, tragically, no more. This party abandoned its principles. The days of Reagan and the 1994 Republican Revolution are over. We have become the thing we have long detested- spenders. Our representatives went to Washington and went hog wild, like new freshman on a college campus. Its time to grow up and re-embrace the principles that define us!
It is time for this party and it’s leadership to “grow a pair”! The leadership of this party lets the opposition party smear us with lies and fear and has no response. At least no response that is worthy. Take the gloves off! Hit liberalism where it hurts- with the truth! This party should not back down from its principles, its morals, and its platform, nor should we apologize for it. The Dems are successful because they stay on message. Their message is full of lies and half-truths, but when it is repeated over and over with no response, there lies take root.
Ronald Reagan is turning over in his grave at the sight of what his party has become.
I was asked on November 3rd what I thought the 4th would hold? I replied it is already in stone, the voting just makes it official. The RNC was supposed to represent the conservative nature of America so we went a little left in the spirit of compromise, then more, then more. The RNC missed an opportunity to gather the young voters. The RNC chose John McCain who is a great man but one whom the young folks can not relate to. To John’s credit he chose a vice president who could connect with the young. If the RNC is going to make a come back in 2008 they need to learn this lesson well. If you can not capture the young you will not capture the future.
Yesterday is a wake up call for our party leaders. The world around us is changing whether we like it or not. Our strategies that worked ten or twenty years ago might need a major overhaul.
We need leaders who can reach to different kind of audience to promote conservative values. Sarah Palin should be an indicator that our party needs a new breed of leaders.
Let’s take over the House and Senate… It’s just way too much Democrats in one town!
God Bless Us All..
My fear is how do we keep vote fraud and Dems for stealing an Election in 20012?. I also agree that We are losing the young voters because all they see is the same “old” guys running the party. We need to connect with young and Miniorities.
The American people rejected “reaching across the isle” in this election. Republicans have spent the better part of the last 15 years trying to get along and bending over backward for the left. It’s time we figure out where our roots are and stop being shy about true conservative ideals! We need to get going now to find young, true conservatives to win seats in 2010.