National Press Club November 5, 2008
Posted by Chairman Mike Duncan in Uncategorized.Tags: chairman mike duncan, rnc
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Earlier this afternoon, I participated in the National Press Club’s Luncheon which featured both DNC Chair Howard Dean and myself. We both gave remarks regarding the outcome of the election and took questions from both press and attending guests.
I spoke on how America has finally realized a vision of a color-blind society that was first inspired the Republican Party into being on the eve of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. I noted that our vice-presidential nominee – Sarah Palin – received more votes than any woman in American history. In all, with Barack Obama’s promises to cut taxes, merit pay for public school teachers, and renewed offshore drilling, I would say he simply ran the most successful moderate Republican presidential campaign since Dwight Eisenhower.
In reflection, what has changed since 2004 is not the national philosophy, but the national mood. President-elect Obama leads a center-left party, but he must now govern a center-right nation.
I’d just like to say THANK YOU SARAH PALIN !!!!
I’d like to encourage her to run in 2012. She’s an inspiration to all Republicans. A “pit-bull with lipstick” and no doubt she’s a great mother and wife. What an inspiration to all Americans.
It was my honor to vote for her and Senator McCain in 2008 and I will be happy to work for her presidential campaign in 2012.
Please convey my best respects to Sarah and her husband.
I would just like to comment as to why the Republicans have been loosing now for the past 8 years. They have failed to identify a changing face of America. They continue to hold onto their “base” or religious right-wing America which is a shrinking percentage of Americans. As a Christian, and a Republican…I found myself voting for Barack Obama this time around because I am personally disgusted with how right the Republicans have gone. They wouldn’t even let John McCain be John McCain!! Instead, they pandered to their “base” in choosing Sarah Palin who was clearly not ready to be President and made John reverse some of his moderate views to be more conservative. This is what lost them the election. If he was allowed to be himself, choose a running mate that was moderte and appealed to more latin voters, moderate-centerists like myself, I would have voted for him. Also, the Republican party has become hypocrites with their “smaller government, less spending, less regulation” banner (which by the way I agree with 100%) but in the past 8 years they threw away the biggest surpluss we’ve ever had, increased government the most it’s ever been, and has lessened oversight on big business (which is fine), but has cracked down on personal civil liberties like free speech (increase in FCC fines), trying to overturn Roe V. Wade, trying to pass a constitutional ammendment to keep gays from marrying. Why are the Republicans so hell bent in telling someone how they should live thier life? Isn’t the role of the Republicans to be LESS oversight and control? Total hypocrites who are trying to pander to the Christian conservatives. Here’s a newsflash for the Republican party. GO CENTER!! The right wing will still vote Republican…because who else will they vote for? But you’ll pick up more independant and center voters.
November 4th 2008 United States of America citizens (and some illegal residents) participated in our unique process of the peaceful transfer of power in the government. I am grateful to live (and have defended for the past 21 years) a nation that does this every two and four years. It is one of the main reasons we have been and will remain the greatest nation on earth. The campaign process is a fight out among the candidates. It is supposed to be their primary effort to win the hearts and minds of the people of the United States. Since 1789 we have had this great experiment of a government that is by, for and of The People.
This election year has saddened me though. It was election for the hearts and not the minds of the people. A majority of Citizens of every race, color, creed voted not based upon rational thought but upon emotions. Whether it was pride in the first African-American candidate, or past slavery guilt for the first major party African-American candidate in our nation’s history, it was most definitely not by logic.
I was watching the television last night and exit polls showed that 71% of voters believed that President-elect Obama would raise their taxes, and a significantly lower percentage believed that Senator McCain would raise their taxes. That, coupled with the exit poll data that showed the Economy was the number 1 issue on voters’ minds are incongruous. History has proven that raising taxes in an economy such as the one we have today will only worsen matters. The two stances do not go hand in hand. That demonstrates that our President-elect was voted into office based upon pride among those of the same ethnic background and Caucasian guilt over slavery as the major contributing factors. No ifs, ands, or buts’ about it. Most people forget that our nation, our Republic, this great experiment in self-government, almost perished in the war fought to end slavery. Most citizens of this great country do not recognize the fact that Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines serving under the flag of the United States of America died ending slavery over 140 years ago. There is should be no quilt owed to anybody, but maybe there should be a debt of gratitude?
Another item that hard working, tax paying citizens across the fruited plain should be made aware of. If you look at the county by county electoral map of the 2008 election, something should jump right off the page at you. That is the fact that the President-elect won every major urban center and New England. Data will show that the voting populations in these areas are those that receive the most government aid. Not the self-starters, hard-working, independent minded people that reflect the views and values this great nation was founded upon. Little government, no taxation without representation, self reliance are the values our Founding Fathers held.
What tax paying citizens of the United States of America should wake up and realize we are facing almost the exact same circumstances we faced at the birth of our nation. There is, by way of apathy mostly, very little representation for the majority of tax payers because those people that actually pay taxes in this country have become a minority whose concerns are not taken seriously by our elected representatives. These elected representatives are using the revenue paid into the U.S. Treasury by tax payers to “purchase” the votes of those people who do not pay taxes. This is a slippery slope down which all Americans should fear treading. That slippery slope is one that ended mankind’s first great experimentation into Democracy, ancient Greece.
It turns out that in 1776 we traded one tyrant hundreds of miles away for hundreds of tyrants just a few miles away. A peaceful revolution is needed. One that will only be accomplished when tax payers in this country wake up and say “No More!” to our government’s following a course so far away from what made this country great for over 200 years. A course correction (peaceful revolution) is needed before our ship founders in the shoal waters of liberalism and socialism. Too many countries are already there as either rotting and decaying carcasses, or vessels waiting for their citizens to find a way off.
For now all I can say to all of my fellow citizens, hold on to your wallets for the next four years. If our course correction does not happen soon, out great experiment in a representative republic will crash and founder on the shoals and we can only blame ourselves. The Declaration of Independence and Constitution are the greatest documents every produced by mankind. The apathetic lack of participation by the primary producers, job makers, and income earners of our country will doom us to the ash heap of history.
Two days after the election the pundits say the Republican Party must refocus and rebuild the Party. What I and most (I think) Republicans believe is that our party must return to its core values; small government and fiscal responsibility. We have lacked both over the past eight years. Small government doesn’t mean keeping our hands off the wheel. It means reducing the physical size of the Federal Government and pushing more responsibility back to the States.
Furthermore, we are not the Party of the conservative right, but a party of conservative values and principles; and there is a difference. We cannot be hijacked by the radical right. We must be inclusive and welcome diversity. That’s not to say that we foresake fundamental conservative values of what’s right and wrong.
We must also be a Party of integrity, where I’m afraid we have lost our way in the arrogance of the Senate & House. Congress must start working for the people they were elected to represent and stop the acrymonious bipartisanship that has left our country financially distressed and philosophically divided.
If our Party follows this simple formula: do the right thing, work hard & smart; good things will happen. We will regain the core values and as Mr. Duncan’s says “we are a right-center nation” will become a right-center party once again. This is not a naive notion. However it does require a conscious decision to act and do the right thing.
President elect Obama has many challenges ahead. However the Republican Party should not be planning how to foil his success, but how to assist him in meeting the grave challenges our Country faces. That doesn’t mean we bend over and allow wealth distribution and other tax and spend practices, This is how you bring me and others back to the party we thought we knew. President elect Obama didn’t win because he offered great hope and the promise of something new, he won because our elected Republicans officials squandered the public trust and were fiscally irresponsible.
I am willing to reinvest my time and resources, but only if our elected officials stop their selfish motives and start ACTING and REPRESENTING the people that elected them.
Dear Mr. Duncan,
Since the day I was able to vote I have joined and supported the Republican Party. I started by working on the re-election campaign of Governor Nelson Rockefeller. For many years I have tried to offer my services to the Republican Party but have been rebuffed at every turn. Why? As this past election has shown and as the miserable failure of President Bush’s two terms have shown, the Republican Party has moved away from caring for the people to self-aggrandizement and lining their pockets. I do not believe that is the Republican Party, as shown by Governor Palin, George Romeny, and many others. But it does not get down to the grassroots. President-Elect Barak Obama showed that to win, as did President Ronald Reagan, energize and respect the common man and you your words can be heard because your actions validate your words.I have seen too often a potential volunteer come to work at a Rep;ublican event only to be ignored, shunted, and not encouraged in the work done or asked to return again. This is a serious problem that will continue to defeat the Republicans because the people don’t believe the Republicans because the people are ignored, looked down on, and “spat” upon by too many so-called Republican leaders (the Party Chairman on the National, State, and local levels). This is unfortunate, but being the eternal optimist, I will offer again to help plan a revision of the Republican Party to bring in people, respect people and develop programs and opportunities to strengthen the Republican Party to win a by-election return to majority control in 2010 on the National, State, and Local Levels. I won’t promise it will be easy or nice, many of the current so-called leaders will have to either change their actions and behaviors or go. But it will provide the means to bring true Republican ideas and actions back to the majority. Interested or too chicken to even talk with me? I live in California and you can get my address and phone either on the internet or phone books. Good luck, I hope you are courageous. Peter Paul Mendel
As I reflect on the past two years, I found myself re-reading three of our county’s most memorable documents: The Declaration of Independence, The (Preamble) Constitution of the United States and The Gettysburg Address. Our nation and its government has, once again, endured and emerged from another stage of our growth. From the adolescent strife of inequality among our people, we have emerged stronger, more vibrant and more of a country in unison.
The defeat of Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin came at a time when the country needed to emerge from the perceived shackles of discrimination of many of our citizens. Their defeat appeared to be inevitable. Although they ran a good campaign, the nation was compelled to take the next step toward realizing the dream of equality.
Now, our Republican Party is given a choice…an opportunity…to embrace the changes mandated by the people. Our principles can and should remain strong. Our dreams are not unlike the dreams of all citizens. We must work as a team to build on the cultural developments that have taken place and work within the framework of the future.
We must leave the dusty old ways of the decades gone by. First, we must stop defeating ourselves by publicizing the infighting! If we begin to think of ourselves as a TEAM we will accomplish more for our country. The old politics of back-stabbing, ridicule and partisanship must be eliminated if the TEAM is to survive and do the work for the people that we should seek.
We must foster the advancement and equality of women. As a nation, we are far from achieving that goal. We must communicate with the nation in the language of this century, so that our objectives can be understood. And, we must never loose sight that by working together we can realize the safety, prosperity and happiness for all.
I echo Jim’s comment on Governor Palin!
This long-time Republican believes in lower taxes and spending, less government, a strong (and efficient) military, preservation of individual rights and a robust American infrastructure which will support our economic recovery. I’m not a “social conservative” and have often expressed my concern that a GOP bias toward that end of the spectrum would in the long term harm our party.
We need to regroup – look to a new generation of leaders which appeal to more Americans than the party attracted in 2006 and 2008. This will mean a more inclusive GOP with a message to educate America about us – why we are truly the Grand Old Party!
What is the problem with the Republican Party? Is it that we have lost are way and don’t have any issues or answers. No, I don’t think so. I believe the problem is that we don’t know how to sell our ideas.
We are the party of a Great America, where each individual can become great, depending on the risk we are willing to take and how hard we are willing work. The democrats on the other hand is the party that has spend most it’s efforts in tearing down this country and interfering with individuals ability to make the most of his or her talents. The democrats are doing this by regulating business to death and teaching our kids it’s wrong to out shine those around us, because it might hurt their feels. The fact is trying to out shine those around us is exactly what has made this nation great. Each individual striving to do the best they can and helping other’s to do the same, brings not only their since of self worth and economic worth to a higher plateau but also the average worth of all citizens are enhanced.
If I could only make one suggestion it would be for the Republican Party to develop a better way of informing the public of what both the Republican and Democrat parties are doing. We can not depend on the mainstream press for this communication, because they are too heavily invested in the Democratic Party to give the Republicans a fair deal. We have to do it ourselves. Also we can not use our traditional method of long … sometime boring speeches … since most of the people have been conditioned to turn this type of communication off after the first minute or so.
I would suggest that we buy time on TV and Radio stations in 15 – 30 second time slots. Then use each time slot to hit hard one and only one point at a time. Another method can be to use conservative entertainers … find some that would be willing to work a political message into their song or routine. The democrats have been doing this for sometime with great success.
We lost the fight for people’s minds over Iraq, banking crisis and Sarah Palin … not because we didn’t have great reason … great legislation or a great Vice Presidential candidate, but because the democrats were better at getting their propaganda to the people than we were explaining what we intended to do.
Another thing is we can’t be timid about forcefully telling the public how and why we believe the way we do. One of the big objects I’ve had with President Bush is that many times he was unfairly criticized he took it in stride, but left the impression with the people that the criticism was valid … he should have spoke up and defended himself naming names and issues. We have to do this to inform the voters, the democrats have a very good machine in place to give the voters a lot of disinformation.
First, am former GOP now proud Indy, left-leaning after 8 years of this mess (usually more centerist- but not now): health care, job growth, balanced budget, change in foreign policy, getting Bin Laden (and not by attacking any more countries that had nothing to do with him) top priorities with me. I get why top-earners went for Obama (as did I)- who cares about a roll-back of Bush tax cuts 3% if you’re properties have lost 20-30% and your portfolio a whole third?
If you want to stop the shrinking of your party (which IS shrinking, fast) put a sock in Boehner’s mouth right now- about 60% of the General Public has NO tolerance of his attitude. It wasn’t just Obama who won big on Tuesday, and there is a lot of Good Will for Obama right now, including among more Rep.s than you guys may know. Your own middle has nowhere to go except towards him, and his big sunny smile and wide open embrace. Out here, we are in real pain and many of us see a genuine disconnect between the stated party ideals and what you guys have actually done, or worse, plan to do. Someone has to balance the budget! I’d rather hear a realistic plan that might be do-able in 6-8 years or so, as opposed to McCain pie-in-the-sky first term magic act. Just got through with Malkin’s nonsense (White Guilt? No, we voted for a sensible Democrat this time, who happened to be Black. I don’t mind or fear the sight of a lot of happy Black people this week. But I didn’t vote for him on the basis of his color.)
Second thing you can do? Give Sarah Palin an education. Since no one in the McCain campaign saw fit to vet her, and since the party didn’t see fit to do that task either (don’t lie, we know perfectly well no one did! NO ONE went to the Anchorage Daily News to look at the archives, until a blogger did it- you guys deserved to lose this time), it hardly is sporting of all these chest-thumping menfolk of yours to blame her. She just might have a future but since the school system up there failed her she has to be taken in hand, carefully- the heart’s there (which is what people responded to) but the head just ain’t. Not yet, but she is viable. 2012?
The Republican Party needs to be staunchly conservative. The thought that Obama will govern in any semblance of a centrist position is naive. Now some from the campaign are dissing Sarah Palin. Shame on those who are doing that. We need to encourage the conservative leaders among us. We need to support them in running for office. I would not have voted for McCain. When he brought Governor Palin onto the ticket, I was willing to vote for the ticket.
The republican must move now to propose a reducation in the payroll tax to jobs to stop now. A 1% to 2% drop will stop unemployment loses plus it should be retroactive last month for employees still employed. You can sell it that this helps businesses that employee people. RNC needs to show that there are other ways to protect jobs than throwing money out of a helicoptor.
By the way, the republican party really got schooled in this election. If you think that RNC will catch up in two years, you are mistaken. The Democrats have learn to link up every community organization, unions, foundations, media and social networks to mobilize against the RNC. They are communicated better, faster and smarter. In four years they will have a new database that has all the potential young voters. They understand new rules of Election 2.0 and I hope we can move forward.
-Dan
Dear Mike,
I became a Republican during the rise of Barry Goldwater and felt best about the party during the Reagan era. I am from the fiscal conservative, limited government segment of our now fractured party and threw my support this time to Ron Paul. I hope for the best from an Obama presidency, but he has a lot to learn, so I’m not holding my breath.
As for the party, I hope that people like John McCain, who showed Ron Paul so little respect during the campaign, will take some quiet time to consider both the man and the things he stands for. Any hope to rebuild the party and the country must take freedom and the Constitution (to say nothing of reducing the size, scope, and cost of the federal government) into account.
Thanks for listening.
Chairman Duncan,
Please call on Senator McCain to denounce the defamation and slander coming out of his staff against Governor Palin. A lot of grassroots GOPers donated to the RNC, RNCC, and McCain-Palin, because of Governor Palin’s selection and nomination. The Party can not allow disgruntled staffers to destroy our own. We should be attacking our opposition and their associations before back biting and attacking our own. Get on this one!! We’re not happy here!!
Get out and defend our Party’s VP candidate!
I would like to say I think Sarah Palin has great potential as anyone else does, but nothing is going to matter if changes are not made to the Republican Party concerning where they are now and holding on to the same traditions they have held on for so many many years:
My fellow Repbulicans Change is needed and the time is NOW!
I want to say the Republicans should not give up and there is always hope, but what needs to be done is what I call a “face lift” for the Republicans. We need a total new view, look, and approach to govern our great Nation. We need for you to make those changes and look outside the box. Take a step back and bring in fresh minds, fresh air, and a new start to the Republican Party! It is time for a change, but a change that is going to be realistic and not full of broken promises and false hopes; a change that is going to be honest with not only what you think we need but how this will be achieved. I once was told never approach a subject if you don’t have something to back it up and that is what we need from you! Don’t just tell us what we want to hear give us a Solid Foundation that has a Solid plan attached to is that will show us “yes this will work”. We want reform that will work for us not against us that will bring in light and not a dead end or plummeting economy. We want to know that the USA we live that we can stand up for is Strong and all its Worth! I want to know that my children will be able to grow in a Great Nation they can be proud of and secure in with the freedoms that so many of us take for granted … I want for my politicians to stop talking with silver tongues, but talking for the Americans of the United States because you are actually hearing us and genuine and not because you just want to fill a seat and secure your own job and standing.
I am disgusted with my party, but here’s the solution.
Yesterday, November 5, 2008, should mark the beginning of a daily, unrelenting attack on the Obama administration. Obama is president because the liberal mainstream media campaigned for the Dems by attacking President Bush every day after he won the election of 2000. I want to see the GOP copy every tactic of the Democrats, because they certainly won’t ease up their attack on any GOP opposition in both houses of Congress. We lost and kept losing ground since 1995 because we’re too soft. We must field youngish and vibrant candidates who can communicate effortlessly, persuade and enchant the media and American voters. If they’re not natural speakers, then train them to be.
If the party is going to continue to be moderate, I will no longer be voting Republican and likley will not vote at all. The sooner the party gets back to Reagan conservatism, the better of we will all be and maybe even win a presidential election some day. And I hope whomever is responsible for hiring the leakers from the campaign that are now trashing Gov. Palin, will not be considered for any future work with the party. I never thought I would see the day when we would beat up on our own. I guess when you run a pathetic, losing campagin, you need to blame someone.
I would like to thank Sarah Palin for representing the conservative values of most of the country (look at a map to see how much of the country Republicans actually won).
The Republican Party needs to apologize to Mrs. Palin for the sour grapes comments coming from the campaign staffers. This is exactly the kind of thing that will push many of us away from the party. It was bad enough to have a liberal leading up the ticket without having them trash the real conservative on the way out of town. In the interest of a “clean” campaign they would not challenge Obama, but they give this to one of our own? Disgusting!
We will be watching Ms Palin with an eye to her future.
Mike,
You have to stop these “sources” talking to reporters about the rumored rift with Sarah Palin. They are compounding our problems and making us look stupid!
I want to make a suggestion to you. I did contribute to the GOP for over a year. The reason I did not contribute is that I was uncertain where donations were being spent. There are some elected officials calling themselves Republicans when clearly they are not, and I’m sure not going to contribute if it is going to help folk like Chuck Hagel and the like.
Instead, I gave to Gov. Huckabee’s Huckpac, where I knew exactly where my money was being directed.
May I respectfully suggest you target the next push so can be reassured it is going to causes and those running for office we agree with.
Sincerely,
Pam Gooderham
Tustin, CA
Mr. Duncan:
In considering the Republican Party lost the White House in the 2008 election and is in need of reinvigoration vis-a-vis its core conservative political philosophy, now may be the time to consider where this party shares values with the 2nd-teir parties, such as the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party. I think by incorporating some of the shared conservative and constitutional values as well as some new blood and leadership therefrom, this would result in a political party with a strong values-based and broad-based appeal across the entire national political spectrum. By casting a wide net, the Congressional elections in 2 years may restore Congress to Republican control to counter the new President-elect. But the time to start and cultivate this process is now, while this election is still fresh in the minds of dis-affected conservative voters of all perspectives.
John McCain was an awesome Presidential Candidate. I am extremely disappointed that he is not having the opportunity to lead us for the next 4 years. It is a loss for our country. I wish him the best of luck and many blessings.
Another thank you for Sarah Palin.
However, I believe the GOP needs younger, a more animated base in 2012. I am one republican in a family of Democrats. I would suggest that a 2 year goal for the GOP is to hire more 20 & 30 & 40 somethings to listen to voices of the voters and put forth a candidate that hears them. States like Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont need a continuous baseline education about the GOP and what it stands for – Town hall meetings and a more welcome environment. I would be available for more ideas, we are going to have to change the minds one at a time, and then get people involved.
Caroline Shean, Dracut, MA
I’d also like to encourage Sarah Palin to run in 2012, and for the RNC to embrace her, her policies, and her rhetoric for the next four years. Of course, I do so as a moderate Democrat who believes that we’ll all be better off if the GOP sits outside the power structure for awhile.
As for Obama’s positioning, I agree that he has moderate and divide-bridging approaches to many problems, including taxation, energy, and education. It would have been nice to have heard the GOP acknowledge so, rather than demagogue his stances as “socialist.” He also has decidedly more liberal approaches to some other problems, such as health care, economic regulation, and the war. Arguably it is those latter stands that drove independents to support him, so I’d say we’re more of a center-center nation now.
Dear Mr. Duncan:
I had the honor of voting for Senator McCain and Governor Palin.
Today (Nov 6) I am hearing disturbing reports of “unnamed sources” leaking damaging innuendo about Governor Palin. After all the hard work she has put in for the campaign, she does NOT deserve to be treated in this manner. I am VERY angry that she is being thrown under the bus after all she has done for you guys. I would not have blamed her if she resigned. The liberal mainstream media trashed her and her family yet she kept her head high and showed class and grace throughout.
I sent an email to Senator John McCain about this and I believe that the Republican National Committee owes her a public apology for any pain this has caused her and her family. This is an insult to her and to the people of Alaska. Governor Palin did NOT cost Senator McCain the election. If anything McCain received more votes because of her than he would have otherwise. I have news for you. I voted for McCain BECAUSE of her. Otherwise I might have voted for a 3rd party candidate.
The Republican Party has lost the White House and several Senate and House seats already and if you guys don’t publicly denounce the attacks against Palin by these so-called unnamed sources, then the Republican Party will even be in deeper trouble than it already is and I will reconsider my support in future elections.
I’d like to say thanks to Palin as well. As Duncan writes, we are still a centric nation. All Palin did was drive the centrists to Obama. I’d love to see her make a come back in 2012. It’ll be a reverse 1984. Looking forward to it.
I second Jim’s message. The aides who are leaking awful information about Gov. Palin need to be severely reprimanded. I want to encourage Gov. Palin to make herself very visible during the next four years. I hope the GOP will send her overseas many times to quiet that concern. Please put her as high as you can in as many visible positions as possible. If Stevens is thrown out of the Senate, she should run for that office. Please let me know what I can be doing here in NC. I am a retired teacher without many monetary assets but I do have some extra time. Thank you.
Chairman Duncan, as the fundraising revolt should have taught you, the leadership of this party no longer represents the values of your constituency. I cast my first vote for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and voted for every candidate since. I have 23 years in the Army including almost two years in Iraq. I will not be donating anymore to a party that tolerates, and indeed promotes to leadership or candicacy for higher office, any individual that demonstrates as significant a lack of commitment to conservatism as people like Lindsey Graham, Arlen Spector or John McCain. I respect and admire John for his military service and views on the war, but he had to be virtually forced to support conservative positions with the one exception of DOMA (thx for that one John). I remember John and Lindsey slamming the door on conservative judges. I turned out to vote for one reason, Governor Palin.
My loyalty is to the Constitution and conservatism. You must choose conservatism or “reaching across the aisle” mediocrity. The leadership choices you make over the next few months will determine the future success of the party. You have my prayers.
I too am glad Sarah Palin ran. Lets face facts now. Palin was the only successful part of the republican ticket. I love John McCain but he has never been a true conservative. We need to move back to our roots as evidenced by the passage of anti-gaymarriage amendments in places like California and Arizona. We do not need to move further to the left. Let the Democrats keep that position.
I can tell you this though, I have donated money and time for every election cycle since 2000 but I will not continue if we don’t get back to our roots. I cannot back a loser and these moderates and RINO’s are destroying our message.
And one more thing. Please reign who ever in the hell is bashing Palin. I don’t care if everything they are saying is true, which I doubt. We do not need to air our dirty laundry to a press that is seeking to permanently destroy us.
I want to thank Sarah Palin as well. She has inspired the base to take back the party. It is because of her that I feel motivated to become active in my local Republican organizations. I hope that going forward the leaders of the party will recognize that alienating, insulting and ignoring your base gets you defeated. Moderates were defeated in this election. Conservatives can win in the next one.
If you think that the only reason the Republicans lost was that the electorate’s “mood” has changed, it’s no wonder that the Republican Party is taking devastating blows! There will be a fight within the party between moderates and conservatives for control, and if the old party moderates continue to hold the reins, we are likely heading toward the end of the Republican Party itself. The conservatives will have to break away and follow their own principles. My own conservative-leaning and generally level-headed sons actually voted for Ron Paul in both the primary and the general election because they believe the Republicans have lost their way. I am no Ron Paul supporter, but I have to agree with their assessment of the party.
Before Sarah Palin entered the race, the McCain campaign had very little grass roots support. She at least brought an energy and excitement which McCain sorely lacked. It is a disgrace how savagely the old media and the left attacked everything about her. It is an equal disgrace how cowardly McCain staffers have attacked her since then. Why is John McCain not speaking out in her defense? I am very afraid that she is fatally damaged because of it, not flawed herself, but damaged by a horrible perception of her that has been perpetrated by those who fear her power to connect with the electorate — something our more conventional Republican candidates seem unable to do.
I am not a Party insider, though I did volunteer at my county headquarters late in the campaign. I would never have worked for John McCain if Sarah hadn’t been on the ticket. I even held my nose and included support for Congressman Phil English in my phone calls, although my enthusiasm for him has always been lukewarm. In just the short time I was there I saw the results of poor communication between the local office and the state/national campaign. We were inefficient and ineffective.
The party must recognize that the old way of doing things is inadequate. I urge you to study carefully the proposals made by Rebuild the Party.com, especially concerning use of the internet and rebuilding the grassroots efforts. This will not be accomplished by extravagant meetings at the Breakers in Palm Beach (you have just given yourself another black eye over that) but by starting again from the ground up with local party organizations and local candidates who stand for the principles of limited government and individual freedom.
Mr. Duncan –
I appreciate your kind words about John and Sarah, but I have great concern about some of the noise I am hearing that is being attributed to “Republicans” who wish to remain “anonymous”. They seem desirous of blaming Sarah for any ill that may have fallen on the GOP.
Mike, with all due respect, the people who are doing all this anonymous finger pointing are either BHO plants (democratic operatives) or RINO’S. You as the Chairman, need to appoint someone to investigate and find out who these ‘anonymous’ people are and bring them into the light. These people are worse than cyber bullies are to children, because they’re trying to tear the fabric of our Party.
Bring them out, show them out, shove them out. We don’t need that kind of people in our Party. We need a lot more people like Sarah Palin!
I too would like to thank Sarah for her inspiration and relighting the dim light at the end of the tunnel.
But lets call it like it is. We were handed our conservative heads in our own hand baskets nationwide.
Not only do we need to return to our values, we need to weed out those in our party that do not stand up for our conservative principles. In a nutshell, it means those that reach across the isle and adopt even a hint of liberal values, we need to tell them to stay there. Sorry John McCain, I love you dearly, but this includes you too.
Our beloved republican party is a sinking ship and unfortunately the leadership at the top has no knowledge on how to save it. The time has come for new leadership. Think about it, Mr. Duncan.
mbh – Nov. 7, 2008
This week’s election results were unfortunate, however, not unexpected. Although I voted for Bush, it was clear to me that he did not surround himself or accept advice from the right people – however, the options were not inspiring at the time. Today’s domestic and international situation is different than it was 4 yrs ago – and it is beyond time for the labels of conservative/liberal; Republican and Democrat to be shelved if solutions are to be developed that help to strengthen and restore our country.
My hope is that the Republican Party will begin today developing strong, inspiring, ethical and intelligent candidates who value integrity and truth – for national leadership positions. My hope is that they will start with Sarah Palin and others like her (men and women), who have the drive, courage, fortitude and commitment to be national leaders and provide the American public options for the race in 2012 and forward.
I saw in Sarah Palin something that was inspiring, and although she was handicapped by a number of factors when she accepted John McCain’s offer, she threw herself and her family into the fray. When she caught the national spotlight and her instant popularity was recognized, the mdia machine went to work to discredit her, and she was very gracious under fire! She displayed great courage, verasity, and conviction by comparison to most other Washington insiders. She also struck a chord with women that Hillary did not. As much as I would like to see a woman in the Oval Office, I want the best “person” for the job. Gov. Palin, I hope we haven’t seen the last of you!
The RNC has a lot of work ahead in preparation for the 2012 election – and hopefully I can contribute in some small way.
I hope that the RNC is aggressive and active in organizing the next election. The loss of the moderates and independents to the left is troubling. Some humble observations from talking with many people in Indiana and some in FL. People are looking for a sense of the right change in Washington.
The Dems were everwhere rousting out the “dispossessed”. They even captured my mother in law’s nursing home.
It is time to start finding quality candidates for the house and senate. The likelihood of serious continuing economic and world challenges inadequately and incorrectly addressed by a strong big spending government. An opportunity will inevitably present itself as the government struggles to find money from its citizens to fund its overzealous welfare state. The Party needs to be structurally prepared for a better marketing and organizing approach. It needs to be on colleges finding new faces with a concern for the world as well as capitalism. The DNC leveraged every aspect of the process to squeeze out every last vote.
Second, we need to tie the loss of jobs to illegal aliens in housing etc.
Third, start looking for some stars to sponsor in some key areas such as VA, NC, FL, PA, OH.
Fourth, much of the energy and new face for the party is to be found in successful GOP governors such as Sarah Palin, Bobby Jinal, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Mitch Daniels of Indiana–one of the few states not in the red.
Fifth, I recommend speaking with Amy Holmes (former Sen Frist’s speech writer and conservative commentator for CNN etc.) about running for Congress. She is dynamic and bright–a potential VP in a decade or so.
Thank you for your hard work, lets learn and get better with this opportunity for the future.
Charles McDaniel
COL (RET) USA
DMIN, MBA, MDIV, MSS
We gave the Republican Party one of the most conservative party platforms it’s had in years, reflecting the desires and values of the Republican electorate. And yet, the Republican Party did not run on it. The Republican Party ran a Presidential campaign indistinguishable from the Democratic Party.
It’s about time the Republican Party, instead of trying to work out a limp vote-getting strategy for coaxing undecideds, began trying to do what’s right and what they believe in, and stand for something more than a centrist “we can’t get elected with that”. We just saw the results of running a truly centrist campaign, with no references to the vast differences between the Conservative and Liberal views of the world. When we don’t run on what makes us different, we lose. The latest polls say 20% of those who call themselves Conservatives voted for Obama. Why? Because you took on no issues but “we can handle the economy better than him” and nobody believed it; you never pointed out the critical differences of moral, political, and economic vision between Conservatives and Liberals. And I worry it’s because our strategists lack those critical differences that we in the rank and file hold.
I’m tired of hearing how our candidates reach across the aisle. I want a candidate who actually stands up for what we believe in, win or lose. Who thinks principles are more important than pollsters or election strategies. Ronald Reagan won not because he was the most photogenic or charismatic, but because he had rock solid principles and vision for the nation that people could get behind. The two party system is about two different worldviews….Conservative and Liberal, Capitalist and Marxist, and all the other moral and economic differences that lie between them….fighting for who controls the nation. I don’t see the Republican Party doing much fighting for or articulating a different worldview. If the Republican strategists do not share that different worldview, then they need to step down and get someone who does in there to fight. Because if you don’t show people genuine *difference* between us and them, they’ll see no reason to choose us over them.
That lack of genuine difference is why they chose them over us. Instead of trying to be on everyone’s good side from the center (which clearly failed), it’s time we had a genuine Conservative worldview that understands what’s good for the country and what’s not, and pushed for that. A worldview that means something and is reflected by our candidates and still reflected by them when they get into office.
Oh I agree! Sarah should run 2012, and I’ll help in whatever little way I can – talking to friends, making phone calls, blogging – most of all Praying that she would become our president in 2012.
SQ
This week Republican leaders met in Virginia to discuss, and hopefully debate, the future of the Republican Party. The rest of us Republicans have yet to read about the results of that meeting. I am hopeful that those in attendance have realized FINALLY that the party MUST return to its core values of free market solutions, SMALLER government, strong national defense, secure borders, and prudent fiscal spending. It is time to pay attention to the philosophy that made our party great and to STOP trying to whoo the moderate Democrats. We don’t need speeches about what the party intends to do, we need them to show their true colors by confronting the liberal progressive policies that are to come out of the Obama Administration. We need transparency of Republican actions and bring these backroom policy meetings out into the public view. It would be wise to LISTEN to your constituency before you think you are voting in their best interests. We elected you to represent us, not to think for us! It is time for the old political ways to make way for new blood and new policies while LISTENING to the People. Old methods get old results. Your report card has failing grades. Time you got your act together and stopped wasting time. We are tired of hearing “that’s the way Washington operates.” Change it! You have the power to change things, now do it. You can’t do any worse than you have the last four years.
I am interested to see where the GOP goes from here.
I’m a 20 year old college student, and I think the RNC needs to make even more of an effort to tap into young Republicans. 68% of people under 30 voting Democrat = trouble in the near future. I hope the RNC looks to tech-savvy college graduates to help increase its prominence on the Internet. This is so important to young people!!
Also, I know this isn’t the case everywhere in the country, but I know for a fact that what drove many college students from voting McCain was the fact that there is a lot of bigotry/racism in some GOP supporters. I hope there is an effort to eradicate these small factions of our party; it will help our image.
Sarah Palin is not the person we want as our next face of the GOP. If she is we will be pushed further into the wilderness then we already are and that will be a real shame. She is not some one who can bring the party together and in fact she will most likely be the person who will divide us more then we already are. She does not meet the basic intellectual requires that a candidate needs – she is not curious nor does she seem able to fully comprehend even basic policy issues.
In order to move ahead we need to embrace the middle – the vast number of people who do not trust us to run any party much less the US. We have lost our way under the current RNC leadership and President. We need a totally new direction based less on conservative ideals and more centrist and fiscal – no more religious right.
I am a 43 year old Perot Republican – I have to ask – Why Palin? If we were going to have a governor/former governor on the ballot why not Christine Todd Whitman or Tommy Thompson? Both had cabinet experience under Bush.
We need to stand up and live by the Republican Principles stated on the GOP website:
Each person is to have dignity, freedom, ability, and RESPONSIBILITY
Equal rights for all – legal citizens
Free enterprise -although not free of all regulations
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY – the Achille’s heal of our party during recent Republican Presidents – we need balanced budgets and the ability to say ‘no’ to more federal deficits.
“Provide only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations’ or state or local governments … no more earmarks and pork for items that only have local interest – no more bridges to nowhere or wooden arrow grants.
If Texas had been “in play”, I might have voted for Palin / McCain. Because it was not, I voted for the only presidential candidate that met the state filing deadline, Bob Barr. What more does one have to see to know the system is broken when neither the Republicrats nor the Demarxists bother to meet the deadline to appear on the ballot, but are there anyway? For the record, I voted Libertarian when the choice was three-way or two-way against a Republican. I only voted Republican when it was two-way against a Democrat. If the Republican was unopposed, I didn’t vote.
I am a conservative. I am no longer a Republican. To paraphrase the words of the great Ronald Wilson Reagan, I did not leave the Republican party; it left me. John McCain is an honorable man and I respect the sacrifices he and his family have made for this country, but he is not a conservative. In my view, he was the Democrat in the race. Barack Hussein Obama is a Marxist. I don’t use that word to be inflammatory. What’s inflammatory is that Marxist is an accurate description of his record on the issues. What more does one have to see to know that the two-party system broken when the Republicans nominate a Democrat and the Democrats nominate a Marxist? And what more does one have to see to know that the Republican party is broken than to see RINO McCain nominated and then engage his bi-partisan senatorial collegiality and refuse to take the fight to Obama. Without going issue by issue, I contend Obama is still an Indonesian citizen. Don’t believe me? Prove me wrong. You can’t. The biggest problem is that neither can McCain nor Obama. Phil Berg tried, but the clinton-appointed judge said he didn’t have standing to bring the suit and dismissed it. Where is the Constitution-borne outrage? Oh yeah, the Constitution has been repeatedly abrogated by both parties for the last 100 years.
The country is broken (and broke) and no thinking person can honestly expect it to be repaired either by a broken system or by its two broken component parties. A move to the right and a ticket with either Palin or Jindal would get my attention (remember governors beat senators) and perhaps my vote. Until then, I will not vote “lesser of two evils”. I will vote Libertarian or Constitution Parties. If the Republican Party continues to move to the left, it will rarely, if ever, get my vote again.