Some thoughts on the GOP

So it turns out that the GOP is really earning that Old part of their name. This doesn't really surprise me though. Not only is it the party most closely associated with old white guys, it is also the party that keeps making deals with that thrid of the US population who don't actually expect that the world will be around for the next election.

A year or two ago on my campus the president of the College Republicans was also an active member in the Young Democrats. He wasn't even really into politics, he was just a business major who wanted a nice thing to put on his resume, but enjoyed the YDs and thier parties. In fact, I seriously doubt whether or not he was even registered to vote. I do know that he was very much the type of person who would vote Republican if he could.

Now I go to a school located in what I refer to as the buckle of the Bible belt, and yet the YDs have more members than any other group on campus. It's even a public school! The reasons why the GOP is not stronger here is talked around in that article, but I think they are missing the point. Sure reaching out with modern campaign tactics is one thing, but just getting John McCain to start Twittering won't fix the party.

Here's what will:

1) Ditch the old dudes. The only really high ranking Neo-Con of the Reagan era that has not been pushed out of office or died is Cheney. The same Cheney who is hated by most Americans and seen as the guy who helped talk Bush into some of the many thing he has done in the last eight years. Clearly, he and his friends are of a dying breed. Let them and their military plans and overly scary big business connections die as well.

Also McCain... Please never let anyone his age run again unless they are some sort of rock god. Too bad all the Ramones are dead. They would have been perfect for this in a few years.

2) Ditch the Religious Right. Fell free to stay against abortion. That is a basic argument that seems to be going on in most of the 1st world. However, drop anything about any social issue that is only raised that marks your line too far into what many (young people) see as craziville. This means no more barking about a marriage amendment, talk about stem-cells, or even sex education. These are things that if you are asked about say that they are large social issues that must be put to masses to answer. In doing this you will seem not only more democratic, but also less reactionary. And we all know that reactionary is the feeling we all get when politics and religion intertwine on too deep a level.

3) Ditch the connections to the rich. The problem is that most Americans aren't rich and never plan to be. To be fair this isn't so much the GOP's fault as it is the beginning of limits in the US economy, but those limits need to be talked about. No one feels like they will be able to make their own way in the world today the same way they might have in the 50s and 60s.

4) When it comes to the economy push for quality not quanity. This is a problem that most American conservatives have. They see that as the whole pie gets bigger everyone gains more. This often doesn't quite work out in the proportional way that it should, and even when it does it just makes people feel like things aren't changing. All the economists you talk to should at least be willing to admit that Keynes was right about some things.

5) Don't ever talk about Regan or W. ever again. Regan is of a golden past that people seem to remember as being better than it was. This is because the 80s did that to people. After all, it was the decade that had mall rock. If you are going to talk about a president of the recent past, talk about Nixon. Not only is he a figure that had the strength to run again after loosing so bitterly to Kennedy, he also did a good job before the world got to him and made him do something terrible. He is flawed but at least he lacks the cheese of Regan-worship. And as far as W., well lets just say that he will the the most popular president for a long time if only because he didn't do anything good (much less all the bad he did).



*Note to anyone named Jason - I am not a Republican. I just feel like the party does have something to offer, if it could just stop being so one sided.