Tuesday, March 5, 2013

One Crucial Missing Factor In Gingrich's Formula For GOP Recovery Without Which Dem's Will Always Dominate

Cross posted at Palin4President2016

The following sentence is, unless taken very seriously, a death sentence for any hope of the Republican party overcoming what Newt Gingrich described a "decisive realignment" and consolidation in power for the Democrats by 2016.

REBECCA SCHOENKOPF (Editor of leftist site "Wonkette) :"Last night, your editrix got home from her journalism class — no, idiot twitterers, which she teaches"


Certainly the urgent call to arms by Gingrich in which he sets out the current, dangerous, situation and gives remedies is appropriate. But even if successful in staving off the Dem's 2016 time frame unless one further, and vital step is taken, the respite will be temporary.

Ed Morrisey at HOT AIR (Link) gave this overview of Gingrich's statements and
plan;

"Earlier today, Newt Gingrich appeared on CBS This Morning to explain just how far in the hole Republicans are in relation to Democrats in voter outreach.  “You can’t just be an opposition party,” Gingrich warned.  “You have to be a party that has a better alternative.”  Even when the GOP has a better alternative, though, the party lost elections it should have won because of poor strategy and direction from its consultant class. 


Gingrich isn’t just voicing that message on the airwaves.  He met yesterday with Republican staffers on Capitol Hill on strategy and messaging, and a Congressional aide has passed along Gingrich’s handout at the meeting to Hot Air . Gingrich warned Republican staffers that Barack Obama has a strategy of “relentless cynicism” and demagoguery, designed to marginalize Republicans as “extreme,” and relying on the media to carry his water"
As with everything I have seen from Gingrich, most notably his 2012 plan for America, the insight and intelligence of the man shines through  Given that Palin didn't run it is a tragedy that Gingrich did not get the nomination as he would have run a campaign of ideas which would have put the Obama administration on the back foot. However that is water under the bridge sadly and Republicans now have to deal with the threat of a "permanent Democratic majority."
In point 3. of Gingrich's description of the"first steps" fightback strategy he identified these needs:"Virtually every element of the GOP, party leaders, incumbents, staffs, candidates, consultants, pollsters, need to be trained into the 21st century new model GOP." 
Absolutely correct but one major element is missing in this training and that is future right wing journalists. Here 
AT THIS LINK is a list of the leftists"Journolists" who were so devastatingly effective in their efforts against  (particularly Palin) the McCain/Palin team in 2008. It is astonishing in its depth of familiar names-all of whom are supposed to be, at least somewhat, impartial members of the press.Here, 
AT THIS LINK is a 'Daily Caller" article abut the Journolists in action in 2008
Yet these names were only the overt activists there were innumerable other political reporters in newspapers,magazines, on television and radio and of course the Blogosphere all backing the Obama campaign.Certainly the GOP had support, most notably from Fox but even the most partial observer would, if they were honest, admit to the massive media support for Obama.
And here we have, with the Schoenkopf example, a clear illustration of the problem for the GOP. Schoenkopf edits an avowedly leftist blog, comes from a communist background and is an admitted socialist (AT THIS LINK) And here she is training a new generation of journalists! 
All of Gingrich's outstanding plans and remedies will eventually come to nought if every time a Republican runs for the presidency, especially if that candidate is a true conservative  they will be under relentless attack from the leftist media which will only grow in strength given the Schoenkopf example and the other academic examples at e.g. Harvard as identified by Ted Cruz.
The Republican strategists must acknowledge this problem and consider ways to counter it. perhaps funding for promising students to attend journalism school might be considered but whatever the solution unless this real and present danger is addressed all other plans and schemes will be negated.
Here is Gingrich's analysis and remedy


THE CURRENT SITUATION: FEBRUARY 28,2013
Newt Gingrich Draft
KEY PRINCIPLE:
Someone playing chess will always beat someone playing tic tac toe.
Strategy beats tactics.
THE OBAMA STRATEGY FOR 2014 and 2016
It is clear President Obama has decided that he can win a decisive realignment in 2014 and then consolidate his party in power in 2016.
To achieve that he will implement six specific strategies:
  1. There will be a permanent 24/7 campaign to dominate the media
  2. There will be a constant issue focus shifting to topics which isolate Republicans and arouse the President's allies at the grassroots
  3. Relentless cynicism will characterize the manipulation of facts, the choice of issues and the willingness to harm the American people and American institutions ( "maximum pain for political gain" is the underlying system)
  4. The entire coalition of left wing allies will be mobilized over and over to overmatch the Republicans ( think Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club, unions, gay rights groups, etc etc)
  5. The Republican Party will be relentlessly attacked and defined in extremist language ( anti-immigrant, homophobic, racist, waging war on women, etc) so the collapse and isolation of the brand makes candidates unacceptable and unelected with no regard for their personal characteristics
  6. The 2012 turnout mechanisms will be modernized, improved and strengthened to try to make 2014 turnout resemble 2012 rather than 2010.
FACED WITH THIS REALITY THE CURRENT GOP IS HOPELESSLY OVERMATCHED.
FIRST STEPS:
  1. The GOP has to admit that it is currently incapable of moving at the speed and intensity of the Obama system, with the scale of the Obama system, or with the strategic depth and technological capabilities of the Obama system. Until Republicans understand how big the gap is they will continue to lose ground.
  2. A new model Republican doctrine and system has to be developed capable of matching the Obama strategy and system.
  3. Virtually every element of the GOP, party leaders, incumbents, staffs, candidates, consultants, pollsters, need to be trained into the 21st century new model GOP.
  4. Metrics have to be developed for measuring performance.
SOME KEY PRINCIPLES
  1. The system of planning has to be Values Vision Metrics Strategies Projects Tasks
  2. There has to be a vision focusing on a better American future not on an anti-Obama message
  3. There is no red and blue. There are 311,000,000 Americans who deserve a better life than the Obama big government redistributionist model can give them. This will require an even bigger, better data system than the Obama machine built.
  4. The GOP has to match or surpass the combination of data and behavioral science which the Democrats have developed since 2004.
  5. Republicans have to build a system for a permanent campaign with a 24/7 strategy and media capability.
  6. If you aren't on offense you are on defense. There are no time outs. Every morning you know your status. If you aren't on offense you are on defense. If you don't win the argument you won't win the vote( a Margaret Thatcher rule).
  7. Republicans simply must learn to communicate effectively, emotionally and in a compelling human way.
  8. Republicans have to learn to compete in the entire media culture including entertainment media and Internet based media. Republicans have to go where the voters go.
  9. Including minorities is a key to success. This will be challenging, at times confusing, and fraught with frustration. Every Republican incumbent, leader and candidate should allocate one third of their time meeting with minority Americans. The first goal has to be to practice listen-learn-help-lead as a model. As Jack Kemp used to say "they have to know that you care before they care that you know". This one principle is an absolute key to any Republican hope to be a majority party.
  10. This scale of change requires systematic leadership, metrics for achievement, and encouragement for those willing to take the risks, spend the energy and lead the way. It is a direction not a structure and it will inevitably have some chaotic, imperfect and even confusing moments.
  11. Every Republican activist would do well to read California Lieutenant Governor (and former Mayor of San Francisco)' s new book Citizenville. While we will disagree with some parts of it, it is the best description I have found of the potential for a citizen centric model of civil society to replace the Washington centered bureaucratic model which is currently serving a so badly.
  12. Humor can be an enormous advantage, especially at a time when people are anxious about the economy, tired of the political fighting, etc. Note Reagan and Lincoln used media constantly.

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