What Do Republicans Need to Do to Win Back the White House?

Okay, so it's been about a week since the election.  The world didn't end.  No riots in the streets.  The stock market sold off a bit, but other than losing our money, not much has changed.  Except the finger pointing.

I have friends the cover the entire political spectrum.  Some see Obama's reelection as the beginning of a 1,000 year Reich of Democrat rule.  Others are calling for the Republican Party to become more conservative, because they lost the extreme right-wing vote in this election.

So what does the Republican Party need to do to defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election?  Let's ignore the fact that Madame Hillary will be 70 years old by the next election.

1) Republicans will not win any national election by making an issue out of abortion.  Abortion has been legal for what, 40 years?  The young generation now accept that as a right.  You're not going to win MORE old white people and Christians by pulling a hard line on abortion.  You can say you're pro-life, but don't make this a key position.  You.  Will.  Lose.

2) If you talk about abortion, don't EVER EVER EVER EVER put rape in the same conversation.  You will lose 99.99% of the time.  And I may be underestimating that percentage.  Any candidate that says that rape victims should be forced to keep their babies should be drug out into the street and be given a sock party.  Not only have you sunk your own campaign, but you are torpedoing the party's chances at a national level.  You can think it all you want, but don't ever say it in public.

3) The Republicans need to realize that they're never going to win another election with the two white guys.  Hispanics are the largest minority in the country now.  They are the fastest growing portion of the population.  If you don't do something to attract their vote, you will never win a national election ever again.  Think Marco Rubio.  Nominating a gay Hispanic woman would definitely help their cause.

4) Republicans need to change the attitude that it's "us versus them".  The Democrats can keep on chanting that line, but if the Republicans want to be seen as inclusive, they need to be above the fracas.

5) Both parties are guilty of this.  Compromise does NOT mean - if you refuse to accept our way of doing things, then we call you an obstructionist.  If we are going to avoid the "fiscal cliff", then compromise is the only answer.  Taxes are going to have to be raised (sorry Republicans).  Cuts will need to be made (sorry Democrats).  Cuts need to be made in both defense AND social welfare projects.  Neither party can expect their pet projects to be off the table.

6) Drop the issue of gay marriage.  Like abortion, you are NOT going to win on this issue, except maybe in Mississippi and South Carolina, but winning those electoral votes is NOT going to win you an election.  The states are already moving toward legalizing gay marriage, let the states decide what is appropriate.  Gay marriage, like women having the right to vote, is becoming socially acceptable.  The hard-right wing faction of the party is just going to have to accept it.

7) If you campaign on smaller government, then actually make the government SMALLER.  (is there some sort of literary term for the fact that I made the word smaller BIGGER?) George W. Bush promised to make the government smaller, but in fact made it bigger than any President since, Carter?  Roosevelt?

8) If you get back in office, do not fight 2 wars at once.  Roosevelt got away with it because the entire world was at war and all good people plus the Russians supported us.

some additions from one of my friends
9) Don't talk about changing the way the country was previously.  Avoid terms like restoring, regaining, taking back, etc...  These are all fighting words and they are all losing words.  Aim for terms about making the country better.  Enhance opportunities.  What will you do to make the future BETTER?  You're not going to win votes by promising to take something away from someone.

10) Get out of conspiracy land.  The birthers need to go away.  Traitorism needs to stop.  Quit trying to delegitimize the other person.

What ideas do you have for making the Republican Party successful again?

Obama Wins Maryland? What?

I've been asking all of my friends and NONE of them voted for Obama.  How can Obama be winning the Presidential election in Maryland?  All of the major networks are reporting this.  I'm totally baffled.

I think there's an official term for that, but I cannot remember what it is.  Ron Smith was talking about it at one time.

One of the things I hate about election day is the 5 millions signs lining the street and parking lot as you go to your voting center.  And then there's the people that are either volunteering or are paid to harass you outside.  Go away!  I will not listen to you!

How was voting in your area?  In Eldersburg, the line ran out the door.  I fretted and pulled out my book, The Pilgrim's Progress (what was I thinking?).  Fortunately, the line moved fast and I was out of the building in 14 minutes.  I actually timed it.  There were 20-some machines and they were smoking fast.  I only read 2 pages AND I talked to several people that I know.

Another friend in Baltimore County said that it took him nearly 2 hours to vote.  He said that they had about 10 voting machines and it didn't seem too organized.

How did you vote?  I voted for Romney.  As they say, 'if it's broke, fix it'.  It's still broken.  Time to give someone else a turn.

I voted for Timmerman for Congress.  He's getting slugged by Chris Van Hollen.  I'm going to send Van Hollen a map and highlight the roads that he needs to take to get to Carroll County, because I'm pretty sure he's never been here.

I'm tired of my friend Ben.  He's been a politician WAY too long, so I voted for Rob Sobhani.  Looks like Sobhani just donated a lot of his money to advertising firms.

I voted against O'Malley's mean-spirited Congressional districts that disenfranchises African-American voters in Prince George's County and Republican voters in Western Maryland by lumping them together with Montgomery County liberal suburbanites.  Are the districts compact?  No.  Do people in Western Maryland have anything in common with Montgomery County?  Not much.  Is Montgomery County sensitive to the blight and economic struggles in Western Maryland.  Nope.  They're more worried about getting Ramadan recognized as a school holiday.

I voted against allowing illegal aliens the privilege to pay in-state tuition if they pay Maryland income taxes.  If I steal a car, but pay Maryland taxes, can I also pay in-state tuition?  Why is breaking the law one way different than breaking the law another way?

I did not vote on Question 6.  It's not important to me.  I'm not against it.  I'm not for it.  I'll let everyone else decide.

I voted against Question 7 out of principle.  When Bob Ehrlich wanted gambling in Maryland, the Democrats thought it was the worst idea since Al Gore invented the Internet.  Then O'Malley got elected and had a great idea - let's allow gambling in Maryland, then all of a sudden, everyone thought it was awesome!

And then there's the Girl Scouts.  They are ALWAYS there to harass you.  It drives me nuts.  Leave me alone!

And by the way, I can't wait to break into this box of Tagalongs.

Before Obama Favored Gay Marriage....

The blogsphere, Facebook, and the Huffington Post are lighting up with lots of hate messages.  Apparently Mitt Romney hates women, hates the auto industry, hates 99% of all Americans, hates blacks, hates Latinos, hates gays and lesbians, and is a consummate liar and wants to destroy the country and give all the money to rich white guys.  To judge Mitt Romney from these sources, he puts the devil to shame.

I saw a foolish comment today on a bigoted hate picture that says Obama supports gay marriage, Romney is still trying to figure out how to destroy gay people.  The comment said, "At least Obama hasn't flip-flopped on supporting gay marriage."

Oh, really?  According to this video, Obama at one time did not support gay marriage and favored civil unions instead.  I think that's the very definition of flip-flopping.  Obama calls it evolving.  So when Romney changes his position on an issue, it's called flip-flopping.  When Obama changes his position, it's evolving.

Is this double-standard now clear to everyone?

Gallaudet University Hates Free Speech

This is certainly the latest buzz on the Internet.  Everyone knows that free speech is punishable in many areas of the world.  Imagine writing a blog in the Muslim world advocating education for women.  Sadly, you'll be shot in the head.  Some other non-free speech places in the world that come to mind are China, Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, the NFL, Maryland.....

Wait, what?  Oh, that's right.  You are not entitled to an opinion in some places in Maryland.  If you live in Maryland or are a strong advocate on either side of Question 6, which is a referendum to allow gay marriage in Maryland, then you are familiar with this whole issue.

Though not in Maryland, Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. placed an employee of the school on leave when it learned that she signed a petition favoring placement of the issue on the ballot in Maryland, which recently passed a marriage equality law.

It's disappointing, perhaps even illegal, that a school would punish an employee for their opinion and participation in the legislative process.  According to this article, Gallaudet University has no written policy prohibiting employees from participating in politics.  Therefore I must conclude that it's an unwritten policy.

So if you're looking for a job and you value your opinion, you should consider avoiding Gallaudet University.  They are the school for the deaf and intolerant.

Chick-Fil-A: Separation of Church and Business?

Syrian Civil War?  Obama versus Romney?  The Olympics?  Nope.  Who knew that the biggest news of the summer would be that Chick-Fil-A hates gay people and wants to kidnap them and convert them to heterosexuals or allow them to die?  Sounds pretty ridiculous, right?  If you're on Facebook, this is exactly the kinds of things you've been reading.

We'll start with a fact.  Chick-Fil-A owner Dan Cathy was recently asked if he's against gay marriage.  He responded by saying that he supported traditional marriage.  BOOM!  Busted!!!  How dare the president of a privately owned company claim that he has a belief that violates one of the core beliefs of the liberal media and many Americans???

I saw one of those Your Cards on Facebook that read: Let's ask the Christian owner of a restaurant chain that isn't open on Sunday his view on gay marriage and act surprised and outraged when we don't like his answer.  I think this accurately sums it up.  I think this was a total set-up.  Seek and destroy the companies that have Christian beliefs for they violate the principles of others.

I then got to thinking.  We have a separation of Church and state, or at least we do in most of the country.  If you've ever been in the South you'll know that it's not necessarily the case.  In case you were wondering, the actually basis is from the Free Exercise Clause, which is the accompanying clause of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

But something bigger is at work here.  A vocal portion of society is pushing for a separation of Church and business.  No business shall have any opinions or beliefs that violate the beliefs of the vocal liberal state.  Am I off base here?  Or did I hit the nail on the head?  Anyone who is a practicing Christian is labeled a bigot for following the religious belief that only a man and a woman should get married.  I should clarify - I think all religions have some stance against gay marriage.  And don't you find it a bit ironic when the Christians are attacked and labeled as bigots?  Aren't the people that hate the Christians and call them bigots actually bigots themselves?

And you know it's out of hand when elected officials start chiming in taking sides on the issue.  Loose liberal Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel and Boston Mayor Thomas Manino said they would do what they could to prevent Chick Fil A from expanding to their cities.  So if you have an opinion that differs with Rahm Emanuel, you're not allowed to open a business in Chicago?  That's F-d up!  Even former Maryland Delegate Saqib Ali agrees with that (as seen on Facebook).

Any by the way, where's the ACLU in all this mess?  The ACLU is a strong supporter of the First Amendment.  For those of you that attended Baltimore City Public Schools, the First Amendment protects free speech.  The ACLU has supported hate speech for years.  They should be rushing to the defense of Chick-Fil-A.  Where are they?  Oh, wait.....they did side with Chick-Fil-A!!!  I bet this has the liberals' tie-dye t-shirts all up in a wad.

I'm not saying I'm against gay marriage, but I'm definitely against the attack against Christians and religion on general.  I will continue to support Chick-Fil-A.  Let's allow the elected officials to take care of the laws and leave people who believe something different alone.

Speaking of Flip-Flopping.....Steny Hoyer

Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer seems to be the latest in a long line of liberal lemmings to flip-flop their official position on gay marriage. Congressman Hoyer is best known for his bigoted/racist remark about African-American Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele ("a career of slavishly supporting the Republican Party.").

 I'm not sure why Hoyer felt the need to announce his change in position.  It's not like he's going to run for a higher office. We've established that already. Perhaps he feels threatened by the Republican Congressional challenger Tony O'Donnell.

 Now that I think about it - it's a legitimate threat. Hoyer has been "slavishly supporting the Democratic Party" in Congress for 31 years. People are tired of the same old tax-tax-tax, spend-spend-spend mentality that Hoyer offers.  I honestly think there will be a bigger sea of change in the upcoming election. Wouldn't it be awesome to see Steny Hoyer get his retirement ticket punched? I mean, 31 years of solid failure should be good enough to send someone off into the sunset.

 So are there any other Democrats in Maryland who are not officially in favor of gay marriage and need to announce that they have changed their position?  Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Obama O'Malley O'Marriage O'Flip-Flop

So it seems like the Democrats are trying to steer the upcoming election away from what is important (the economy), to a social issue (gay marriage).  I guess if you know you're in trouble, look a squirrel!

After increasing pressure from the press, the Hollywood bully-pulpit, and Vice President Biden going rogue, President Obama was backed into a corner and forced to say that he is now in favor of gay marriage.  This is, of course, after saying that he was against gay marriage, but yet had an "evolving" opinion.  Don't be fooled.  This is rhetoric for "I'm monitoring public opinion and will shift my answer when I feel it is most advantageous to my polling numbers."  This evolving opinion was, of course, after Obama was previously in favor of gay marriage prior to running for political office. Thank goodness for Obama the public has a short memory.

Following President Obama's most recent flip-flopping on the social issue of gay marriage, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley praised Obama for this flip-flop.  This is coming for O'Malley who's known for his own flip-flops.  O'Malley was praised for his support of the gay marriage initiative in Maryland during this recent legislative session.  But this is after being AGAINST gay marriage during his first term in office.  How can you praise someone for a decision when they were against it previously?  If I was the benefactor of the changed opinion, in this case the gay community, I absolutely wouldn't trust him (not that I trust him anyway).

You know Martin O'Malley is sitting in his red smoking robe tonight patting himself on the back for getting another press conference to let everyone know that he agrees with the President.  Whoop-dee-doo.  This guy wants to be President  himself, right?  God help us.

Same Sex Marriage

If you follow Maryland politics or LBGT issues, you know that Maryland is passing a gay marriage law. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley said that he will sign the bill when it gets to his desk.

This isn't the first time that the gay marriage has been discussed in the Maryland General Assembly. Last year a nearly identical bill stalled and died in committee. What's the difference this year? Are the delegates and state senators measuring public opinion? Is public opinion stronger this year? It's always about getting reelected, so if the politicians think that if they vote for a controversial bill, they risk not getting reelected. And let's face it - that's really all they care about.

Yesterday a coworker asked me what my opinion is. I told him I honestly didn't have an opinion. He found that hard to believe. But it's true. Is this the same as being against it? I hope not. I'm not for it. I'm not against it.

I think of it like this: do you have an opinion on the state's transferring of teachers' pensions to the counties? Do you have an opinion on the gerrymandered redistricting plan? Do you have an opinion on misuse of state transportation funds? I do. Those issues impact me. Gay marriage doesn't impact me, so whatever is decided will happen and my life will continue as it always has. I'm not saying those issues are more important. Just more relevant to me.

I told my coworker that I thought gay marriage was inevitable. Maryland becomes the 8th state (I think) to allow gay marriage. I think it's only a matter of time before it is recognized at a federal level, regardless of what nationally-elected politicians are saying at this point.

So while many people are celebrating and others are disgusted, I shrug my shoulders and think, "Okay, I knew that was coming." Next?

Post Election Analysis

So here we are - the day after. The election went as expected. The media people are as happy as larks. And who should be surprised? Most people hate George W. Bush and this was a good reason to sock it to the Republicans.

We can't blame this all on GW. The Republicans in general ran a pretty shitty campaign. Liz Dole lost in North Carolina for criticizing her Sunday school teacher opponent as being Godless. Not too smart.

Andy Harris ran ads that never told you anything about himself. Every ad was about how his opponent is too liberal. Well, Andy, perhaps you're too conservative. In a heavy Democratic state, right-wing conservatives rarely win. Moderate conservatives win.

So what should we expect now? If the Democrats are smart, which they are not (and neither are Republicans), they will not go around saying that they now have a mandate from the people. The Republicans made this mistake 8 years go and they may be paying for it for a long time. Partisan mandates do not endear the majority of voters who fall in the middle of the political spectrum.

Harry "Radical" Reid and Nancy "Pork" Pelosi will start ramming through radical liberal programs and will go against the beliefs of half of this country. But don't worry, they're perched at the top of their tree and there's nothing we can do about it.

The economy will recover as it always does and Liberals will take credit for it. And they can because Obama will make companies hire more people. And Obama will make people spend more money. These are the 2 things that get you out of a recession. From my tongue-in-cheek point, the government does not have THAT much control over the economy. It goes in cycles. Always has. Always will. But it's nice and convenient to be the party in charge when things get good and Obama will probably be there.

We can expect Gay Marriage to be addressed. I honestly couldn't care less either way. Gun control will take a turn for the worst. Criminals will get more guns. Honest citizens will find it more difficult to get guns. Troop levels will be diminished in Iraq, but we will still be there at the end of Obama's term. We're still in Cuba. We're still in Germany. We're still in Korea. We're still in Japan. Heck, we have bases in Great Britain and Spain and we weren't at war with them at the time. Imagine if China wanted to put a military base in California? Barb Boxer and Pelosi probably wouldn't be against it, but I could probably find 350 million others that would be. And Joe Biden could find 100 million middle class families that are against it.

Obama will reach out to other countries. I am happy with that. I did not like the arrogant "if you're not with us you're against us" attitude of the Bush Administration. However, I do not want to see us seeking consensus from France and Belgium about what our national policies should be. Keep them involved, but we should ultimately decide what's best for us. Our destiny should not be determined by the Euro crowd.

Taxes will go through the roof. They pretty much have to if Obama wants to reduce our deficit and increase the social programs. Obama has already pledged to raise taxes on what he defines as rich. Capital Gains taxes will double or triple. For those of us "middle class" people, we'll be screwed. Obama claims that the wealth will be redistributed, but watch. It will go to social programs, not cash distributions. That's not quite the redistribution that his proponents are expecting.

I'm sure a Supreme Court Justice will retire. Antonin Scalia and Anothony Kennedy are 72. Radical Liberal David Souter is 69. Extreme radical liberal Ruth Ginsburg is 75 and has cancer. Odds are at least one of them will die and a couple will retire. Obama will claim to rebalance the Supreme Court and appoint all very-liberal thinking justices. Of course, since the Senate is mostly Democrats, all will be confirmed.

Obama will claim to work on fixing health care, but in the long run nothing will change. The same goes for Social Security reform. However, you can't escape from the fact that soon there will be more recipients of Social Security than there are contributors to the program. Benefits will have to be cut and taxes to fund it will need to increase dramatically. This is change.

So what do you think an Obama administration will mean? What do you think will change?