BuzzFeed reporter Andrew Kaczynski observed that with gays possibly in the Boy Scouts, comprehensive immigration reform emerging in the House and Senate and with women in combat, this week has been one of the worst weeks in Rick Santorum’s entire life.
As the American people continue to progress, the Republican Party insists on moving in the opposite direction. Although Republicans have been offered the perfect opportunity to move toward sensible, pragmatic solutions, the party leadership is once again finding sanctuary in failed policies and radical ideology.
The GOP no longer has a message that resonates with the American people. Gone are the Reagan days of policy-by-anecdote – we’re not as simple-minded as Republicans think we are. Fox News, Pat Robertson and conservative talk radio could not scare us out of electing President Barack Hussein Obama to a second term.
We, the people, won.
So now Republicans are scrambling for answers. How could they have possibly lost an election so pivotal to the future of this great nation? How could they have spent billions of dollars trying to buy an election and yet fall so short? As you might presume, in its search for answers, the GOP is only stumbling upon excuses.
House Speaker John Boehner decided to play the victim at a recent speech in Wisconsin, saying President Obama is trying to “annihilate” the Republican Party. Former vice presidential candidate and Rep. Paul Ryan claimed President Obama is seeking “political conquest” of the GOP.
The only person whose modern-day assessment of the GOP contained a shred of factual analysis was that of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who had a blunt message for the GOP: stop being the stupid party.
I wholly agree with Gov. Jindal; if the Republicans keep talking about women, minorities and the poor with so much disdain, they might be extinct in a few elections. However, the problem for the GOP is not just stupid comments; it’s that the Republicans actually believe what they’re saying. It’s not just a messaging problem; the American people have whole-heartedly rejected the GOP’s message.
In five of the last six presidential elections, Democrats have won the popular vote. The American people have rejected the idea that the top 1 percent of all earners should pay fewer taxes than those in the middle class. They have rejected the notion that we should continue borrowing from future generations to finance two wars — one being the longest war in U.S. history; the other, a war of choice.
We, the people, have spoken. We believe health care is a right rather than a privilege — we believe a family shouldn’t go bankrupt because of an illness, and an insurance company shouldn’t deny coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
The Republicans’ message is losing — it has failed time and time again. As New York Times columnist Paul Krugman observed, their proposals for a makeover all involve changing the sales pitch rather than the product.
We’re all sick of hearing this cultish mantra that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Actually, guns have killed over 1,300 individuals since the tragedy in Newton. Americans believe in common sense gun control — our cities are undoubtedly safer with fewer guns on our streets.
A majority of Americans believe in marriage equality and a woman’s right to choose. We the people believe that the wealthiest Americans should pay a higher percentage in taxes than the middle class. We believe that women should receive equal pay for equal work and that an immigrant seeking a better life on our shores should be welcomed instead of turned away.
Republicans don’t.
Not only do Republicans have a public relations problem, they have a platform problem. The Republican Party thinks they are a populist party, advocating for individual liberty and small government. But in reality, the GOP is just a party with disdain and bitterness toward non-white, non-male, ordinary Americans. While the American people have changed, the GOP hasn’t.
If Republicans continue to be enveloped by delusion, it may ultimately lead to the party’s demise, and they will only have themselves to blame.
Sean Higgins is a political science and sociology double-major from Brookings, S.D. Follow him on Twitter @seanmhiggins.
