The GOP and the New Culture

November 23, 2012

by Alan M Aszkler (edited and partially truncated by FT)

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/11/the_gop_and_the_new_culture.html

Obama won re-election in one of the worst economic periods in American history. Collectively the GOP brain trust is correct in their analysis of why Romney lost yet has missed the most fundamental point. The new America Culture just didn't feel good voting Romney.

Rush Limbaugh believes it's difficult to beat Santa Claus. 

Ann Coulter believes the country has reached the tipping point. 

Laura Ingram believes the loss was the fault of those running the Romney campaign. 

Bill O'Reilly, feels "Romney lost because he was an establishment Candidate and it's not a traditional America anymore."

Sean Hannity believes "It's time to start nominating disciplined, principled, conservatives –– men and women will who will defeat their opponents, not themselves." 

Newt Gingrich said, "We were clearly wrong on a whole range of fronts." 

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal attributed Romney's loss to a lack of "a specific vision that connected with the American people." 

Sen. Scott Brown, "We need to be a larger-tent party." 

Mitt Romney believed "The Obama campaign was following the old playbook of giving a lot of stuff to groups that they hoped they could get to vote for them and be motivated to go out to the polls."

Contrary to what is believed by the GOP leadership and conservative talking heads, the devastating loss of the presidency was not tied to a failure to expound the virtues of conservative values widely held by the majority of Americans. We have to promote conservative values to a new American culture that needs to feel good about voting conservative. We cannot make them vote conservative because it's the right thing to do. We need to attract the attention of the culture so they are ready to hear the conservative narrative.

In the last election, Republicans and Mitt Romney came across as the scolding parent to an audience of adolescents.

Romney, while preaching to adult conservatives, told the liberal children it's time to get out of bed, brush your teeth, put on your Sunday best because we are going to Church and that's final.

The electorate heard an overbearing parent telling them they must grow up; get to work, and work hard to make a better life.

And the RNC brain trust wonders why this message failed to pierce the cultural ear buds? OMG, Romney is not there to be my best friend for life!

How did this cultural shift happen?

Government monopoly of public education has facilitated a cultural shift since the era of the Great Society. Schools teach students to feign rational approaches to problem solving and filter decisions through emotions. How does it make you feel implementing your solution? Public education rewards effort over results, because it is not fair that students have different skills or abilities –– it's not your grades that count but how you feel about your attempts to pursue them! History is no longer about facts but is taught from an emotional perspective. 

America enslaved African Negroes to farm land stolen from the indigenous people. You shouldn't feel good about that nor should you be proud to be American.

Obama wooed voters with emotional focus-group tested messages, allowing them to accept the abysmal failure of his presidency. Voters re-elected him because it felt good to vote for him, again.

Overview of the DNC message, "vote for us because you should be free to do what you want when you want to do it!" No worries, the government will be there to provide for your needs and get this we will make those overbearing parents pay for it. ...

They heard the Message. Sa-weet! We can flip off the parents, smoke pot, have sex, party like a rock star or do whatever we want and Obama will make our parents pay for it. I'm voting for Obama!

So what needs to be done about it?

Romney's candidacy was the perfect representation of what a Reagan Conservative should be. He lost because America's cultural base has shifted from a self-reliant, God, Family, and Country culture to a nation of dependency looking to the government to provide for social needs, and to legislate fairness. America's populace [has been conditioned to be] willing to trade liberty for security. Hence any candidate preaching conservative values does not resonate with this New American Culture.

The RNC needs to accept that we have a culture of adolescents remaining there well into their 30's, and be knowledgeable of the cultural differences with the Hispanic, Black and Asian communities. Successfully broadcasting conservative values in a culturally specific message that allows each demographic to feel good about their voting decision is a winning strategy. ...

Conservatives believe all American's should have unlimited opportunities in a robust flourishing economy. All voters are welcome in our tents who want the freedom to choose their destiny. Our opponents are the party that wants you to believe you can do whatever you want without consequences, as long as you follow the government rules –– clearly an oxymoron.

Conservatives really do understand people want to have the freedom to make their own decisions and pursue happiness, we get that. We call it liberty. We believe that nobody likes an overbearing parent or overreaching government telling you what you can and cannot do.

We have solutions that are fair for all American's. Vote with us because when you are ready to succeed, you and all Americans will have great opportunities.

The RNC should spend a few million on anthropologists to study the new culture, determine why they vote, and promote a message to attract them. With the electorate ready any conservative candidate will succeed in 2016.

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Alanaszkler@gmail.com is a Polish American conservative and frequent contributor to American Thinker and has been interviewed on national syndicated talk radio for works published here.

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