In analyzing the reasons why the Republican Party lost the last election, the chairman suggests the party must embrace gays, abortion, and amnesty to become politically competitive.
This ideological compromise dismisses many other factors why the Republicans lost: that the past presidential campaign had the wrong candidate in Romney; that Romney offended many (particularly Gingrich) during the debates; that the 23-debate strategy was a public relations disaster; that Romney’s handlers believed his “good guy image” would prevail; that Obama’s four-year failure would be decisive.
The chair also ignored the schism between the party establishment and the conservative faction exemplified by the Tea Party. That major schism still exists and will be the major factor in the party’s success or demise.
The chairman shares responsibility for the past defeat. He was certainly wrong then and is wrong now in believing the party’s resurrection must surrender its principles to inclusionism. If that is the party’s platform, finality will result.
This article appears in Mar 21-28, 2013.
