Republicans continue to define themselves by what they are against

[DonViejo]

What are we for?

By John Feehery - 12/09/13 07:33 PM EST

Republicans continue to define themselves by what they are against, and so far, that strategy has worked out pretty well.

This strategy — such as the GOP’s battle against ObamaCare — might very well carry the party to electoral success next November. Democrats have no chance of taking back the House, and Republicans now have a better than 50/50 chance of taking back the Senate.

President Obama’s mere presence has made it difficult for Republicans to go through a serious re-evaluation of what their party stands for and what they want to achieve. Every president sets the issue table (he proposes) and the Congress reacts (it disposes), and Congressional Republicans don’t have the bandwidth to offer a competing vision. They nominally control only one chamber of the Congress and have met intractable opposition from the Senate majority leader to any kind of positive alternative. And Obama has defined the issues (healthcare, climate change, immigration reform, gay marriage) in such a way as to ensure significant GOP opposition.

It hasn’t helped that the GOP has been fractured ideologically, with the business and libertarian wings at each other’s throats and the Tea Party trying to overthrow the so-called establishment. If there is no unanimity among the party faithful as to what we all believe, how can Republican leaders define a positive agenda?

full article
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/192548-john-feehery-what-are-we-for

[Scuba]

1. "Democrats have no chance of taking back the House, and Republicans now have a better ..."

"Democrats have no chance of taking back the House, and Republicans now have a better than 50/50 chance of taking back the Senate. "


Hey Democrats, maybe we need to offer the electorate something to inspire them besides "not the Republican".

[DonViejo]

3. No, no, no Scuba!

It's far more important that we focus on 2016 and argue about who will be the best Presidential candidate that year. After all, the Congress isn't all that important if we've got the White House dontchaknow?

[Scuba]

4. I've still waiting for 2014 Democratic candidates to state their policy positions.

Isn't that important? Or can you hold conservative positions as long as you call yourself a Dem?

[DonViejo]

5. What's it matter where the 2014 candidates for Congress stand on

any issue? Our focus is 2016 and resolving who the absolute bestest candidate for the White House will be. We have to resolve that long before we can put any energy into 2014! If it takes us until 2015 and we lose both Houses of Congress in 2014, so be it! Our victory in 2016 will resolve everything!

[Scuba]

6. I get your sarcasm. So why are we forfeiting 2014? That's what lack of a platform is doing.

[CJCRANE]

2. It's worse than that. They are against what the other guy is doing

even if it's something they used to agree with.

That attitude leads to inertia or simply going round in circles (which amounts to the same thing).