Call Me GOP

Time is running out to vote on the Republican Sweet Sixteen. You’ve got the weekend to weigh in on the bracket and who should speak for the G.O.P. So far, it looks like we have Mitt Romney with an overwhelming lead. Why is he your candidate of choice? Or isn’t he?

Next week, we’ll narrow the list down to a Final Four (skipping the Great Eight  step so we can get a move on our mission). Then, you’re free to vote, argue, and, of course, leave comments. You certainly are an opinionated bunch! Just what we wanted…

So vote now! (Or forever hold your peace…)

The election of Audra Shay as the new chairman of the Young Republicans has sparked much controversy within the group. As reported in The Daily Beast:

“I’m (like many) still trying to decide whether to quit, or fight, or try to help repair our organization’s reputation, or if we even deserve repair…There are a lot of YRs who want to take our party back, but the name has been damaged so much now, I’m not sure we want it back. There truly are so many good people involved, but I feel the damage has been done by these few extreme bad apples.”

What do you all think of the 38-year-old and the recent election? Is she truly representative of the party or an “extreme bad apple” that’s doing more harm than good?

What are the unique characteristics that define the Republican party?

Since our real goal here is to find the voice of the G.O.P. by identifying the core values he/she should uphold and the characteristics he/she should embody, maybe it’s time to stop in our tracks and determine exactly what those are.

As a Democrat with a staunch Republican father and many Republican friends, I often pose the question, “What is it that makes you a Republican?” In doing so, I always find that there’s flawless consistency in these three answers:

• High taxes suck.
• No one’s going to tell me I can’t own a gun.
• My dad (or mom) is a Republican.

And that’s where the consistency ends. As a fiscally conservative Democrat, I usually offer that:

• I also hate, nay, loathe, high taxes (although I do have very un-Republican feelings about where my tax dollars should go when they inevitably leave me).
• I absolutely agree that people should be able to carry guns, (which stems from my first-hand exposure to my dad’s near-death at the hands of someone who could have easily been stopped with the help of such a defense mechanism) but that there should be stronger barriers of entry.
• My dad is also a Republican.

So, since these are the three most consistent answers I’ve come across in my (admittedly informal) research, and I can claim all three as a Democrat, what are the unique characteristics that define the Republican party? What is it that the Republican Party offers that the Democratic party doesn’t? And of those things, which do the majority of Republicans claim most consistently?

If you can overlook the poor website design, this is an interesting (at least fun) calculator that will determine the ideal 2012 candidate for you based on your positions and values. What are your results and how accurate do you think they are?

Who’s emerging as the favorite G.O.P. candidate for 2012? Mitt Romney, a recent Gallup poll indicates. In fact, over a quarter of Republicans and Republican-leaning citizens polled favor him. What does this man offer that the other candidates don’t?

Read about it at FOX.

You know, I often admire Meghan McCain for being a brazen, different sort of voice in the G.O.P. She confidently calls herself anti-Coulter, anti-Limbaugh, and anti…well, many of the loudmouths of the Republican Party. Here’s Out magazine’s profile of her (and the Huffington Post’s coverage of it). Meghan may be a more controversial character, but why can’t she (and others like her) be the voice of the G.O.P.? Is this, at least, how the party should be speaking to younger generations?

House minority whip Eric Cantor slipped up last night regarding Obama’s opening pitch before launching into a discussion on the Democrats’ health care plan. (Check out this flow chart a group of Republicans put together.) The man who was “looking forward” to working with the president is now serving up a lot of criticism. Of course, being critical is always good thing, and he seems like an agreeable guy. So what do you think about Cantor? Do you think he’s a strong leader…or does he need to toughen up?

Mike Huckabee says that the G.O.P. needs Sarah Palin to rebuild the party because she “rallies people.” But didn’t she turn people off just as much as she drew them to her? What else did Palin bring to the Republican Party?

Obama’s job approval rating is at its lowest yet. However, Gallup points out that this isn’t uncommon for presidents in their first term after they outlive their “honeymoon period” in office. Interestingly enough, while Republicans approval rating of him is still the lowest, the primary cause of the drop came from Independents. What actions could he take that would give him a boost again?

A Gallup poll says that women (of all ages) are more likely to identify as Democrats than men are. Why is this? Is it because there are fewer powerful female Republican leaders? Is it the G.O.P.’s pro-life stance? Or something else entirely?