Call Me GOP

Mere months ago — shortly after Obama stepped into office — “rebranding” was quite the buzzword in Republican circles. They were determined to redefine the G.O.P., reach out to young voters, and become a better party. They were excited. It sounded so promising.

Since then: crickets.

Has the effort simply “flamed out” as Patrick O’Conner reports it has? What will it take for the G.O.P. to step up and get its act together, or is it just not ready yet?

(via Washington Monthly)

Republicans rejoice that the congressional generic ballot is closer than it’s been in five years, yet the G.O.P. still isn’t seen as a positive alternative to Democrats.

Politico outlines a few strategies the G.O.P. should think about in upcoming years, including keeping the president in check, winning on the issues, capturing the youth vote, and reaching out to Hispanic and African-American voters. These suggestions are just the beginning, though. What else could be added to this list to make the Republican Party a stronger force in the future?

Lately, it seems there’s been a host of young conservatives rapping about politics. From the Young Cons out of Dartmouth to “Just Tax” — a parody of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” — which seems to have gone viral a couple of days ago. In The Daily Beast, Meghan McCain discusses the connection between pop culture and politics. But Autotune and dance beats alone aren’t enough. Is there a generational difference between voters’ ideologies and political concerns? What might young voters care about that the older generations don’t (and vice versa)?

Despite all the press November’s election got, the numbers show that voting rates in 2008’s presidential race were down from 2004. In particular, this Breitbart article calls out that older (white) voters had little interest in supporting either candidate. Have politicians gone too far campaigning for the youth vote that they’ve neglected the older demographic? How can they reach out in a manner that speaks to both?

Young Republicans say it’s a “tough time” for their party. G.O.P. leaders want to learn from their youth. That’s great, but they don’t say what they want to learn. I want to know what young conservative voters can teach their party. Maybe more important is this: is the party willing to listen?

In the last election, Obama was praised for getting the youth vote. Why couldn’t the Republican Party?

The “Young Con Anthem” from two kids out of Dartmouth University has been going around the internet for about a month now, but it’s worth another view.