Nov
5
Perspective
November 5, 2008 | 3 Comments
In the coming days and months we will see plenty of columns and blogposts written about how the GOP can get back into the game, and I’m sure I will be responsible for more than a few. But let’s wait a bit before we go into full bore policy mode. For now we should just take stock of where we are.
There are a few things we need to keep in mind before we completely give in to fatalism. Last night was bad, but the reality is that the Republican Party is in essentially the same spot the Democrats were in a mere four years ago, and about the same as the GOP was in after the 1992 election.
Obama’s ultimate popular vote margin of victory will be more substantial than Bush’s over Kerry and about on par with Clinton’s over Bush, but it was not a blowout. The Democrats will hold a slightly larger lead in the Senate than the GOP had four years ago, and it will be about the same as the Democratic majority after 1992. Ditto for the House. And though Obama was able to flip at least eight red states last night, only two really portend long-term trouble for the GOP: Colorado and Virginia. Meanwhile, former swing states such as West Virginia and Tennessee can now reliably be put in the red column. (Hmmm, West Virginia and Virginia seem to be returning to their post Civil War positions.)
That being said, there are a few very troubling electoral patterns. John McCain lost eight of the nine most populous states. Though Florida, Ohio, and even Pennsylvania are not forever lost, the Republican Party cannot go into every presidential election with no shot in California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and Michigan. You’re basically conceding half the Electoral College right there, and that is simply not sustainable. Inroads must be made in some of these states or it will grow increasingly difficult for a Republican to win the White House. And while I’m happy to go to war with the southeast at my back, we need to recapture the midwest.
Again, we’ll get into the particulars of how to go about doing all that later on. For now, maybe we should all forget about politics for a few days and enjoy some of the finer aspects of life – like the continued dominance of the New York football Giants.
No TagComments
3 Comments so far
agree with most of your post, except the Giants remark – E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!!!!
See you Sunday night.
I’ve been trying to tell myself the same thing for a lot of today, that it is possible to regroup as in 1992.
Somehow, though, the party feels as useless as the Whigs might have seemed in 1852. When we’re reduced to celebrating victories by Susan Collins and Ted Stevens, it’s time to reconsider many things.
At least Stevens will be replaced soon, probably by his primary challenger who’s a bit younger, fresher, and closer to being relevant to the remnants of the base.
Aside from that…you should probably move further south.