# Will The Republicans ever figure out why they lost? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 26, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224 "2012-12-26T21:33:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 50
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/981 "2013-07-02T01:50:58Z")
Have you forgotten our dastardly plan to oppress and disenfranchise America’s heroes? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/982 "2013-07-02T01:51:09Z")
And they were just handed a great, big, sloppy, wet kiss by the RATSK on the SCOTUS with the VRA ruling. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/983 "2013-07-02T10:22:27Z")
Of course the GOP can still win without learning anything. When you’re only down by 2-3 points nationally, it’s not hard to get ahead. And as I’ve pointed out before, with the white vote turning more and more Republican, they don’t even have to reach out to minorities to do it. Heck, they don’t even need more white support, just a little more white turnout, since many whites stayed home in 2008 and 2012. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/984 "2013-07-02T10:29:46Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Of course the GOP can still win without learning anything. When you’re only down by 2-3 points nationally, it’s not hard to get ahead. And as I’ve pointed out before, with the white vote turning more and more Republican, they don’t even have to reach out to minorities to do it. Heck, they don’t even need more white support, just a little more white turnout, since many whites stayed home in 2008 and 2012. So you think that’s the attitude they should go with? Very winning. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/985 "2013-07-02T10:46:03Z")
If you believe that one person is as good as another person, there’s nothing wrong with winning more white voters. Unless you think minority votes should count more or something. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/986 "2013-07-02T10:50:39Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > If you believe that one person is as good as another person, there’s nothing wrong with winning more white voters. Unless you think minority votes should count more or something. You seem to be fine with them not counting at all. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/987 "2013-07-02T10:57:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Of course the GOP can still win without learning anything. When you’re only down by 2-3 points nationally, it’s not hard to get ahead. And as I’ve pointed out before, with the white vote turning more and more Republican, they don’t even have to reach out to minorities to do it. Heck, they don’t even need more white support, just a little more white turnout, since many whites stayed home in 2008 and 2012. Please spread this strategy to all your conservative friends. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/988 "2013-07-02T12:04:18Z")
You don’t think that’s already the conservative strategy? Worked great in Alabama and Mississippi. Despite high minority populations, they are rock solid red due to white voters voting as a bloc. No reason that can’t be extended nationwide. I can easily see Republicans winning 80-90% of the white vote nationwide if Democrats maintain their current course ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/989 "2013-07-02T12:10:02Z")
Yeah, keep trying to win the ethnic group that is shrinking while pissing off all the ethnic groups that are growing. Sounds like a winning strategy to me. But just in case that isn’t enough to ensure perpetual victory, make sure you keep treating women as being somewhat less than equal to men. There. That ought to do it. Republicans are assured of being in power forever. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/990 "2013-07-02T12:21:47Z")
Shrinking, but remaining a majority for our lifetimes. And if it wasn’t for the GOP’s problem with women, we’d already be winning 75% of the white vote and winning every election by a landslide. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/991 "2013-07-02T12:44:41Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > And if it wasn’t for the GOP’s problem with women, we’d already be winning 75% of the white vote and winning every election by a landslide. Can the GOP increase the white vote without doing something to stop alienating women? By the way, Karl Rove disagrees with you: [Karl Rove: More White Votes Alone Won’t Save the GOP](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323873904578569480696746650.html) > [@](#): > > The reality is that the nonwhite share of the vote will keep growing. As the American Enterprise Institute’s Henry Olsen pointed out in a recent speech, the nonwhite vote as a share of total voters has increased in every presidential election since 1996 by 2% (much of it Hispanic) while the share of the white vote has dropped by 2% each election. So with regards to the white vote, your party is going the wrong way, and has been for the last five presidential elections. I see no reason to expect a turnaround any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/992 "2013-07-02T12:56:34Z")
That’s without mentioning, of course, that whites do NOT vote as a bloc. There are plenty of white progressives and even moderates who are disgusted by the GOP’s tactics and rhetoric. It’s like dismissing the gay vote without noting that they HAVE straight allies with gay relatives and friends who will vote against the party that hates the gays more with every speech they give. And dismissing male voters on women’s issues, as if men don’t have daughters, mothers and wives and can see what GOP policies will do to hurt them. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/993 "2013-07-02T13:00:13Z")
Whites don’t vote as a bloc in most of the country. They do in Alabama and Mississippi, and as the minority vote increases, it is more than offset by whites becoming more Republican. Right now Republicans are winning Reagan/Mondale level landslides among the demographics of 1984. That’s why the continual predictions of Democratic dominance never actually come true in practice and aren’t likely to in the near future. As Republicans alienate minority voters, Democrats have been going out of their way to alienate white voters. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/994 "2013-07-02T13:32:49Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Whites don’t vote as a bloc in most of the country. They do in Alabama and Mississippi, and as the minority vote increases, it is more than offset by whites becoming more Republican. > > Right now Republicans are winning Reagan/Mondale level landslides among the demographics of 1984. That’s why the continual predictions of Democratic dominance never actually come true in practice and aren’t likely to in the near future. As Republicans alienate minority voters, Democrats have been going out of their way to alienate white voters. I see some flies in your ointment. First of all, I can’t name a single thing that Democrats are doing to go out of their way to alienate white voters. Can you? Several examples would be awesome. Now why the landslide margins among whites? Could it be because of Obama’s race? The Republicans only have one more midterm election to exploit white racism aimed at Obama. In 2016, they’ll have to rely on misogyny. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/995 "2013-07-02T13:52:00Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Right now Republicans are winning Reagan/Mondale level landslides among the demographics of 1984. And this sentence is the distilled essence of the GOP FailComplex. 1984 was almost 30 years ago. The country no longer looks like it did in 1984. And it looks less like it every single year. Clinging to “the demographics of 1984” is why your party is on the downhill slide. Well, part of why. The racism, sexism, homophobia and religious hatred help, too. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/996 "2013-07-02T15:08:04Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > You don’t think that’s already the conservative strategy? Worked great in Alabama and Mississippi. Despite high minority populations, they are rock solid red due to white voters voting as a bloc. No reason that can’t be extended nationwide. I can easily see Republicans winning 80-90% of the white vote nationwide if Democrats maintain their current course No, you can’t. There are plenty of solid-blue states and counties where the majority of voters are white, and reliable Dems. Nothing the party does in its present formation, nothing the present Admin does, is likely to drive them into the GOP camp like Reagan Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/997 "2013-07-02T15:10:10Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > And if it wasn’t for the GOP’s problem with women, we’d already be winning 75% of the white vote and winning every election by a landslide. No, you wouldn’t, because white women and men would still have plenty of economic reasons and plenty of values-based reasons not to vote Republican. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/998 "2013-07-02T15:13:33Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > You don’t think that’s already the conservative strategy? Worked great in Alabama and Mississippi. Despite high minority populations, they are rock solid red due to white voters voting as a bloc. No reason that can’t be extended nationwide. I can easily see Republicans winning 80-90% of the white vote nationwide if Democrats maintain their current course I know a lot of white people. People tell me I’m white too. I don’t see anything about the “current course” of the Democratic party that would make any of my white friends and family even consider voting for Republicans. What is it about the Democratic “course” that you think will be driving white people away? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/999 "2013-07-02T16:12:41Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I know a lot of white people. People tell me I’m white too. I don’t see anything about the “current course” of the Democratic party that would make any of my white friends and family even consider voting for Republicans. What is it about the Democratic “course” that you think will be driving white people away? I’ve noticed a lot of Republicans arguing not that they aren’t racist but that they aren’t any more racist than Democrats. So if lots of white Republicans hate the brownification of America, then lots of white Democrats must hate it too. If lots of white Republicans fear for the future of their race, then lots of white Democrats fear for it too. So, it’s just a matter of time before lots of white Democrats become Republicans. It’s like homophobes who believe everyone else is also obsessed with the idea of having gay sex. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/1000 "2013-07-02T16:32:12Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Whites don’t vote as a bloc in most of the country. They do in Alabama and Mississippi, and as the minority vote increases, it is more than offset by whites becoming more Republican. Not nationally. Republicans are getting 2% fewer white votes in every presidential election since 1996. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224.md?page=51)