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Politico
GOP’s
recipe for success is found on state level
By
Mark R. Kennedy
10/14/13
With
both cocktails and political messaging, it all comes down to the mix.
Most people don’t want to guzzle down a glass full of gin, but with
the right proportions of tonic and lime, a large majority of people
will enjoy a gin-based cocktail. The Republican brand, as it is
currently being served to the American people, is too much 100-proof
Washington whiskey and not enough club soda, which is overpowering
the successes the GOP is having at the state level. Rebalancing the
recipe will be essential for national electoral success in 2014 and
beyond.
In
Washington, some Republicans have ginned up a whole lot of agitation.
After the last debt ceiling faceoff and the 2012 elections, others
recognized the need to broaden their message. Instead, a few loud
voices hijacked the discussion and decided to attach an unattainable
goal, the repeal of Obamacare, to a must-pass spending bill,
generating a maelstrom that crowded out efforts to address
entitlements, tax simplification, immigration or trade expansion.
The
end result has been a seemingly endless torrent of D.C. news items
that reinforce the “party of no” narrative that the GOP has been
attempting to change since last year’s presidential defeat. It’s
been overpowering the other elements of the Republican brand.
In
the rest of the country, Republicans have a host of successes.
The
GOP controls 30 governor’s mansions and 27 state legislatures. They
have achieved goals that many conservatives in Washington say they
want: trimming budgets, simplifying tax codes, reforming government
employee pension programs, growing economies, adding jobs and
reaching out to the full demographic spectrum.
Republican
governors head seven of the 10 largest state economies in the United
States. They also are in charge of eight of the 10 fastest-growing
states.
GOP
governors represent a vibrant and diverse cross section of the
nation. My former House colleague, Republican Governors Association
Chairman and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, is the nation’s first
Indian-American governor. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is the
first female Hispanic chief executive of a state. Overall,
Republicans show more gubernatorial diversity than the Democrats do.
The three youngest governors are Republican; two of the three oldest
governors are Democrats. More clearly communicating the party’s big
tent would take some of the edge off the charge that the GOP is the
party of elderly, white voters.
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the rest of the article at Politico
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