Democrats have continually chosen pragmatism and team sports over petty egotism, while Republicans continue to eat their young

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Free Market Friday: Saving the GOP
By Michael C. Carnuccio, November 7, 2013

Political pundits and activists alike seem astounded by carpetbagger Terry McAuliffe’s victory in Virginia’s high-profile gubernatorial contest. They shouldn’t be. Republicans have been put on notice – again.

What played out there was not unlike what converted Colorado from a sold red state to the not-so-battleground territory Democrats now enjoy. Just as Colorado’s demographics have transformed from an influx of Californians, northern Virginia has changed the lead of Southern states. In fact, it’s a textbook example of how growing government not only violates Republican ideals, it undercuts the GOP’s future. The progression in northern Virginia is due in no small part to the swelling federal government, with bureaucrats, activists and consultants beholden to Uncle Sam. The northern portion of Virginia is blue and growing.

As a side, this is a good lesson to remind Oklahoma Republicans why expanding Medicaid under Obamacare is threatening their political future. The majority of Medicaid recipients vote Democrat. There’s nothing like defying your base so you can invest in your opposition.

Another key element to Tuesday’s election is the fact that the Obama war machine continues to grow and influence elections, unchecked and unmatched. It’s no coincidence the national summit of Organizing for Action, the new face of President Barack Obama’s organization, was in Wash-ington, D.C., last weekend (read: northern Virginia). Yet, while Democrats were mobilizing the community organizers who have transformed presidential politics, Republicans were still playing the consultant-driven ad-buy game.

The problem is there is a visible difference between running a few general spots on network stations and developing several, selective communications distributed through multiple mediums and channels. Micro-targeting is strategy. Generic, talking points are not. This isn’t the 1990s.

Finally, there’s a sad irony in that Democrats are winning with Ronald Reagan’s big-tent mentality. Anyone who is paying attention knows there’s no love lost between the Clinton and Obama camps. Yet, their camps have continually chosen pragmatism and team sports over petty egotism. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to eat their young. No time after the election results were in, the broken record continued – accusations of a bad candidate and swords drawn between the establishment and right flank.

Providentially, Oklahoma is elevating bold, intelligent and rational leaders to the national stage. That just might save the GOP.
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