Republican strategist Karl Rove, who has taken a lot of heat for his role in the party’s election defeats last week, offers a litany of changes that Republicans should make to fare better in future elections.
The prescriptions range from improving the GOP’s grassroots effort to moving up the date of its presidential nominating convention.
First, it should be realized that the media’s conclusion that Democrats won because of a demographic shift is only partly correct, Rove writes in
The Wall Street Journal. “A more accurate description is that Democrats won in a smaller turnout by getting out more of their vote.”
As for the recommendations:
• “Republicans must rigorously re-examine their ‘72-hour’ ground game and reverse-engineer the Democratic get-out-the-vote effort in order to copy what works.
• “Republicans should also emulate the Democratic ‘50-state’ strategy by strengthening the ground game everywhere, not just in swing states.
• “Strategically, Republicans will need to frame economic issues to better resonate with middle-class families.”
• Mitt Romney suffered from early attacks that went largely unanswered. “Republican campaigns need to get better at responding.”
• The party must increase its support among Hispanics, millennials, and women.
• “Republicans must avoid appearing judgmental and callous on social issues.
• “The GOP must reduce the destructiveness of the presidential primaries.
• The party should hold its convention as early as late June, so that the nominee can start spending funds designated for the general election as soon as possible.
Rove defends the work of his American Crossroads and other conservative super PACs.
Democrats are criticizing these groups now to weaken support for them, Rove says. The opposition has seen the strength of the conservative super PACs in 2010 and again to some extent this year, he says.
“Just as they did after the successful 2010 election, groups such as Crossroads will carefully review their activities to determine what was effective and what wasn't. But Democratic attacks aren't weakening the commitment of conservative Super PAC benefactors. They're in it for the long haul and don't take direction from the left. Their attitude is: the fight goes on, beat 'em next time.”
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