Must Republican Candidates Appeal to Moderates or Conservatives to Win?

Listening to the a talk radio show today there was an interesting discussion about John McCain versus Ronald Reagan and whether Republicans need to get more moderates on board or conservatives.

This misses the point.

I think there is a different distinction that is more powerfully at play that CAN win elections for Republicans.

Conservative Credentials are Critical.

Conservative (not radical right) credentials means less time and marketing dollars spent trying to shore up a conservative base.

It means the message can be lasered in on CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES that are likely to sway the moderate undecided voter.

Moderates who tend to decide elections fit one of these profiles:

· Will vote but aren’t into politics
· Free thinkers who buck the party establishment on both sides
· Vote based on individual characteristics and charisma than the party platform

So what appeals to moderates?

1) A leader – they look good on TV, they sound like a leader, and they seem to know what they’re talking about. They’re above the fray.

2) A message tied to current news and key pain points - and positions their opponent as the bad status quo.

3) Someone who understands them and can still win - someone people can identify with who is on their side and against the system that beats them down.

How do Reagan, Obama, and McCain stack up?

1) Leadership – Reagan (yes – great presence and solid principles that resonate), Obama (yes – great presence and solid message, even though he tends to downplay his core principles), McCain (no – great at cutting deals but that doesn’t breed confidence and people don’t know what he stands for)

2) Timely Message that Hits Home – Reagan (yes – resurrect American pride and kick some commie butt), Obama (yes – no more of the same old George Bush stuff and “change”), McCain (no – more of the same - his vision was not dramatic enough to separate himself from George Bush’s bad press and his base felt he was too liberal for them so his message was too fragmented)

3) Your Advocate – Reagan (yes – anti-establishment, cowboy), Obama (yes – let’s make sure the rich pay their fair share – us versus them works great), McCain (no – how many houses does he own? – inside the beltway status quo)

Change You Can Believe In

With an economy beaten down and big government solutions being proposed, now is the time for the underdog to break through and tell the beltway bunch that the American people want change they can believe in.

And that doesn’t mean taking more money out of your pocket to feed special interest groups and government bureaucracies.

So who will be those candidates in 2010? Time will tell…

Mad As Hell? Your Tipping Point Has Arrived…

Let's Talk About You

This is about you.
The little guy.

You work your ass off.
You build your business conservatively.
You watch your cash flow. Keep your debt low. Try your best to keep your business afloat.

You care about your customers. You care about your employees and their families.

You sweat and toil to create a thriving business that can last and contribute to your community and to your country.


Washington Isn't Your Friend

And then you walk in the door at the end of a long day. And turn on the news. And get pissed off as you see another story about how Washington is mucking up the works and making you pay for the misdeeds of politicians, regulators, and overpaid wall-street types. And yes, they call it “remaking the country.”

Why should you bail out the auto companies that were going to go bankrupt anyway?

Why should you bail out the banks and the insurance companies?

Why should you bail out people who made bad loans or took on more debt than they could afford?


Enough's Enough

You’ve heard about it. The backlash against the public healthcare option (say government takeover). The Tea Parties (frustration with high taxes and government overregulation their lives). The groundswell against amnesty for illegal aliens, cap and trade, and the Global Warming Conspiracy (say world government control).

Today’s elections were NOT a Republican revival…but a conservative comeback.

You, and others like you, are fed up with paying for the excesses and back-room-dealings of the beltway boys club.

You want change.

Change you can believe in.

But not the change that shackles you and your great grandchildren to a life of poverty and indentured servitude.

You want change that hands you back the reins. You want a world where you can make a difference. Where the American Dream – of a life lived on your terms is possible. Where true freedom and independence exists. Where if you work your butt off and have a dream, you can achieve ultimate success without government handouts.

Today’s elections show a crack in the foundation of the cradle-to-grave government model.

The Tipping Point Has Arrived!

…Your Future Begins Today.