Further Thoughts on Where to go From Here

Before I get to any solutions, it's important to look at the situation. Author Melanie Phillips looks at the situation from a UK perspective. 

So what now?
Now that more information is in, it appears that...
Wait.What?

There is also a lot of talk from some people, that we can't engage in recriminations because we only lost by a hairs breadth and voter turnout was depressed anyway.

Both of these views are wrong.

The blue socioeconomic model is unsustainable and the cause of many of our current woes. It has to be pruned back or it will lead us to ruin. Given that the people who advocate this idiocy look to Europe for guidance one might think that they would learn something. But, like a Young Earth Creationist confronted with an archeopteryx, they are implacably immune to facts.  We need to continue to advocate for freer markets and greater liberty.

This has worked.
The T.E.A. Party clobbered the blues in 2010 with just that message. Leftie commentators are pointing to the defeat of Luis' Fortuno, Allan West and Mia Love as examples of the tea party being played out, but in all three cases the Republican candidates were singled out for vastly disproportional allocation of Democratic rescources. They represented the lie of the Dems narrative and the DNC and many in the media threw everything they had at them. Despite all that, the T.E.A. Party candidates lost by the skin of their teeth. Fortuno, who had brought Puerto Rico back from junk bond status lost by SEVEN TENTHS OF A PERCENT. Yet the ballot measure he'd worked so hard for, (Puerto Rican statehood) actually won...so he can claim at least a moral victory. All this was despite the fact that he not only faced a huge moneybomb from the Dems, but was tied to Rick Santorum, who, during the primary had gone to Puerto Rico and made an ass of himself.

Which brings us to where the Republicans got genuinely pasted. What probably depressed turnout was with our idiot cousins in the Huckabee wing of the party. Huckabee threw his support and considerable cash behind Todd Akin who got the nomination because of that and the fact that the Tea Party vote was split in the primary. Facing the corrupt, and unpopular Claire McCaskill it should have been an easy victory, but Akin made sure everyone was aware of his two digit IQ. To make matters worse, after he self immolated, he, being a prideful and craven idiot, refused to step aside so that not only did he loose a sure Senate seat, he became a talking point with which to denigrate all republicans. Romney's pointed refusals to indorse the cretin got very little play. One reason he stayed in after nearly the whole of the party came down on him was that Huckabee lent him his support.

So yes. I think recriminations are in order and Huckabee's endorsement privileges need to be revoked.

In the meantime, it's NOT all over.

20 (possibly 22 if PR becomes a state) Senate seats are up in 2014. If we stop sucking our toes we have a good shot at at least half of them. 2014/15 is  likely the very end of the window of opportunity to do something about the entitlement bomb coming. The boomers are retiring in droves and most of what I've heard is that there will be very little chance to fix things without major cuts to current recipients in about 3 years.  This cannot be dealt with by watering down the message of fiscal responsibility.

In the meantime as far as outreach, there are many proposals (like Rubio's version of the Dream Act)  but one idea that's not getting a lot of play...

 Simply go all in on Puerto Rican statehood. OWN it. Fortuno was one of our guys and he pushed this at the cost of his political career (his opponent opposed Statehood). Have house republicans stand up and sing the praises of statehood and vote en-mass for it. Then sing to the four winds whose gubernatorial candidate was against it. Puerto Rico is largely Democratic now, but Fortuno, who was one of the most libertarian governors in the last 50 years won it, and missed re-election by 7/10 of a percent. So it's not electoral suicide (especially if Fortuno was on a future Presidential ticket). Go bold!



There are other views of course, here is some advice from France of all places. Read the whole thing. It kind of defies excerpting.

John Hinderocker has thoughts on the social issues, with which I largely agree.

This article has a long term plan ( which is problematic as we are up against the wall), and also is the most hopeful article I've seen about South Africa in a while.

That was via Neo, who has further thoughts here.

Finally here is Bill Whittle with some thoughts...especially or those of you who voted for Davros.
^{..and you know who you are.}

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