I & I Editorial BoardThe same day a Gallup poll showed that Republicans hold a commanding lead with voters on the issues, Republicans in the House were ousting their speaker and a judge was issuing Donald Trump a gag order after he “tweeted” an attack against one the judge’s clerks during his fraud trial. So it goes with the Stupid Party.
Here’s an idea Republicans don’t seem to have considered: Stick to the issues that people care about.
There is a huge, Reagan-sized opportunity here.
It’s not just that the country is worried that President Joe Biden is too old. They don’t believe anything he’s saying. They’re not buying his “Bidenomics” message. They don’t believe his “rescue” plan worked – most say they are worse off than before they were “rescued.” They don’t believe he’s made America more respected around the world. They don’t think he’s united the country, or saved democracy. They’re not buying any of it.
The latest Gallup poll findings underscore this in a big way.
“Although both parties are about equally disliked, the public chooses the Republican Party over the Democratic Party by healthy margins when asked which will better safeguard the nation’s prosperity and security,” writes Gallup’s Lydia Saad. She describes it as an “historically ample lead.”
For example, Republicans old a 14-percentage-point lead in public preferences for keeping the country prosperous. Democrats held the lead on this during COVID. And it’s right up there with where Republicans were in the 1980s.
“The GOP’s current standing with Americans is even stronger on matters of national security, where it leads the Democratic Party by 22 points for protecting the country from international terrorism and military threats,” she writes.
Finally, “The recent poll also finds the Republican Party leading the Democrats as the party more Americans choose as better able to handle whatever problem they name as the most important facing the country.”
Just as importantly, if not more so, Republicans hold a lead on these questions among the block of independents who will determine the outcome of the 2024 election.
The situation would be even worse for Democrats if it weren’t for the constant attempts by the media to shore up Biden, downplay the economic peril we are in, ignore the massive illegal immigration crisis, and paper over the growing international threats we face while scaring the nation about a return of Trump.
Anyone who’s been around a while will recognize all this for what it is. A repeat of where the country was in the run-up to the 1980 election. The economy was in dire straits. The press was warning voters that Ronald Reagan was a deranged warmonger. Reagan won in a landslide and ushered in a golden age for conservatives and for the country.
The only difference between Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden is that Carter didn’t need help navigating stairs and could read a teleprompter without getting confused.
But on the GOP side, who’s playing the role of Reagan? Who is tying today’s misery around the necks of Democrats? Who is sticking to the issues, offering real policy solutions, giving the country hope that the torment we are suffering can be ended with new leadership and conservative policies?
None that we can see. Instead, it’s all infighting, palace intrigue, talk of retribution.
Well, keep it up, Republicans. And watch as Democrats “unexpectedly” sweep the elections next year.
— Written by the I&I Editorial Board
Using these vague “policy violations,” Google is now threatening to demonetize us. It’s part of Big Tech’s effort to silence conservative voices.
I’ve come to disbelieve that the GOP would do anything much to change things should it come to power. Republican nonperformance after the 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 elections, when they had ample power to undo Democrats’ destructive nonsense, speaks very loudly that the party’s controlling Establishment holds as its supreme priority: “Don’t upset the status quo. There are too many rice bowls at stake.”
Huge lead on issues or not, if the GOP doesn’t close ranks and ensure that Federal elections are uniformly conducted with verifiable voter ID as well as unbiased, rule-enforced vote tabulating – in a timely and efficient manner – I expect we’re beyond any hope of turning this ship around.
In a rational world the Democrats would be toast for two generations. The list of their destructive and authoritarian tendencies and accomplishments would do that. The media is helping them at every turn.
At some point things have to be done differently. No amount of Republican nice will make a bit of difference if the country truly wishes for suicide or as long as the media default to propaganda to keep the populus ignorant. Let’s see what comes of this.
Comparison to 1980 are premature. 1979 would be more apt, when every Republican politician and his brother lined up to stop Reagan. GW Bush was stopped in New Hampshire because Reagan “paid for this stage” and invited all the other Republican candidates up to what was supposed to be a 1-on-1 debate. Moderate Republican Congressman John Anderson ran as an independent candidate and probably hurt Carter more than Reagan.
What’s missing in the comparison to 1979 is the Democratic challenger to Carter. RFK Jr is no Teddy.
“Will The GOP Blow Its Huge Lead On The Issues?”
Simple answer. YES
The “republican” party has been letting conservatives down After Reagan left.
They are more interested in their own worthless careers than Constitution that our founders left us.
Is this a serious question? Or is it rhetorical? Of course they’ll blow it. I wish vegas was offering odds on this. It’s a sure bet.