@Garmel , let me explain the problem with your rationale, to the extent that we can call it that. You assume that because I'm not a Trump fan that I am a McCain or Romney fan and think guys like them are the answer. I'm not, and they aren't. I don't hate those guys either. They are with us far more often than they are against us, so we need them in our coalition.
What we really need to do is restore the intellectual side of conservatism. The real strength of conservative policy is that it is supported by empirical evidence, has withstood the test of time, and it is responsible. It doesn't just "feel right" or "sound right." It is right on the objective merits. That's why educated, rational people in the suburbs have generally been conservative. They see what free markets have done in their own lives and in their country and don't want it disrupted by risky government schemes that waste their money and usually yield poor results.
Once the intellectual angle is restored, then you can convince people on the merits to embrace conservative policy and candidates. You have to go out there and win the argument, and you have to keep doing it again and again and again like the left does. For the most part in the last 10 - 20 years, we haven't even been making it, and we're so out of practice that we're almost incoherent.
And you can roll your eyes about this all you want, but you also have to talk to people in a way that makes them receptive to your message. Otherwise, their minds won't be open. This is where acting like an ******* makes a difference.
We also need to restore our credibility on fiscal conservatism. I know you hate his guts, but set aside your contempt for a moment and consider a guy like Husker. Our messaging to guys like him is terrible. However, the bigger challenge is lost credibility. We used to be able to appeal to people like him on fiscal responsibility. "We disagree with you on some social issues, but we won't shove it in your face every five minutes and won't piss your money away, ruin the economy, and put your kids' generation into bankruptcy." That resonates but only if you have the credibility to make that pitch. We don't anymore, so it rings hollow when we try.
You may think I'm full of ****, but if you do, then what's your plan or strategy? We may have won in 2016, but we've been losing ever since. We hemorrhaged seats in the suburbs. We're not going to carry Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin if we're losing the suburbs in the states. Even worse, we're letting Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia slip away. What's your plan for reversing that trend?
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