Where to GOP?

“A new Gallup analysis of almost 150,000 interviews conducted from January through May of this year sheds new light on the substantial gender gap that exists in American politics today. Not only are women significantly more likely than men to identify as Democrats, and less likely to identify as independents, but … this gap is evident across all ages, from 18 to 85, and within all major racial, ethnic, and marital-status segments of society.”

This is a serious problem for republicans for several reasons. First, women are a larger percentage of the population than men. Second, women vote more than men. Third, how long can it be before women socialize their kids and spouses to this pro-Democratic party leaning?
This poll comes on top of other bad news for the GOP from a USA Today/Gallup poll.

One-third of Republicans now say they have an unfavorable opinion of their party. Just 4% of Democrats have an unfavorable view of their party. Asked by Gallup "what comes to mind when you think of the Republican Party," 25% of those surveyed said "unfavorable" and another 1 in 4 offered negative assessments including "no direction," "close-minded" and "poor economic conditions." Sixteen percent said “conservative” and 7% "favorable."

There have also been some serious bi-partisan activities favoring the Democrats. Republican Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois was appointed as transportation secretary. Former Republican Sen. Arlen Specter’s (Pa.) switched to the Democratic Party. Republican Robert Gates is Secretary of Defense. Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman was chosen to become U.S. ambassador to China. The new Army Secretary will be Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y. These defections are driving the Republicans crazy.

These developments also come on top of a fierce battle among several national GOP elites for political oxygen and leadership visibility.

A Grand Canyon has opened up between the ultra conservatives of the party (Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich) on the one hand, Sara Palin and Mike Huckabee on the other hand, and on the third hand (yes this is at least a three handed party) the “Big Tent Explorers” who want to broaden the party appeal.

These “explorers” met in Arlington, Virginia in a town hall-style meeting of the newly formed National Council for a New America. This event, at a pizza restaurant, was the opening shot to “launch a series of listening sessions across America.” Attending the event were former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.) who is often called a “rising start” in the GOP. This group also includes John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) another “rising star.” They laid out their vision for reviving the GOP. The meeting was brutally trashed by Rush Limbaugh and other hard-core conservatives who believe that the GOP must return to its “true” conservative roots.

Finally there was the ugly early skirmish for 2012 between Alaska Gov Sara Palin and Newt Gingrich. According to By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog, “Palin was initially invited many weeks ago to address the House and Senate Republicans' annual fundraising dinner in D.C. There was an apparent miscommunication between the two camps over whether she had accepted, resulting in fed-up beltway Republicans asking former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to keynote the confab.” Then it got interesting according to Politico, “After being invited — for a second time — to speak to the annual joint fundraiser for the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Palin was told abruptly Saturday night that she would not be allowed to address the thousands of Republicans there after all. The reason given for the snub, said a Palin aide, was that NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions was concerned about not wanting to upstage former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the fundraising gala's keynote speaker.”

The Washington buzz is that Newt became furious when he found out Palin was speaking and would certainly upstage him. The organizers then had to pull the plug on Palin. So this was the opening shot heard around the GOP of “The Brain” Gingich vs. the “Super Star” Palin. Stay tuned for the next extreme professional political wrestling match.

All of these are “pings” coming from the GOP flight deck. They suggest that a massive national air, land, and sea search operation for a leader for the Republicans is now urgently needed in order to find the Republican party and then unify and focus it around winning leaders and themes.

It’s always hard to be the “out” party.

It is exceptionally difficult when all of the indicators of political vitality (a huge gender gap, a racial and ethic minority gap, a very real age and youth gap, an “ideological approval rating” gap) point in the wrong direction.