Guest AuthorWhat happened to the GOP philosophy of recruiting better candidates, running better campaigns and working harder to win elections?
In a name, Karl Rove.
Following the 2000 election, Rove took a strategic position for the 2004 election to have President Bush govern from the right and register “right-minded” voters instead of reaching out toward the middle to voters who were already registered.
It was a successful strategy for 2004. Bush won 31 states and the Electoral College victory was 286-251. It was hardly a landslide; Bush won only 50.7 percent of the popular vote.
One problem in politics is often the unintended consequences. More than 10 years after Rove implemented his campaign strategy, the Republican Party is still seen as the Party that is unwilling to compromise.
Even when it comes to elections, Republicans are seen as trying to keep voters away from the polls instead of being more inclusive. I am a firm believer that a “vote” is a legally cast ballot, and I’m not convinced there isn’t more fraud than is reported (but that’s a different column).
I’m all for limiting unregistered and illegal voters from casting a ballot, but the GOP is seen as trying to limit access to legal voters.
A case in point presented itself this week when Gov. Rick Scott’s Secretary of State Ken Dentzler issued a “directive” to county supervisor of elections to limit the number of places where voters can drop absentee ballots.
What’s the goal here? It’s a non-binding directive and just generates more bad press for the governor.
Why don’t the governor and secretary of state listen to both voters and supervisors of elections and expand the places where people can return absentee ballots?
Quite frankly, bowing to Democrat pressure could benefit the Governor and Republican candidates. Scott could appear to be listening to the will of voters, reach across the aisle and open up the voting process so Republican candidates benefit as well.
Instead of limiting the number of return locations to just supervisor of elections offices, why don’t we allow people to return ballots everywhere (after all, they can be returned to any mail box in the U.S.)? So, why shouldn’t we deputize someone at the local chamber of commerce, the local church, schools, and businesses that choose to cooperate?
At first blush, my Republican colleagues are going to call this idea crazy, but we have to adapt our campaign tactics to fit a changing electorate. Think about it: those voters who were 18 in 2000 will be 32 years old during the 2014 election. Republicans have been turning their backs on a generation of moderate voters.
Scott is the “jobs” governor and his policies are working. Unemployment is down to 6.7 percent and this week he was in Fort Myers at the groundbreaking of the new Hertz facility.
As he travels the state, wouldn’t it be great if he held discussions with workers about the problems they face with voting while they are working full-time or multiple jobs, raising a family, dealing with an over-reaching federal government, etc.
Then he could announce that he has heard the concerns of real working people and respond with “The Working Person’s Voting Rights Initiative” that makes it easier for them to cast their ballot at their workplace, the chamber of commerce, or local church.
Republicans do have the ideas to move the country and state forward, but it seems like we lack the leadership to convey those ideas in a way that the public is willing to hear them. Reducing voting opportunities is one way Republicans play into the hands of the opposition.
