Paging Don Draper…The GOP’s Image Problem

Despite the election being over, the Republican Party’s image problem is only just beginning and it could doom them to the fate of the Whig Party.  Changes are coming to the Republican Party and they would be smart to accept the advice of Mad Men’s Don Draper:

 “Let’s also say that change is neither good nor bad. It simply is. It can be greeted with terror or joy: a tantrum that says, ‘I want it the way it was,’ or a dance that says, ‘Look, it’s something new.”

In the last election cycle the Republican Party made itself out to be a relic of the past.  A party, whose social policies seemed more aligned to the era of Eisenhower rather than Obama, economic plan appeared hypocritical considering the Republican’s track record over the last decade and leaders who couldn’t give more than a ten-word answer to the complex questions facing the nation.  As a result, the Republican Party has an image problem that not only makes them appear out of touch, but also lacking a way forward.  Once again, enter Don Draper:

 “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.”

 That’s exactly what the GOP needs to do.

First, change the conversation by moving past the 2012 election and focus on being a solid opposition party.  The electoral failures of 2012 were a collective effort, so accept this notion and stop with the blame game.  Second, go back to the Party’s core pillars and start constructing public policy solutions around them.  Even though Obamacare maybe bad public policy, part of the GOP’s problem in 2012 was that it couldn’t articulate what came next, after they abolished it.

The million dollar question is the future role of evangelical Christians within the Party.  One of the conversations being had across the country is how social politics came to the dictate the Republican Primary, eventually causing them to lose the general election.   Much of the internal Republican Party culture war is the result of their coalition with the evangelical movement.   It’s also unclear who will lead the GOP after the civil war is over, and evangelical Christians may find themselves being annexed from the conservative movement.  Unfortunately for Party leaders, there is no simple answer on how to change the tone of THIS conversation.

Parties tend not to keep The White House after holding it for two consecutive terms, this means that a lot of pressure will be on the Republicans in 2016.  There will be some Republicans who believe that the only problem the Party had in 2012 was Mitt Romney and his moderate positions.  This belief will only lead them into political failure and to that I end by quoting Don Draper:

 “Maybe I’m not as comfortable being powerless as you are.”