Hurricane Christie

Memo to conservatives: These images of President Obama and Gov. Christie did not lose you the 2012 Presidential Election.

President Obama is touring the Jersey shore with Gov. Christie later today.  Like an approaching hurricane far off in the distance, the conservative criticism of Gov. Christie that is about to reappear is both predictable and ludicrous.  Before the “conservative intelligencia” restart the anti-Christie movement, let’s take a moment and set the story straight.

The president’s visit is sure to remind conservatives of Gov. Christie’s post-Hurricane Sandy comments, comments they viewed as tantamount to treason. 

Six days before the election on NBC’s Today, Gov. Christie was asked about the federal response to Hurricane Sandy to which he replied, “The federal government response has been great. I was on the phone at midnight again last night with the president personally. The president has been outstanding in this. The folks at FEMA … have been excellent.”

President Obama and Gov. Christie brief the press after touring New Jersey and seeing the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

Matters, in the eyes of conservatives were made worse when Gov. Christie was photographed showing President Obama the decimated Jersey shoreline.  Too some in the conservative movement, including many Romney aides, Gov. Christie’s comments were what helped sway the 2012 election towards President Obama.

To that I say, get real!  Is it any reason you lost?

Chris Christie did not lose the 2012 race for Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney did that for himself.  And furthermore I counter by asking what should Gov. Christie have done?

President Obama and Gov. Christie tour the Jersey Shore via Marine One after Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy, in New Jersey alone, killed 37 people, damaged 346,000 homes and caused $30 billion in damage.  Gov. Christie, did what good public servants do.  He put service ahead of party and went to bat for his state.

The real act of treason is that the conservative movement still views the anti-Christie sentiment as acceptable.  So before the conservative movement re-ignites the debate, this conservative want to get out ahead of the storm and set a course-correction.

The Republican Producers

Sometimes people fail for a reason.  In the musical The Producers, the main characters purposely fail to con others out of money.  Why the Republican Party consistently fails, and seems to enjoy doing so, is beyond me.

If you think I’m being partisan let’s take a look at the Republican’s blunders over the past two years and see why these events are so harmful.

2012 Republican Primary

Action: The primary race turned into a proverbial debate over which candidate was the most socially conservative.

Result: The primary race alienated female/gay/immigrant voters and positioned the Party as out-of-touch and out-dated.

Rape Comments by Reps. Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin

Action: In their respective 2012 races, Representatives Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin essentially associated rape to an act of God.

Result: Failure to condone these statements by Party leaders (including nominee Mitt Romney) further alienated female voters.

2011 Grand Bargain and 2012 Fiscal Cliff Failures

Action: Republicans were unable to reach a debt limit and fiscal cliff deal with President Obama on two separate occasions.  Furthermore, they could not articulate what their actual positions were in these negotiations.

Result: Not only did taxes go up, but public opinion shifted against the Republican Party.  The public now approves of the tax increases that were enacted.

2013 CPAC Convention

Action: While not an official Party action, it spoke volumes when the Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC) invited Donald Trump and Sarah Palin to speak, however Governors Chris Christie (NJ) and Bob McDonnell (VA) were not invited.

Result: I’m not sure that the public took note of this, but for those who did, these actions created the image of an out-of-touch conservative wing of the Party.

The first step is admitting you have a problem…

Fortunately the Republicans have at least another year until the 2014 midterm elections, three years until the next presidential election and several leaders are aware of their perception problem.  Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Governors Bobby Jindal (LA) and Chris Christie have all begun publicly discussing the need to broaden the Republican Party’s appeal.   As one leader recently said, the Republican Party needs to stop being the party of stupid.   But it will take more than speeches to do this including: public condemnation of members when they take to saying unintelligent comments, an ability to publicly communicate their message and to position themselves beyond the Party of tax cuts and abortion.

The Producers may have set out to fail, but if you’ve seen either movie version or the stage show, you know their fate takes a wildly hilarious turn.  In a black humor sort of way, the Republican’s fate may be similar, however nobody in the Party will be laughing when their failures culminate in electoral defeat.

 

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.”

Debate Follow-up: Fight Night in America Round 3

“Over…finally!”

That was probably the thought running through both President Obama and Governor Romney heads the minute moderator Bob Schieffer concluded the debate.  After three presidential debates, two conventions, one vice presidential debate and with two weeks remaining until the election, it’s now up to voters to make the ultimate decision.  As per MarqueePolitics tradition, I won’t tell you who won the debate, but will comment on what you just saw.

Tonight’s foreign policy debate was probably the least substantive of all debates.  The debate lacked the tough questions on China, Libya and the national debt’s role in foreign policy. This is troublesome because while foreign policy debates are often based on hypotheticals, they provide great insight into a candidate’s thought process.

There are two weeks left until the election, and the choice now resides with voters as to what happens next.  As MarqueePolitics said after the first debate, think about the choices that are important to you and determine which candidates align with your views.

Debate Follow-up: Fight Night in America Round 2

Last Saturday, the 50^th anniversary revival of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf opened on Broadway.  And while audiences love to see a good fight on-stage, that enthusiasm doesn’t transfer to candidates running for the American presidency.  The demeanor of both President Obama and Governor Romney in tonight’s debate was unbecoming of the office they seek, and a reminder about why Americans find the electoral process so sickening.

Once again on this presidential debate night, I will not tell you who won and who lost.  That is your decision to make.  However, I find it necessary to comment on the in-your-face, you’re wrong-I’m right attitude of both candidates.  The lack of civility underscores why we are divided as a nation.  In having such confrontational attitudes, both men evaporated any chance they had of elevating themselves and winning this debate simply on style.

I enjoyed the revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf when I saw it during it’s out of town tryout at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage.  Seeing two forceful personalities go at it on stage is thrilling.  In politics, it’s just disgusting.  If I could say one thing to both presidential candidates it would be this, “For Monday’s debate, leave the ego at home, and remember, Americans are still hurting and struggling.”

Until then, see you at the stage door.

Notes from the Stage Door: Oct. 10th edition

With the weekend coming up, and the weather making it perfect to sit outside with a cup of coffee and read, it’s time for another edition of Notes from the Stage Door. These are the best articles from the last week which you might have missed:

“Inside The Campaign: The Romney Rebellion” from Politico – 10/9/2012

When the campaign is over, after the advisors have moved on and the press corps is gone, the last person left standing with the candidate is their spouse. Angry over the mismanagement of her husband’s campaign, “The Romney Rebellion” tells of Ann Romney’s frustrations with the general election campaign and how she sought a course correction with the Romney/Ryan ticket.  It’s a fascinating story behind Ann Romney’s fight to save her husband’s campaign before his first debate.

“The Contemporary Musical Theatre Songwriters You Should Know, Part One” from Playbill – 10/9/2012

Often times, I review shows from established composers such as Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber.  However, I would be doing theater fans and music lovers alike a disservice by not talking about the next generation of musical composers.  Playbill, one of the great theater websites, published a feature story on the up and coming artists sure to make their mark.  Take a moment and read the story, because your next ticket or cast album purchase maybe for their show.

“Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ Theme Will Hit #2 on Singles Chart” from Celebrity-Gossip.net – 10/11/2012

Last week I wrote about how composer John Barry helped save the James Bond franchise with his music.  While John Barry has passed on, his legacy of using music to tell Agent 007’s story lives on.  Last Friday at 12:07 am ( or 0:07 in military time), music songstress Adele released her new single expressly written for Bond #23, which comes out in four weeks.  Entitled “Skyfall” after the film, the song jammed itunes and raced to the top of the charts.  While last week’s post focused on James Bond composer John Barry, and how his music shaped the celebrated espionage franchise, it safe to say the 007 legacy is far from over.

To read the stories mentioned above, please click the hyperlinked titles.  To watch the music video for Adele’s new single ‘Skyfall’, please watch the Youtube clip below:

Debate Follow-up: Fight Night in America

MarqueePolitics watched the presidential debate while sipping a dirty martini.  I will not use this post to tell you who won and who lost.  The “horse race” aspect of politics is best left to the characters on cable television.  What I will do, is help you to make sense of the madness.

Watching a presidential debate is a lot like seeing a Broadway show for the first time.  You have a general idea about what to expect, but there are still details and questions you want to hear addressed.  So if you’re still digesting the debate and pondering who to vote for, ask yourself the following questions:

• What issue is most important to you in this upcoming election and what makes this issue so consequential in your life?
• What other topics matter most to you as a voter?
• On those topics, what would you like to see happen?
• Did any candidate address those topics during the debate and if so how did you feel about their response?

The post-debate spin has only begun, but only you can answer the questions above.  Keep in mind that there are still two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate, so if something you care about wasn’t mentioned, stay tuned.  Below is the debate schedule.  For now, MarqueePolitics, is turning off the television spin rooms, washing the martini glass and heading to bed.

October 11^th at 9 p.m. EST – Vice Presidential Debate

October 16^th at 9 p.m. EST – Presidential Debate (Townhall on foreign and domestic politics)

October 22^nd at 9 p.m. EST – Presidential Debate (Foreign Policy Debate)