Frank Luntz writes a "how to" for the Los Angelas Times that concludes with this:To be perfectly blunt, no Republican can win the White House without winning Ohio. Although readers of this column would no doubt like to see and hear the presidential nominees up close, the reality is that California, at least when it comes to elections, is as blue as the Pacific. A successful Republican candidate in Ohio will have learned how to articulate a culturally conservative message fused with government accountability and economic opportunity specifically tailored to voters in the industrial heartland. Without the support of the anxious working class, Ohio will also turn deep blue. And so will the United States.Both paragraphs offer up critical advice that ought to be taken.
The success of the Republican Party since 1980 was to eschew definition or brand. Whatever hopes, dreams and aspirations people saw in themselves were seen in the Republican Party. That's all gone now. The Democrats didn't win in 2006. The GOP lost. And for the party to keep the White House in 2008, it will require a Herculean effort.
It is true that no Republican has ever won the White House without taking Ohio. It is also true that in the Triple New Yorker race that Quinny polled last week, Hillary wins Ohio. Even though Ohio is not moving its primary, Ohio is an important state to presidential politics and candidates will be wise to remember that.
The second paragraph contains some advice that even our good friends at the Ohio GOP ought to take notes on... Allow me to translate for Luntz: the Big Tent Theory is done. It is time to find a new strategy. It is time to stand for things that we believe in; not try to be all things for all people. Republicans need to inspire people by what the believe in as a positive future for Ohio and the nation. Authenticity will trump a "platform" of ambiguous platitudes.
