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Enough!  Republicans Must Become The Party of Choice            By Andy Peth

11/28/2018

19 Comments

 
Picture
Okay folks, that’s enough already.

Enough of the blame game.  Enough acting like things will turn around with more organization, more leadership, more Trump, less Trump, more marketing to women, minorities, young people, more, more…enough!

Don’t get me wrong, I love the ideas.  Millennial Outreach?  Yes, please!  Rocky Mountain Black Conservatives?  My heroes!  Leadership training?  Excellent!  In fact, there are too many fine initiatives to mention.  But reaching Colorado’s increasingly blue market requires one thing they all lack:

An open door.
​
And without that door, all our great initiatives won’t make a dent in Colorado.  They just won’t.  But that can change.

The Not-So-Great Wall
Let me describe a Wall.  No, not the Border Wall, but the Not-So-Great Wall between Republicans and Colorado’s voters:
 
1.      This is a blue state getting bluer.   Every trend has gone one direction for decades, and we’ve lost far too many customers (the voters).  We’re here; they’re over there.  And “there” is getting further away.
2.      It is far more difficult to win back lost customers than to get them in the first place.
3.      Our opponent—The Democrat Party—has its greatest strengths in the fastest growing demographics.
4.      Worse yet, we are largely walled out from these communities.  For instance, our women’s groups have fantastic messages—but how many suburban women hear them?
5.      Meanwhile, our opponent owns the Big 3 Influencers of public opinion:  Media, Academia, Entertainment.  Controlling the narrative, these Influencers drown us out.
6.      Our President has great strengths, but his message hasn’t played well in Colorado.  The polls overwhelmingly reflect this, especially among Colorado’s largest voting bloc—Unaffiliated voters.  
7.      Young people are turning out more, voting Democrat by huge margins.
 
I could go on, but do you see my point?  Things like better organization are great, but we can’t organize our way back into the hearts of Colorado voters.  Greater fundraising, smarter technology, bigger ground games—these good things won’t break through the Wall.  It’s far too big; too resistant to more, more, more.  That’s why I grimace when reading well-intentioned answers offered by some Conservatives.  They’re shooting BB’s at a tank; arrows at a meteor. 
 
So enough already.  Let’s get serious.
Opening A Door
​Okay, how do we break through this Wall?  How do we reach voters who don’t hear us, trust us, or want anything to do with us?  How do we spark a conversation it seems no one wants to have?
 
We do it with a single word everyone loves: Choice.  We must become The Party Of Choice.
 
Stay with me here.  Imagine what would happen if Colorado Republicans launched an all new message:
 
“We are The Party of Choice.  Democrats are The Party of Control.”
 
At first, some would scoff.  Others would laugh.  Still more would get angry, citing issues where they feel we don’t offer choice, such as abortion, gay marriage, and marijuana.
 
All this would be…awesome.  Think about it:
 
·        Those who never talk about us…would be talking about us!  Those who never listen to us…would be demanding answers!  Seizing the narrative, we would open a door.  We’d open it by reframing the debate.
·        This takes us from defense to offense.  Rather than play defense with denials—“But, but, we aren’t racist!  We aren’t sexist!”—we’d instead switch to offense.  “You bet we’re for Choice.  And we can prove it.”
·        We’d offer a simple, fresh message: “Here’s my politics:  I want to control my own life, not yours.  That’s it.”
·        When challenged—say, on abortion—we’d surprise people with a fresh standard:  “I support every choice that doesn’t take away someone else’s choice.  Don’t you?”
·        On issues where many Colorado voters despise us, we’d lower their anger: 
o   Abortion: “I’m pro-life, but I love the reason you’re pro-choice.  You don’t want the government telling a woman what she can do with her body.  I agree!  I just don’t want one person’s choice taking away another person’s choice, so our only disagreement is whether another person is in play.  We can debate the science if you want, but we already agree on one thing:  We both love people.”  (Can you just feel the anger dropping?)
o   Gay Marriage: “Marry who you want, but don’t tell a baker what product to sell, or a church what service to provide.  One person’s choice shouldn’t take away someone else’s.  Fair enough?”
o   If they bring up my group, the Christian Right: “Actually, Christianity is a Choice religion—there is no Christian Jihad.  Never did Jesus and the Apostles force unbelievers to live like believers, and I don’t want my beliefs to be your laws.  If you’re seeking a Control religion, might I recommend the Environmental Movement?”
 
·        On all other issues, the field immediately tilts in our favor:
o   Education: “I want to choose how my kids are taught, not control how other people’s kids are taught.  How about you?”
o   Gun Rights: “If a mother chooses to defend her kids, I won’t control how many bullets she carries.  That’s her call, not mine.”
o   Gun Rights: “I want law-abiding citizens as well-armed as the law-breakers who would harm them.  Shouldn’t the choice to obey laws be an advantage, not a disadvantage?”
o   Environment: “I want the cleanest environment you can afford to enjoy.  If you can’t afford it, how is that sustainable?  If you can’t enjoy it, what’s the point?  Government shouldn’t tell you what you can afford or enjoy.  That’s your choice.”
o   Energy: “Energy choices should serve the most people, not reward the most activists.”
o   Immigration: “How can I reward the choice to come here legally, if I don’t stop the choice to come here illegally?”
o   Immigration: “When people come here, I want America to be their home.  Homes are protected with walls and doors, not lawns and floors.  How do you choose to protect your home?”
o   General:  “Do you want the government making you live like me?  No?  Good!  But tell me, do you want the government making me live like you?  Do you crave power you fear in others?”
 
Challenge them.  Wake them.  Make no mistake, the question, “Who supports Choice or Control?” spurs discussions Democrats don’t want.  Why?  Because unlike politics as usual—which bores people—these discussions fascinate people, reminding them how no one likes to be controlled.  That’s political death for Democrats.
 
But if we don’t reframe the debate, all that remains is, “Which Party gives me more stuff?”  That’s political gold for Democrats.  It’s a closed door for us, and we’re the ones who closed it.
Why Not Use Other Words?
​Some Republicans would prefer we be the Party Of Liberty, or perhaps Freedom.  Hey, these are great words!  Unfortunately, they don’t sell—which is why Democrats used the abortion issue to co-opt “Choice.”  
 
And boy did it work.  Democrats are thanked, we’re resented, and we’re even afraid of our own word.
 
Meanwhile, when a Conservative says, “Liberty,” people envision old men in white wigs.  As for “Freedom,” this can be slowly eroded, leaving people unaware they don’t have it.  So Liberty and Freedom sound old or vague, while Choice sounds crisp, immediate, and personal—everyone freaks when a choice is taken.  After all, what motivates a teenager?  Losing “liberties” and “freedoms,” or losing the choice of which cellphone to use?
 
Please.  I’d rather come between a mother bear and her cub than a teen and her cellphone.
 
Of course, some Republicans prefer “Opportunity.”  But to many people, “Opportunity” sounds a lot like “Risk.” 
 
Here’s the best reason to use “Choice”:  Because Democrats don’t want us to.  They know our using that word provokes discussions where there are none.  It re-opens the debate; a debate they’ve closed. 
 
It opens a door.
 
Want to see Democrats yawn?  Then talk about “Liberty,” “Freedom,” and “Opportunity.”  Want to see them smile and gush talking points?  Then lead with policy positions—everything we’re “for.”  Want to see them point and laugh?  Then go on tirades about Hillary and the media—everything we’re “against.”
 
But if you want to see Democrats attack in panic, do something new:  Talk about Choice-Versus-Control.  Train your leaders in it.  Train your candidates in it.  Train the entire grassroots, and launch a fresh wave of ads.
 
In other words, Re…Frame…The…Debate!  Do this, and you’ll see why Democrats like the debate framed right where it is, thank you very much.  They want people talking rich-versus-poor, male-versus-female, black-versus-white…ANYTHING but Choice-Versus-Control.  They want people talking about who gives more stuff, not who gives more choices.
 
And ultimately, Democrats want us blaming our leadership, candidates, ground game—anything that won’t open a door in their Wall.  They don’t care if we win a few people with clever comments and targeted outreach, just so long as the vast majority tune us out.  While we think tiny, they think big.
 
So folks, it’s time to think bigger.  It’s time to reframe the entire debate.  It’s time to challenge Colorado voters with the clearest message they’ve ever heard.
 
“We are The Party of Choice.  They are The Party of Control.”
“We want to control our own lives, not yours.”
“We support every choice that doesn’t take away someone else’s choice.   They impose choices they like on people they don’t.”
 
Honestly, here’s our bigger message: “We’re not what you thought we were.  We’re the Good Guys.”
 
Now THAT is a Party I can sell to this market.  THAT is a debate we can win.  And THAT, my friends, is how you open a door through an impenetrable Wall.
 
Are you with me?
19 Comments
George Gatseos II
11/28/2018 08:24:31 pm

very relevant thinking and I Like your action plan.

Reply
Andy Peth
12/3/2018 12:18:49 pm

Thanks, George! I appreciate that :)

Reply
dave barnes
11/29/2018 11:17:52 am

“I support every choice that doesn’t take away someone else’s choice. Don’t you?”
Now, you playing word games because you will claim that the growing lump inside a pregnant women is a "somebody else".

"baker what product to sell...One person’s choice"
Oh, so you saying that people choose to be homosexual?

“How can I reward the choice to come here legally, if I don’t stop the choice to come here illegally?”
Simple: Open Borders. My ancestors did not have any papers when they got off the boat. No illegals by definition

"Christianity is a Choice religion"
And, all religions are evil.

"Are you with me?"
No.
The GOP: Party of Hate® needs to die.
I will never vote for a GOPer again. Never.

Reply
Andy Peth
12/3/2018 12:07:59 pm

How is supporting choice that doesn't take away other choices...a word game? When your choice takes away someone else's choice, that's called "control." I support choice, not control--totally consistent.

As for calling the fetus a "lump," well, that's about as non-scientific a statement as one can make. If you want to say it doesn't become a human life until a later stage of development, then that's fair--I would disagree, but at least we could discuss the issue and weigh facts. But a "lump?" Come on.

Your open borders comment presumes conditions are the same now as when your ancestors "got off the boat." This is radically untrue. Meanwhile, your own home is maintained with the very walls and doors you deny our nation--which is contradictory.


Saying "All religions are evil" is a statement of extreme bias, not a consideration of whether Christianity is Choice-based, which was my point. In other words, you're ignoring my point altogether while launching broad attacks devoid of rationale.

Finally, saying my Party needs to die simply confirms there is no messaging that would reach you, as you refuse to constructively engage. Refusal to engage is a statement of weakness in your own position--basically, you lack confidence in your ability to defend it beyond launching verbal grenades and running.

You do this because you are a liberal, and liberals are wholly committed to control. Wishing to control the dialogue, you ignore rival points, then launch and run. Certainly there is nothing in your statement that opens discussion, but rather you hammer it closed.

That's a control device. Thanks for making my point :)

Reply
Daniel
12/10/2018 06:05:46 pm

I think Dave is the walking illustration of your point of how Democrats freak out when conservatives start talking about choice. He's freaking out already. :-)

Brent Bell
11/29/2018 11:24:02 am

Stop quoting that stupid Magellan Strategies poll and look at the obvious. Republicans can't win when they don't turn out their base. Romney won with Independents. so stop using that as your excuse for more Never Trump BS. I will be showing up at some local Republican meetings. It;s time for you Never Trumpers to go away.

Reply
DK Williams link
11/29/2018 01:36:37 pm

I'm no political strategist, but i think, perhaps, the strategy of hoping some people "go away" might not be successful.

Reply
Andy Peth
12/3/2018 12:18:00 pm

Never Trump? You can't be serious. The Magellan poll simply reaffirms what other polls indicated, but citing that reality doesn't make me anti-Trump at all. It makes me pro-facts.

As for Never Trump, I have probably spent more time fighting against that group than anyone else in my entire County. I think Trump's doing great things. I do wish he'd return to his Positive Salesman Trump persona, as I feel that sells much better than his Reactive Trump approach of the past year. Trump is a fighter by nature, but primarily a positive one, not negative.

I think we can all be knocked off our game by people constantly attacking us, and this has Trump not being himself. Not every leftist athlete or actor deserves a response.

I think Trump would be best served by getting back to his "You're gonna love it!" sales pitch with his ideas, and we should all get back to supporting him in Making America Great Again.

By the way, if you show up at a meeting where I'm present, please say hello. I think we'd get along great!

Reply
James
11/29/2018 12:30:44 pm

I agree with the message in this article. From their very founding the demorats are the party of control, and remain so to this day.

Reply
Andy Peth
12/3/2018 12:20:13 pm

Amen, James!

Reply
Rob C
11/29/2018 02:17:26 pm

This is spot on! When I first saw the title, I groaned that it was another "moderate" who wants to pander to pro-borts, but it actually is quite the eloquent defense of the pro-life position, which is also the position of science. GOP needs to reclaim science as well because it really is on our side.

Reply
Andy Peth
12/3/2018 12:30:40 pm

Thanks, Rob :)

While I've known some wonderful pro-choice Republicans, I just disagree on abortion--strongly. I respect that they think the unborn aren't human lives until a later stage of development--thus no one's choice is being removed--but I think the evidence shows otherwise.

In my personal view, abortion isn't pro-choice at all; it's anti-consequence, erasing the consequences of choices already made. It's killing for convenience. It also represents one choice erasing all the thousands of choices that would be made by the unborn if allowed to live...so how is that "pro-choice?" And let's not forget how the Democrat abortion crowd (unlike Republican supporters of abortion) also wants to FORCE everyone to pay their taxes toward abortion providers, regardless of whether they support it--that's pure Control over Choice.

Above all, we need to stop giving away our most powerful message, which is Choice.

That's my personal view.

Reply
Rich
11/29/2018 02:25:19 pm

What about Marijuana?
Getting the GOPers in Colorado to embrace Legalization and ending prohibition and over-regulation is the best approach, especially with all the Regulations sunsetting.

Reply
Andy Peth
12/3/2018 12:40:05 pm

Honestly, Rich, I just didn't have time to go into it--my article was already too long. From what I've seen, most Republicans think marijuana legalization is fine, but they're also much more realistic about the social (and thus financial) consequences.

Science is key here. All drugs can make you into a weapon if abused (ie. Drunk driving), but some drugs can be used responsibly, not assuring your choices will endanger the choices of others (again, alcohol). Marijuana appears to be on this level, though I'm no expert.

So society has to agree on drawing a line: At what point does a drug make you too dangerous to society, turning you into a weapon? I've never known a "casual" user of meth or crack, for instance--those users are almost guaranteed of destroying lives, if only their own. But I have know man casual, non-threatening users of alcohol and marijuana.

However, marijuana legalization has certainly brought dramatic changes in Colorado--the spike in Denver's homelessness was directly connected. My wife works downtown, and she saw the overnight change firsthand. It's undeniable.

So for me, I'm fine with legalization, but I don't want people acting like it's this glorious thing with zero repercussions. I'm not going to turn off my brain and ignore evidence. I like listening to everyone on both sides.

Reply
tom
11/29/2018 08:53:13 pm

There's an old definition (I heard it first in the '70s and I'm sure it's older than that) contrasting conservatives vs liberals: If a conservative doesn't like something, they don't do it; if a liberal doesn't like something, they don't want anyone else to do it. This positioning takes this truth and turns it into a marketing campaign. Good for you!
And yes, words matter. The ultra left cognitive linguist, George Lakoff, has published several guide books for Democrats providing instruction on which words to use. For example, back in the '70s, dems were "pro-abortion." Lakoff is the one who directed them to claim "pro-choice." However, even Lakoff realized that "choice" implies that there exists an alternative because you are choosing between two alternatives. Several years ago, he was the architect that guided the discussion to focus on "women's reproductive rights" and/or "women's health" because no one can be against "rights" or "health" without being un-American or just a mean person.
So...this example demonstrates the truth in what you are proposing. The dems HATE the idea of choice. Conservatives should adopt this as the central pillar of the platform.
Thanks for bringing this to light and providing reasonably good examples of how it could play out in conversations.

Reply
Monty McCurry
11/30/2018 08:40:10 am

Sounds like liberty to me.

Reply
Andy Peth
12/3/2018 12:41:49 pm

Exactly, Monty!

When you have liberty in a situation, no one is controlling you.
When you have choice in a situation, no one is controlling you.

Same word, but one sells far better in modern America.

Reply
Tim Ziegler
11/30/2018 08:53:15 pm

Freedom is the only tent big enough for everyone!

I'm persuadable. I hate losing - especially if there is a choice I can make to win.

"So...this example demonstrates the truth in what you are proposing. The dems HATE the idea of choice. Conservatives should adopt this as the central pillar of the platform.
Thanks for bringing this to light and providing reasonably good examples of how it could play out in conversations." Tom

Andrew, I think you and Tom are on to something here. Well done. Excellent process and exposition. Thank you. Z

Reply
Diane Wolta
12/2/2018 02:03:03 pm

Excellent work.... now how to start to implement! Good luck meeting with Hays! Let us know what happens.... in case he should retain his top spot : (

Reply



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