What Will It Take to Reshape, Rebuild the GOP? - The Plan

So now the answer to what needs to be done. Is this an exhaustive list? Far from it, but it's a start and the conversation that is going on can only be good for the party in the long run.

First, the GOP needs to understand that they do indeed have an age problem. This isn't perception. It's reality. Part of that is because the GOP has been so reliant on fundraising, which isn't a bad thing. It got them Congress and the White House for almost twelve years (save for that brief time the Democrats took back the Senate in the early part of this decade due in large part to Senator Jim Jeffords switching parties to become an Independent and caucusing with Democrats.) Plus, the GOP's "Get Out The Vote" (GOTV) efforts were unparalleled especially with "values voters" in key races in 1998, 2000 and 2o04. But the GOP needs to reinvigorate by also reaching out to younger voters as Democrats were able to do by meeting them where they are. How is that done? As younger people enter the work force Republicans need to interact with them on their level and with their issues. That means increasing their presence online, specifically within the area of social networking, and also speaking in plain but real terms about issues that are directly impacting them such as the economy and education. Some of you may be wondering about social issues. I see some of those issues as "luxury items" that may have some support but not within certain age ranges and certainly not in times when other issues flying right in everyone's face. That doesn't mean they are ignored, but sort of "put on the shelf for later".

Second, they need to be better at communicating their message. Barack Obama, and to a certain degree Ron Paul, with their presidential campaigns and Governor Mitch Daniels in his re-election bid here in Indiana, were able to do this with their campaigns. Again, this means speaking in plain but very real terms. That is why these candidates were able to connect with their constituency. In addition, they used the technological means by which the vast majority of the energized electorate could be reached. And that was through the internet and through Obama's very smart use of text messaging. This leads to a greater development of the grassroots especially on the internet as Democrats have so clearly dominated this area in the last five to six years. It encourages younger people to look into and potentially join College Republican and Young Republican networks who then can get them involved in local, state and federal campaigns. All because someone knew how to put a website together (that link is the website I put together for the Young Republican group I Chair).

Third, there is a movement afoot to recruit younger and more engertic candidates to run for office. In the "Rebuild the Party" movement this is what they have to say:

A "40 Under 40" initiative. Undoing the damage to our party's brand among America's youth will take more than new slogans and hip spokespeople. It will mean making young voters the face of the Republican Party, and not just another target group with its own bulleted list of "outreach" talking points. To that end, the next Chairman should commit to a simple goal: working towards a Republican Party where at least 40% of our challenger and open seat candidates for Congress are under 40. Such a party will send a signal to all Americans that the GOP is once again the party of the future.

It's hard to argue with their points here. If the GOP wants to be seen as the party of ideas and the party of the future, they need to recruit candidates who can better reach out to a greater mass of people. Now all of this should not be done or seen as a way to alienate the base of the party. But it should be seen as a way to educate the base on the needs of the party as well as the greater good, the needs of our nation.

(Apologies for not getting this posted yesterday. Technical difficulties kept me from getting much of what I wanted to get accomplished done.)