It is finally over. The constant ads, signs littering every lawn, and heated political arguments have, for at least the next two years, receded. The result, as we all are aware, some of us painfully, was a stunning victory for President Obama. The Republican Party, which pinned its hopes of repealing ObamaCare, stemming the flow of illegal immigration, and turning the general direction of the country around, on Mitt Romney, is struggling to recover.
The future of the party is, as of now, looking bleak. Despite the fact that Republicans still hold a majority in the House, many Liberal commentators are gleefully prophesizing the downfall of not only the conservative movement, but the entire party. While this downfall is certainly not inevitable, the election was a huge blow to Republicans, and the party leadership must be contemplating its future and making some changes before the election of 2016. Ultimately, changes must be made to the platform in the coming years, specifically targeting social issues such as open religion, gay marriage, abortion, and so on. They do not, of course, need to embrace or even approve of these ideas, but they must sideline them, so that they do not influence the campaign. The strong suit of the majority of Republicans is the economy, which they should stick to, and avoid sticky, but ultimately less important, issues that severely backfire. The 2012 elections were marred with Republican candidates making controversial, at best, comments about abortion and rape, costing not only themselves but also, to an extent Mr. Romney.
In the next two years, House Republicans must work to compromise with the Democrats, and not simply vote along party lines, as they have done for the past two years. That strategy led to an even lower approval rating than the President’s. While it might be abhorrent to some, in order for the country to move forward, and for the party to improve its image, Republicans must begin to work with Democrats, and of course vice versa.
Finally, in 2016 the Republican Party must not repeat the mistake they made this time around in choosing a candidate. Mitt Romney is an exceptional businessman with an excellent grasp of the economy, something America desperately needs, but he was no politician. Romney ran his campaign like a business, and until the final stretch was distant, uptight, and entirely scripted. While many claim that his ads contained mistruths, he ran nowhere near the caliber of attack ads that Obama did. Romney had no answer to these utterly ridiculous ads, like the one in which a retired steelworker essentially claims that Romney killed his wife. Party leadership needs to find a candidate who is, first and foremost, a politician who has experience in rough-and-tumble elections, who is energetic, fiery, relatable, and who is an excellent speaker. Chris Christie comes to mind, as does Marco Rubio. While 2012 did not spell the total collapse of the party, unless Republicans stick to the economy, cooperate in the next four years with Democrats, and elect a strong candidate in four years, 2016 could have drastic consequences.