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G.O.P. Report Is Blunt in Its Call for New Direction G.O.P. Report Is Blunt in Its Call for New Direction
(about 5 hours later)
WASHINGTON — In a sweeping self-critique of the party’s 2012 election efforts, Republican leaders on Monday unveiled a set of proposals aimed at convincing younger voters, ethnic minorities and women that they have a home in the party, even if they do not agree with all of its positions. WASHINGTON — Republican leaders on Monday offered a harsh and sweeping self-critique of a party they said was in an “ideological cul-de-sac” and needed better outreach and a new brand of conservatism to appeal to younger voters, ethnic minorities and women.
“The report minces no words in telling us that we have to be more inclusive,” Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, said on Monday. “I agree. And as President Reagan said, our 80 percent friend is not our 20 percent enemy.” But the call for change in preparation for the 2016 presidential election faces a Republican establishment in Washington that has so far shown little interest in altering its political trajectory in the party’s continuing battles with President Obama and Democrats.
The national party’s report, called the Growth and Opportunity Project, is the latest contribution to a conversation among conservatives after disappointing losses in the 2012 presidential and Senate elections. Just days earlier, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, activists debated whether the Republican Party should moderate on issues like immigration or stand firm. In a sign of that reluctance to change, the 100-page assessment immediately drew fire from conservative activists and pundits who derided it as a retreat from fundamental principles. Rush Limbaugh, the radio talk show host, accused Republicans of being “totally bamboozled” and lacking in confidence.
“There’s no one reason we lost” in 2012, Mr. Priebus said. “Our message was weak. Our ground game was insufficient. We weren’t inclusive. We’re — we were behind in both data and digital. And our primary and debate process needed improvement.” Conducted by the Republican National Committee after the 2012 election defeat, the report is searing in its bluntness. Still, one of the main solutions it offered was new logistics rather than new policies: It called for fewer presidential debates and a shortened primary season, with the Republican National Convention to be held sometime before its traditional date in August or September.
The prescription from the national party largely avoids policy, instead focusing on messaging. The party’s stated goal with a shortened political calendar is to settle on a presidential nominee sooner in the process, which would allow the candidate earlier access to general election funds. But Tea Party members said Monday that the abbreviated calendar was an attempt by the Republican National Committee to tamp down debate.
“The way we communicate our principles isn’t resonating widely enough,” Mr. Priebus said. “Focus groups described our party as narrow-minded, out of touch and, quote, stuffy old men.” The document also urges all members of the party to “smartly change course” in what appears to be in part a marketing campaign to persuade voters that Republicans are not narrow-minded and out-of-touch. The report says that the “federal wing” of the party, unlike the nation’s Republican governors, is increasingly marginalizing itself.
Mr. Priebus announced that the national committee would invest $10 million to bring on new staff members to help appeal to young, female and minority voters. They will be charged with delivering an “aggressive marketing campaign” among those voters about “what it means to be a Republican.” “We have become expert in how to provide ideological reinforcement to like-minded people,” the report says. “But devastatingly, we have lost the ability to be persuasive with, or welcoming to, those who do not agree with us on every issue.”
Drafted by national committee members and party strategists, including Ari Fleischer, a White House press secretary for President George W. Bush, the report incorporated feedback from focus groups, online surveys and interviews with activists and consultants. Representative Greg Walden of Oregon, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, responded with one word: “Ouch.”
“The G.O.P. today is a tale of two parties,” the report begins. “One of them, the gubernatorial wing, is growing and successful. The other, the federal wing, is increasingly marginalizing itself, and unless changes are made, it will be increasingly difficult for Republicans to win another presidential election in the near future.” But he added, “The last thing Republicans should become is Democrat Lite.” He said that his party needs to better articulate what it is for “without ever retreating from our principles.”
The party will also work to overhaul the way it chooses a presidential candidate, including shortening its primary season and limiting the number of debates, Mr. Priebus said, adding, “So no more August conventions.” The report acknowledges a new willingness to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, saying that the alternative is a party whose appeal “continues to shrink to its core constituencies only.” Already, Republicans are working with Democrats on legislation that many in the party believe will be crucial to attracting the support of Hispanics and other minorities in future elections.
Though focused primarily on tactics and campaign dynamics, the report did make one policy recommendation. But on other issues — taxes, gun control, same-sex marriage and health care — the report is largely mute. In Washington, an openness to change among some Republicans is overshadowed by a party leadership that has repeatedly declared its intention to adhere to the party’s fundamental principles.
“We must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform,” it says. “If we do not, our party’s appeal will continue to shrink to its core constituencies only. We also believe that comprehensive immigration reform is consistent with Republican economic policies that promote job growth and opportunity for all.” Over all, Tea Party activists reacted with dismay to the report. “Americans and those in the Tea Party movement don’t need an ‘autopsy’ report from R.N.C. to know they failed to promote our principles, and lost because of it,” Jenny Beth Martin, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, said in a statement.
However, Sally Bradshaw, a political consultant from Florida who was on the report committee, seemed to play down the recommendation. Some Tea Party members also expressed concern on Monday that the proposed changes to the presidential primary system would undermine the ability of conservative activists to support their preferred candidates.
“We don’t say what immigration reform is,” said Ms. Bradshaw, speaking to reporters after Mr. Priebus’s presentation. “We don’t say it must be a path to citizenship.” Even though the national committee asked for her feedback as part of research for the report, Amy Kremer, chairwoman of the Tea Party Express, said, “I wouldn’t say that we still have a seat at the table.”
Members of the report committee also highlighted gay rights as a problematic issue. Ms. Kremer added, “We’re the one factor they can’t control, and so they keep us at arm’s distance until they see that we can be useful, and then they embrace us.”
“Already, there’s a generational difference within our conservative movement about issues that involve the treatment and the rights of gays,” said Glenn McCall, a Republican National Committee member from North Carolina who helped draft the report. “And for many younger voters, this issue is a gateway into whether or not the party is a place they want to be.” The national party’s report, called the Growth and Opportunity Project, is the latest contribution to hand-wringing among Republicans since Mr. Obama defeated Mitt Romney. Drafted by national committee members and party strategists, including Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush, the report incorporated feedback from focus groups, online surveys and interviews with activists and consultants.
However, Mr. McCall later said that Republicans need not change their position on same-sex marriage, even as some high-profile Republicans, like Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who announced last week that he had decided to support same-sex marriage rights after his son came out as gay, have changed theirs. “There’s no one reason we lost” in 2012, said Reince Priebus, chairman of the national committee, on Monday. “Our message was weak. Our ground game was insufficient. We weren’t inclusive. We were behind in both data and digital. And our primary and debate process needed improvement.”
“We support traditional marriage, the way our creator defines it,” Mr. McCall said, echoing the Republican Party’s platform. “But we also support Senator Portman and the love he has for his son, and he’s still a good Republican.” Leaders in the party, including Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio and Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the majority leader, praised the report, saying that the logistical changes it proposes will be critical in the next presidential election.
Mr. Priebus and others praised Mr. Portman, without expressing agreement. “I’m particularly glad the report makes a strong commitment to digital, data and voter outreach, and I’ve told the chairman he will have my full support as he moves forward with retooling these strategies and tactics,” Mr. Boehner said in an e-mailed response to questions about the report.
“He’s not asking the party to change,” Mr. McCall said. “He made that choice himself. And that’s what I appreciate. He has that right.” Authors of the report on Monday declined to endorse changing the party’s platform on key issues as a way of reaching out to a new constituency. On same-sex marriage, for example, they said the party should stick to its opposition even though Mr. Romney lost by wide margins among gay and lesbian voters. Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, last week announced his support for gay marriage rights, citing his son, who two years ago disclosed to Mr. Portman that he is gay.
Mr. Priebus said that developing a more “welcoming” message would require “discipline,” but it was unclear if the party’s base felt any compunction to fall in line. “We support traditional marriage, the way our Creator defines it,” said Glenn McCall, a Republican National Committee member from North Carolina who helped draft the report. “But we also support Senator Portman and the love he has for his son, and he’s still a good Republican.”
“Obsessing on ‘messaging’ absolves RNC/GOP of ‘accountability’ for Grand Canyon between their rhetoric and their voting records,” Michelle Malkin, a blogger popular with supporters of the Tea Party movement, said in a Twitter message. In releasing the report, Mr. Priebus announced that the national committee would invest $10 million to bring on new staff to help appeal to young, female and minority voters. They will be charged with delivering an “aggressive marketing campaign” among those demographic groups about “what it means to be a Republican.”
She mocked the idea of reaching out to younger and minority voters, “'Cuz, you know, they haven’t thought of that before.” But that debate is already under way, and it is not clear that other Republicans have reached the same conclusions as the authors.
However, Mr. Priebus did propose some genuinely new approaches to campaign mechanics, including more fully integrating digital operations with the strategy and fund-raising divisions of the party. He said he would open a field office in San Francisco to connect with the technology community and hold “hackathons” in tech centers like Austin and New York to develop new campaign tools.