There are some themes we are all hearing from republicans during their public seppuku. There are the usual; the candidate wasn’t conservative enough, Christie sold us out, Sandy, etc. A huge realization, that really distresses them, is that “America has Changed™”, i.e. there are a lot of ‘them’.
First, this is a tacit acceptance that they did poorly with “minorities”. Second, that the fundamental demographics are changing (although they are not happy about it). Third, they must develop a better relationship with some ‘select’ subgroups (I infer, “the ones most like us”) if they are to win presidential and senatorial elections - in other words, any election where gerrymandering doesn’t deliver for them. Fourth, republicans work hard, democrats don’t, at least most of them don’t. Especially the takers…the 48 percenters.
I see no real interest or serious efforts to improve their relationships with AA, LBGT, prochoice, etc. and some other constituents. Though, as a side note, they may tone down some of the dog whistle use now that they have been alerted that we are not deaf or stupid.
The groups most often coveted are the Hispanics/Latinos and perhaps Asians. Please note how they want to think-of-and-treat these folks as a collective. The thesis is simply put, “you have come here for a better life and you work hard, you have family values, you are socially conservative, we should be your party of choice.” But one sign of puzzlement seems to bubble up in the form of a declarative interrogative, “we believe in getting ahead because of our OWN hard work so why aren’t YOU attracted to us?”.
I believe this is going to be one of the fundamental assertions used to develop the language and framing for a recruitment strategy. I have been hearing the republican refrain, “we believe in hard work”, as if they owned it for some time. I think it will become an even bigger touchstone as part of their efforts. One lesson we have learned is the importance of framing and the “ownership” and therefore the functional definition of certain words.
Here is my question for this learned and august group. Are there any sociological, psychological, economic studies that have measured potential differences between democrats and republicans in assessment of work effort, hours worked, etc.? This is not my area so I may not be using the correct terminology. What are the ‘facts’, and how do we push back against this propaganda?
Thank you, as always I look forward with delight to your thoughts.