Easy, Breezy, GOPeezy

There's a lot of fist-bumping going on over Republican Dave Jolly taking the Florida 13th.  I admit, I am pleased he did.  However, I think the celebrations are masking a very real problem for the Republican party: namely, that Jolly won the election by hammering on one theme: Obamacare sucks, and by god you know you want to throw those bums out!

Now, I agree Obamacare sucks, and I too want it, and those who back it, sent to the political trash heap. (The metaphorical one.  Not Capitol Hill.) But focusing on a "your side screwed up" message is no Rx for long-term success for the Republican party.  No, if the GOP wants to not just get in but stay in, it needs to develop and sell a clear, positive message of what it can do for America.  Without that, the doors they open today will be the ones they're booted out of tomorrow.

And therein lies the biggest problem for Republicans.  I have been a registered Republican for almost 30 years now.  (It's true.  Even as a student and a Democrat, I was a registered Republican.  Maybe I knew I'd one day come to my senses, and decided to save myself the trouble of changing party affiliations.)  Anyway, yeah.  Thirty years a Republican, and even I am not sure what our message is.  I know what the extreme right feels about various issues, but if there is a cohesive message from the middle ground, I certainly cannot tell you what it is.

Disclaimer: I will soon be unable to use the we/us/our pronouns when talking about the GOP.  I have made the decision to follow my heart, and register as a Libertarian.  A government that stays out out of my bedroom, out of my doctor's office, and out of my wallet is an idea that is delightfully clear, and close to my heart.  And while Libertarians also point fingers, they generally do it as part of a broader message, that delineates plans for how to do better going forward.

But enough of that.

You won a nice little victory there, Republicans.  What you do with it is entirely up to you.