Republican disbelief turns to delusion and disrespect

After (some) Republicans simply could not believe Obama won, one could find a number of delusions.

Many of these are insulting either to Obama or his supporters.

You see, most Americans just “want free things.”

Or it’s Obama who divided Americans, not the harshly anti-immigrant, anti-gay party — and so there’s no reason at all why Latinos and gay people and those who dislike those policies and its associated rhetoric wouldn’t support Mitt Romney and his party.

And women who made voting decisions based on their desire to control their own reproductive choices, choices which are central to their economic futures and life courses, are, as Limbaugh and his dittoheads put it, “thinking with their crotches.”

One piece of political advice:

If Republicans want to win the largest bloc of voters in the country (women) or even a smaller one that happens to be the fastest growing group of voters in the country (Latinos), they might start by trying to not insult them and then trying to understand how they understand the world.

You can’t win support until you, at a minimum, respect the people whose support you want. And you can’t respect people unless you listen to them and seek to comprehend things from their points of view.

No one should need a political scientist to tell them that. I learned this from my parents and my religion, as most people probably have.

By the way, Jon Stewart’s take on the disbelief and delusion is worth watching.

Additional note: Republicans are not the first to go through this, not the first to attribute an electoral failure to the failings of the American public and their opponent. Democrats did it in the U.S. before and other parties have elsewhere.  And the political cure always starts the same — respect and listening.

Here’s one start, via moderate Republican David Brooks:

Let’s just look at one segment, Asian-Americans. Many of these people are leading the lives Republicans celebrate. They are, disproportionately, entrepreneurial, industrious and family-oriented. Yet, on Tuesday, Asian-Americans rejected the Republican Party by 3 to 1. They don’t relate to the Republican equation that more government = less work.

Over all, Republicans have lost the popular vote in five out of the six post-cold-war elections because large parts of the country have moved on. The basic Republican framing no longer resonates.

 

Amy Fried

About Amy Fried

Amy Fried loves Maine's sense of community and the wonderful mix of culture and outdoor recreation. She loves politics in three ways: as an analytical political scientist, a devoted political junkie and a citizen who believes politics matters for people's lives. Fried is Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine. Her views do not reflect those of her employer or any group to which she belongs.