by 
A recent survey showed an interesting result. The only group the GOP was not losing numbers from was Frequent Church Attendees. In every other group, the GOP has lost a percentage of support when compared to 2001.
On its face, one could say that this is because the GOP is losing touch with America, that its values aren’t in sync with the American people, and that the GOP is doomed to be the party out of power.
And I think you’d be wrong.
When Two Parties Are The Same…
Right now there is little difference between the two parties. In 2008, the election was between two men who were basically trumpeting the same policies with slight differences. Hence why McCain tried to play games, be the first to suggest something, etc. There was no real difference.
So, what benefit is there to align yourself with the party out of power if that party agrees with the party in power most of the time?
More are Moving Independent
Though the Democrat party gained in basic party identification (which I contend is partly because they are the party in power, correlation does not prove causality), the number of Independents has also increased, and is a greater percentage of the people that responded.
What this says to me agrees with a lot that I’ve been hearing with the people I’ve talked with—mainly, that many are fed up with both parties, government as a whole, etc. and don’t believe that they are represented by either party.
And What About Those Church Attendees?
They really feel they have no other place to go. They’ve been convinced that they’re “throwing away their vote” if they vote for anyone other than the Republican, and they definitely don’t want to vote Democrat. So where do they have to go?
What Should They Do?
The GOP needs to define itself on core principles that differentiate itself from the Democrats in more than just the social issues. They need to stand for fiscal responsibility and small government. They need to attack the bureaucracy we all see fails to work each and every time it is tried, and roll things back to local control.
They have to do something that feels like anathema to them—namely, work themselves out of the power that’s been accumulated over the past 100 years, and put it back in the hands of the American people, where it rightfully belongs.
If they could be the party of freedom, the party of less government interference, and preach why the federal government isn’t the answer, they’d win in a landslide—but not without the populace getting some civics training and a lot of understanding of why the handout doesn’t work.
I mean, the socialists have done a great job making people dependent, and just like any bad habit, this one has serious withdrawal symptoms and will be hard to give up.
You know, good politics says that the GOP needs to be more expansive, and recruit candidates who might not be in line with party idelogy, but are likely to win.
But as far as a long term alignment is concerned, best way to rebuild is to go back to the basics, and convince people that you’re right.
If the GOP is winning only amongst frequent Church-goers, maybe the GOP should be working hard to convince more people to attend Church, instead of trying to convince people that the party is not just meant for conservatives.