The GOP is losing the culture war

By Richard K. Barry

It is sometimes hard to understand where the GOP thinks it stands these days. On the one hand, they put out a 100 page document explaining how they screwed up in 2012 and what needs to change. On the other hand, they seem to think they were right on the facts but were unable to press the right emotional buttons to get the electorate to come along.

This is how Reince Preibus, RNC Chair, put it:

We're not losing the issues on the math. We're not losing the issues on spending, and debt, and jobs, and the economy. Those are total winners for us.

What we found in the election is that while we're winning those arguments on spending and math, we're losing this sort of emotional, cultural vote out there in presidential elections.

What I find so richly ironic is that it was the Republicans who cared not at all for facts in 2012, but rather ran their entire campaign on emotional appeals to the darker side of human nature, whether racism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, fear of the less well-off, or just a generalized fear of the other.

Republicans lost because Americans saw through their sad attempt at emotional manipulation. The man with the odd name is right about one thing: The GOP is losing the emotional, cultural battle. Damn good thing, too.