What the GOP Should Learn From Election 2012

I believe that the message that America sent to the Republican Party on Election Day was a clear one: change or relegate yourself to obscurity.

Aside from maintaining control of the House of Representatives, the Republicans had little to celebrate on election night. Even in that particular victory, there were warning signs. One of the most notable Republicans and a Tea Party favourite, Michele Bachmann (MN), appears to have retained her seat in Congress, but only by the slimmest of margins. Two other Tea Party favourites, Rep. Joe Walsh (IL) and Rep. Allen West (FL) went down in flames. Both of them were freshmen Congressmen known for making controversial statements.

Mitt Romney & Richard Mourdock

There were also controversial statements made by two Republican Senate candidates, Richard Mourdock (IN) and Todd Akin (MO). Their statements, which were about rape, alienated women, opened up a national gender gap that aided President Obama, and cost the Republicans those two Senate seat (and possibly control of the Senate).

The continuous inability (or unwillingness?) to reach out to Hispanic-Americans is still costing the Republicans electoral votes, especially in Nevada and Florida. Their mishandling of issues including immigration will only worsen the Hispanic community's view of the GOP, especially given that Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in the country.

Senator-Elect Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Resounding victories for the LGBT community - including three more states legalizing marriage equality, the first openly gay woman elected to the Senate, the defeat of anti-gay amendment in Minnesota, and the retention of an Iowa judge who ruled in favour of marriage equality - signal the fact that homophobia can no longer be reliably used as a wedge issue. In fact, attempting to do so can blow up in their faces. A Minnesota Republican stated that the point of having the anti-gay amendment was to bring out conservative voters to also vote for Mitt Romney. The amendment failed, and President Obama won the state's electoral votes. Americans across all socioeconomic strata are increasingly supporting LGBT equality, and they are leaving the Republican Party behind.

Rep. Allen West (R-FL)

Not surprisingly, the number one issue with most Americans is the economy. With most of these Americans, Romney and the GOP seemed better equipped to handle economic issues. Despite that however, Romney lost, the GOP did not gain control of the Senate, and many of their "brightest stars" failed. All of these other issues, which the GOP repeatedly called "side issues," somehow managed to trump the most important issue. The lesson that the Republican Party must learn is that the country is changing. The old alliances no longer apply. If they refuse to recognize this change and adapt thereto, they will become irrelevant in a relatively short amount of time.