Here's What Republicans Need To Do Now

Now that the interminable Georgia election is over and now that the GOP has lost yet another one, let's take stock:

• There was NO red wave. In fact, there wasn't even a red puddle.
• The Democrats loss of only 10 House seats (when expectations were as high as a 30+ Dem loss) is, by any measure, a very strong showing for an incumbent party in the midterms.
• Of the ten seats Republicans gained, seven came from just two states -- Florida and New York. Florida can be credited to Ron DeSantis and New York's big surprise benefitted from Lee Zeldin's surprisingly strong showing. These were singular efforts that had little to do with the national Republican Party apparatus.
• The Democrats' Senate win last night marks the the first time in 60 years that the Democrats increased their seats in the Senate while their party held the presidency. 60 years!
• On top of everything else, the Democrats' net gain of two governorships also marked a record showing for them in the first off year contest under a newly-elected Democrat president, tying their successes in 1934 and 1962.
• Impressively, during an economic downturn and runaway inflation and under a bumbling, cognitively-challenged president, the Democrats defied the odds, embarrassed the GOP and advanced their cause immeasurably. 
• Have you ever heard of exceeding expectations? Well, the Republicans actually receded expectations.

Yes, the Republicans blew a golden opportunity -- the kind of opportunity that doesn't come our way very often. 

While Democrat operatives were collecting and delivering tons of ballots weeks before the election (essentially banking votes and putting the outcome on ice) Republicans were still knocking on doors, making phone calls and sending out snail mail. While Democrats were reaching new generations of voters where they lived via clever, snappy messages on Tik Tok, Snapchat and Instagram, Republicans were cluelessly lumbering along via Facebook and Twitter -- when we were using social media at all. While we were looking for voters, the Democrats were gathering votes.  And, it's worth noting we were also harboring funds for last minute TV ads like it was still 1980. We were Sears, still waiting for people to come into the store, while they were Amazon, making sales 24/7. In short, we were campaigning while they were electing.

So, can we learn from this? And what do we do now? Here are seven solid ways forward:

1) The GOP needs to clean house. We need new national leadership. McConnell, McCarthy and McDaniel are failed and tired. They need to be replaced with fresh, zippy, new leaders. Even replacing just one of them would be a good start.

2) We must put forward a bold, detailed plan for the future of our country offering a bright way forward -- a workable, common-sense plan that addresses people's everyday needs and meets voters where they live. Remember the Contract With America? It worked!

3) We must move beyond Donald Trump and we must do it now because this man is bogging us down and holding us back. We cannot undo the 2020 election. Trump's current problems are his problems -- not the party's. He has painted himself into the increasingly cramped corner that he now inhabits.  The party is bigger (and deserves better) than this man. 

4) We must stop fighting amongst ourselves over arcane arguing points and petty personalities.  While we're fighting over who gets the right to lose, Democrats really are transforming our country and robbing us of our liberties. Every day that we fail to unite is another nail in freedom's coffin. We must unite!

5) Early voting is a reality. We must use every modern means possible to master it -- and master it now!

6) Likewise, mail-in voting is here to stay. The Democrats have been effectively ballot harvesting for years. We've got to focus on ballots, ballots, ballots.

7) We must excel at social media -- particularly those platforms that reach millennials and Gen Z voters. Facebook and Twitter are not enough. And Gettr, Truth, Social, Parler and Gab are basically echo chambers. We've got to use every modern technology to reach these new voters whose numbers continue to increase and we've got to do it on the platforms they inhabit. 

Yes, this is a tall order.

But we can do this. In fact, it's all possible -- if we begin now. This is no time for "business as usual". The hour is late. If we fail to act we will effectively forfeit our right to lead and may deliver a fatal blow to democracy.

Avanti!