The Shameful Tactics of the Republican Party

The overwhelming loss of John McCain in the 2008 presidential election to a freshman senator from Illinois, served as a loud wake up call to The Republican Party that it was in serious trouble with American voters.

The fact that a seasoned veteran like McCain, with nearly thirty years of experience in the U.S. Senate, could not defeat an opponent with barely three years of experience spoke volumes to how far the party had fallen.

For nearly forty years, Republicans had enjoyed a position of dominance on the American political scene but eight years of George W. Bush and six years of an unpopular war in Iraq had taken it's toll on the psyche of the American people.

Even before the McCain defeat, there were rumblings in the party that they may be in trouble in the upcoming presidential election. There was a distinct air of concern as Republican leaders discussed who would be the best candidate to pit against The Democratic Party's nominee, who was then presumed to be Hillary Clinton.

As Republican hopefuls declared their candidacy and began to line up for the upcoming primaries, the party was divided as to who would be the most formidable person to represent the party. Among the front runners were former Governor Mitt Romney, Governor Mike Huckabee and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. It was unlikely candidate John McCain, however, who eventually won the nomination.

McCain was not the party favorite. According to a CNN poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation in 2006, Rudy Giuliani was the favorite among Republican candidates to win the nomination of the party. In the Iowa primary Senator McCain finished third behind Mike Huckabee (30%) and Mitt Romney (27%) as reported by Real Clear Politics.

McCain had alienated many Republicans over the years with positions on issues that many in the party thought were contrary to party precepts. His position within the party coupled with concerns about his age and health made him the least likely candidate to be elected but he won the nomination by choice of the people.

The ascension of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton to the Democratic nomination surprised Republicans and Democrats alike who had assumed that Hillary Clinton would be the democratic nominee. When time came for Obama to choose a vice presidential running mate, many Democrats felt that Clinton should be chosen because of her strong showing in the primaries. Obama did not choose Clinton and in what can only be viewed as a strategic political move, John McCain selected little known Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate.

There was a perception within the Republican Party that many women in the Democratic Party were disappointed that Hillary Clinton was not chosen as Obama's running mate and the selection of Sarah Palin was an obvious political ploy to try to capture some, if not all, of those women voters who felt betrayed by Obama's choice of Joe Biden.

In her first speech after the announcement of her selection was made, Sarah Palin mentioned the "eighteen million cracks in the glass ceiling", a reference to the number of people who voted for Hillary Clinton. A not-so-subtle appeal to those who may have been dismayed about the outcome of their candidate.

Over time, Palin was discovered to be grossly unqualified and uninformed which solidified the premise that she was chosen for political leverage. It is unconscionable that Republicans would chose a candidate based only on their ability to gain votes but it is apparent this was the case with Palin and it smacked in the face of McCain's slogan of "country first."

Palin immediately went on the attack in carefully scripted speeches questioning Obama's patriotism and suggesting that he had ties with terrorists. Many of her attacks were vicious in nature and completely unrelated to the issues that mattered most to Americans. As a result of these attacks, the crowds at McCain rallies become increasingly more hostile. Reports by many news organizations like CNN indicated that cries of "kill him" could be heard at some gatherings in reference to Barack Obama which caused concern among some Americans.

The character assassination of Barack Obama energized the Republican base but alienated the independent and women voters that they were trying to reach. A Washington Post-ABC poll taken in October of 2008 showed a 21 point drop in Palin's favorability among white women voters from the previous month (September). Her favorability dropped 24 points among independent women for the same time period.

Instead of focusing on the issues Republicans chose to try to destroy the image of Obama.....a strategy that proved to be misguided if not deplorable.

The Republican Convention was nothing but a slam-fest of Obama. Speaker after speaker lampooned, ridiculed and spewed insults toward their democratic opponent. Rudy Giuliani blasted Obama for having no experience while Sarah Palin sarcastically compared his background of being a community organizer with her experience of being a mayor.

The climate created by these attacks served as the foundation of the Republican party's platform in the 2008 presidential election which by all accounts was unsuccessful.

If the Republican Party's tactics during the presidential election of 2008 weren't abhorring enough, their actions after the election can only be described as disturbing..

In a obvious attempt to reach a broader base of voters The Republican Party, in January of this year, selected Michael Steele as it's first African-American party chairman. Coming on the heels of the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president, this action raises eyebrows as to what it's true intent is.

In a addition to the other problems experienced by the Republican Party, the last four democratic presidential candidates have received nearly ninety percent (89.12) of the African-American vote according to voting trends reported on National Journal.com. In a final insult to American voters' intelligence, Republican leaders selected Steele to head the party.

Someone needs to tell the Republican leadership that sincerity is at the heart of appeal.

Republicans haven't been sincere with the American people for a long time .....and it shows.