“The Republican Coffee Corner with Angela”
As the World Turns……..We must also. The Future of the GOP —- Part 1
This is just a small page and as such it relies, at least for now, on the observations and words of one person — me. Feel free to open your mind and reply prodigiously because I believe in the androgogical (made up word meaning you learn from me and I learn from you) rather than the pedagogical (you learn only from me) experience. As you know, I reply to many comments!!!!
Yesterday, I asked you to read the New York Times article which inquired as to whether the Republicans as heading towards obsolescence. I know that many of you have “in-boxed” me to say “I never read the Times”; “The Times is too left leaning for me”;”Not interested in THAT paper”; but I ask you: IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE UP AGAINST, HOW IN THE WORLD WILL YOU BE ABLE TO WIN AGAIN!!!!!! I will now lower my voice. Boxers study their opponent, they know where to hit, when and how hard. GOOD managers of basketball, football, hockey and any professional sporting team will spend hours studying even the most minute movement in order to exploit a “hole” in the strategy. They will ruthlessly search films in “slo-mo”, “freeze-frame” and simulation for hours in order to gain a scintilla of advantage.
And you know what? In the “game” of sports — (I have two daughters but grew up in a household consisting of several brothers and when I say several I mean more than 4) so I know people understand this analogy. Going back, in any game of sports, the winner takes all. The winning coaches are invited back, the losers are sent packing. It is a system that will reward the winner and therefore teach the loser to be a winner, eventually. Very interesting concept — you learn from your mistakes and don’t continue to “dig in” — diggin’ in another concept that will lead you straight to the bottom.
Now you say “Angela why are you talking about the coaches and not the players?”; Well because many things can befall a player (injury, bad luck etc..), the player is interested in the tactical side of the house. He/She realizes that the task at hand is what is important. The “tactical “strategy” of a player is often a very personal one and very, very important because each piece will contribute to the “whole”. Now the coach, on the other hand, is concerned with the “strategic” side of the house. Also termed “the long game” or “the big picture”, the leadership of the team — coaches, managers, and ultimately owners are looking at each hierarchical level at the team; league and the franchise as a whole.
The winning team, business and political party will make decisions based upon “strategical” implications and not the individual whims and ambitions of one player………. I am only in business, my readers, but this mantra will hold true for any endeavor —– If you apply tactical thinking to a strategic problem, you will lose, lose lose. And eventually, you will be out of existence — either by attrition or by design.
So, now you ask (I know that this is a burning question), “How can we identify those characteristics that lead us to lose?” Well, let me give you some of the characteristics of the losing team and the words they use……
1. The loser will subconsciously admit to losing by trying to distance him/herself with the team that they are on. For example, they will register as “independents”, put down their own party, and “secretly” vote Republican. Their bumper stickers are peeled off for fear of being “attacked”; they shyly whisper “I’m Republican” or refer to themselves as “Rockefeller Republicans” often to people who do not know one iota about what they are speaking about and could not care less. The real reason they do this is because they want to distinguish themselves from the “Tea Party Republicans” who they view as …… well….. not them.
2. They give up. I watch March Madness and ultimately the Final Four cheering for the little teams . The “Cinderella Story” ,so to speak, of the tiny school in a rural state where the whole school shows to to support the team. From this side of the court, you will witness passion, cohesiveness and desire. Beautiful thing to behold. These are winners. People, the point here is not for you to send me stories about small teams who win the game —– follow me here….. In 2010 we saw a winning revitalized Republican bench. Then the reason for the winning bench was excoriated, on both sides. We gave up and allowed the ambitions of a few to lead the way. Those who speak up, were told to “shut the $%#* up” and became silent. The concept of smaller government, religious freedom, constitutional rights and conservationism gave way to “shut up and go along” —- Lunch is being served at the Capital Hill Club at noon so lets get this out of the way. “They like me again”, get real, they don’t — the play-ground is where you first realize that it is better to go home with a torn dress, busted shoes and your hair in a tither than be “punked”. I remember as a daughter of a military member, my family moved often until we went to Germany. Every time you showed up somewhere, especially in some of the rougher states, another student would challenge you to something… often a fight of some sort. I remember the words “Angela Graham we gon’ meet you at bus stop 2” —- be there….As the bus pulled out of the school I remember feeling scared, real scared, removing my earrings, tying my hair back, and methodically getting myself ready for the “beat down”. I put a wad of gum in my mouth — not sure what that was for but it “looked” tough, tennis shoes on and I was “ready” to get off at bus stop 2. I was never in a fight (that day). Showed up, looked tough and did not back down (also remember the “several” brothers). So…..show up, don’t give up and of course have people around you who have your back-up. —- Not faking it.
3. DO NOT ADMIT DEFEAT! Do not fly the white flag unless you are under attack, comrades down or in trouble, and you have no other option. What do I mean about “flying the white flag?” Using the words of the opposition such as “Middle Class” — we do not live in a caste society; using words such as “they won’t vote for us anyways” — how do you know unless you try?; I can’t stand to listen/read/watch/debate anything they say —- they are “stupid”. —- They are not, they are well educated, well funded and technologically astute, but that does not mean we “get off at bus stop 1” —- lets stop getting “punked”.
In parting, read this for the content and meaning. Please, no old sports homilies, Pass it around, get involved, get technologically savvy. And forget the pundits. All the while we comforted ourselves looking at Karl Rove’s “whiteboard” which is reminiscent of the boards used by Ross Perot, they had cool tech savvy and smart, Nate Silver debunking our cozy, fire-side apple pie complacency that people wanted to return to the “Good ol’ Days” —– when you see me, understand that the “good ole days” were not so good for the likes of me. Cookin’ and cleanin’ , not putting those activities down — are necessary — so much so that I work extra hard to pay for it, but those two gems are admittedly not my strong suit Mizz Scarlett. (SMILE); (LOL).
RELATED ARTICLES: Can the Republicans Be Saved From Obsolescence? – (New York Times)
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The Republican Coffee Corner with Angela
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