Problems Republicans Encounter

A Changing Media Landscape

UPDATE: you can read Matt Johnson’s take at https://rightcheer.com/2023/01/25/jim-rose-jim-jordan-randall-atkins-speak-on-panel-on-the-future-of-the-republican-party/

John Sieler runs the Greater Omaha Pachyderm Luncheon Group in Douglas County. He is a cordial host and gentleman. In a panel discussion today, there was Jim Rose of KFAB radio, Joe Jordan of News Channel Nebraska television, and Dr. Randy Adkins, a political scientist from UNO. Sieler framed the discussion as to how Republicans win: big tent or purity test? I was not expecting much from the presenters, but as the presentation progressed, I became disappointed.

Jim Rose made good points about media influencers and the need for conservative influencers, but he was stuck on the idea of demographics. The young are Democrats, and probably will always be. This is not a problem. There is a saying: if you are young and not liberal, you are heartless. If you are old, and not conservative, you are brainless. Now, reaching the young is quite difficult because of how social media software works. You can block anyone you disagree with. This is part of the reason why I agreed to forums with Movement in Omaha for Racial Equity. Finding new audiences to speak with is crucial for good ideas to flourish, particularly among young people.

Joe Jordan rightly asked about how many people in the audience watch MSNBC. Only a few hands went up. Keep in mind, he works in television. He seem to miss the fact, the younger generation does not get their news from television so much. I wanted to tell him I watch MSNBC as much as I watch Fox News: very little. Television news is often superficial in their coverage of news events. Yet, his point remains true: if you are not keeping tabs on biased media, you may not know all of what is going on.

Dr. Adkins approach was largely to reflect on what has happened historically, but he seemed be absent of what technological and historical changes have taken place. His recommendation was to win campaigns by merely knocking doors. Not a bad idea, but it has a lot to be desired when Republicans are openly defamed across a very broad range of media.

Since Sieler organized this panel from his heartfelt concerns for the Republican Party so I offer a reply to his main question. The problem is not about purity, but about tactics and strategy. There are many conservatives who flat-out hate the Republican Party for being weak in the knees and merely being Democrat-lite versions of the Democrat Party. The Republican Party of Bush/McCain/Romney has been crippled by demands for serious reforms. This was how Trump got elected and is likely to be elected again. Roe V. Wade was repealed because of Trump. However, the Republican Party has often been too willing to compromise with Democrats on absolutely anything.

Jim Rose is a nice guy but he missed the issue on student debt. How about putting a restriction on how much funds are provided for student loans? How about restricting such loans for important economic areas where skills are actually needed? This would force universities and colleges to bring down tuition costs and help students find alternative funding.

However, the largest problem of the discussion is the entire panel had no idea in how the way we share information has changed. Social media has many many means of blocking information and trying to find an audience or forum to discuss ideas is limited.

The situation goes deeper. Many conservatives political activists are embracing the idea of ballot harvesting. This could boost the Evangelical vote. They want to beat Democrats. However, you will never hear anyone in the mainstream media or legacy media speak of it.

Also, the cosmopolitan view has fallen as subcultures and factions take hold and grow because social media makes it possible. Superficial reflection of issues has replaced contemplation and thought. The last election shows people favored incumbency over change but only very marginally. This may be because of mail-in voting or this merely may be a matter of people reflecting more cautiously on their choices.

Right now, Congressman Bacon is calling for bipartisanship on the debt ceiling (https://bacon.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1168). Why? He has just been re-elected to a House with a Republican majority. If I was him, I would urge President Biden to impose a Federal hiring freeze on government employment. In fact, how about cutting your own office budget and challenging other colleagues to do the same? Why is this so difficult but it is so easy for Bacon to go kiss up to Progressive Democrats? There is nothing controversial about this issue. Slow the spending! Yet, to date, Bacon has been very limp on the spending issue.

There are many Republicans who take issue with Congressman Matt Gaetz but he actually suggested a spending cut: get rid of the ATF (https://www.theepochtimes.com/matt-gaetz-introduces-bill-to-abolish-atf-after-it-declared-braced-pistols-illegal_4995488.html) You can scream and yell about the proposal going nowhere, but Bacon’s approach amounts to prepping a rape victim with Vaseline. Sounds crude but those in the know, know what I mean. Bacon has no effective strategy to confront Democrats and he needs to be called out on it. The Republican Party does not grow on Bacon’s approach to Democrats, only government does.