He Isn’t Called A Big, Fat, Idiot for Nothing

Ah, Rush:

“How come the conservative movement is fracturing,?” when there’s a blueprint for winning it, 1980, there’s a blueprint. McCain is not the blueprint for how Republicans win landslides. Going after moderates, independents, and all these yokels is not the blueprint. The blueprint’s there, 1994, taking back the House, the blueprint’s there. Why are these people ignoring it?

Did this jerk forget the “Reagan Democrats?”

Alex Massie notes that going with the “true believers” ain’t enough:

Of course, as Daniel Larison points out, the GOP won in 1994 in large part because it was able to appeal to many more independent voters than it had in 1992. (Clinton’s less than stellar first two years in office obviously also helped). As I have suggested, once a party’s brand has become contaminated – as was the case with the Tories in the mid-1990s and the GOP now – you cannot simply retreat to first principles and assume that the public will forgive and forget your sins. It doesn’t work like that. And, again as the Tories discovered, once the brand has been contaminated the base is no longer enough to win. When the electorate moves, political parties that are truly interested in winning move too.

Reagan won in ‘80 by winning over enough Dems frustrated by their party. Obama seems to be doing the same thing with the steady stream of elephants trekking over to his side. You win by trying to widen the tent, not make it smaller.

Dear GOP Leaders: After we get our backsides handed to us in November, please, please, whatever you do, don’t listen to Rush, unless you want to be remain out of power for about a decade.