Greg Brophy for Govenor

[Bailey Guns]

Republicans certainly vote Republican. No question about that.

Or, they don't vote. That's what happened last time. Like they're really gonna teach somebody a lesson by staying home.

[Zundfolge]

The facts are (R) and (D) both claim 30 percent right out of the gate, that leaves 40% most of which vote for the (D), that 40% just want to keep their independent label b/c they're such free thinkers and all.

That's where I think your thinking is wrong (unless I'm missing the sarcasm).

Some independents are disgruntled Republicans, others are disgruntled Democrats, others are afraid to make a stand for whatever side they actually support (left or right) still others are members of one of dozens of odd, disparate and varied political ideologies and I suspect a large percentage of them are apathetics that don't give a damn who is in office and will not waste a millisecond thinking about politics and certainly won't vote.

This notion that they're all on the same side of a multitude of issues or have a common ideology is just foolishness and chasing this magical "independent" demographic is a fools errand.

The side that wins is going to be the side that energizes and unifies their base. Period. (Democrat cheating notwithstanding).

[Bailey Guns]

I agree with Z. It's probably not necessary to win over the entire unaffiliated group...you just have to win a little more of them than the dems do. That's probably enough. The bottom line is, if the republicans can get a large turnout of the republican base they'll probably win this year. It's the best chance they've had in a long time.

[roberth]

That's where I think your thinking is wrong (unless I'm missing the sarcasm)..

Yes, I forgot my sarc tag. Sorry. Fixed.

Z and Bailey Guns are pretty much right on.

What I want to see is a Libertarian present their views in such a manner that mainstream America will actually listen. The problem for the (L) is getting the media to shed its bias for 20 minutes. You can see how much trouble the (R) has with media bias so the (L) knows it is in for a fight.

[TFOGGER]

The problem of the Republican party is one of perception: Stuffy old white men that want to control the people's morality. Beauprez is not going to do anything to change that perception with younger voters, women, or minorities. Kopp might have a chance to win over some of the younger voters, and Brophy certainly would have, but Tancredo certainly isn't winning any friends with minorities...

[Aloha_Shooter]

I challenge the idea that most independents vote "D". It's certainly a convenient myth to propagate (for the liberals and mass media) because many people are herd-followers and will go the way they think the majority is even if that's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Newsflash for roberth: probably half of us involved in recalling Morse were/are independents. The vast majority of independents voting in the recall election voted to oust Morse and Giron. There are a ton of unaffiliated voters who are disaffected conservatives. The big trick is getting those disaffected conservatives to show up at the polls so we can get the hard core liberals out of office and start returning the country back to a more moderate position. We can get back to the 10th Amendment once we've done that but we'll never get to restoring Constitutional balance as long as we keep letting people like Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Hickenlooper, etc. in office.

[Gman]

While most of us here agree that the Republican candidate should stay away from social issues, a large number of the party loyalists are interested in those issues.

My extended family are farmers and oil field workers, church going and very conservative in their politics. No hand outs, honest pay for an honest days work.

They are very concerned with the social issues and their belief that a movement away from family values is leading the nation to moral decay.

They are the ones in which the candidates are speaking to when discussing the social issues.

...and these are often the same types of folks that stay home on election day because the conservative candidate is a Mormon.

Once the candidate is selected, I'll hold my nose and vote 'R', as usual.

[OneGuy67]

I can't speak for all, but I do know the vast majority of my family voted for Romney while holding their nose. There were a few who didn't, mostly my female cousins who voted for their one particular issue and that being reproductive rights and health and naturally, Obama got their vote for that.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[roberth]

I challenge the idea that most independents vote "D". It's certainly a convenient myth to propagate (for the liberals and mass media) because many people are herd-followers and will go the way they think the majority is even if that's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Newsflash for roberth: probably half of us involved in recalling Morse were/are independents. The vast majority of independents voting in the recall election voted to oust Morse and Giron. There are a ton of unaffiliated voters who are disaffected conservatives. The big trick is getting those disaffected conservatives to show up at the polls so we can get the hard core liberals out of office and start returning the country back to a more moderate position. We can get back to the 10th Amendment once we've done that but we'll never get to restoring Constitutional balance as long as we keep letting people like Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Hickenlooper, etc. in office.

I'm just going on my own experience and when I hear the people who claim to be "independent" on various talk shows turn they out to be liberals.

[Zundfolge]

The problem of the Republican party is one of perception: Stuffy old white men that want to control the people's morality.

And the problem with perception is that its controlled by the so-called Mainstream Media who are basically a wing of the Democrat party, so it doesn't matter if we run an old white man or a wheel chair bound, bisexual, Latino, Buddhist, cross-dresser the MSM will STILL spin the perception against them.

This is why its so important that Republicans energize their base, and then reach out to conservative & libertarian leaning unaffiliated folk, but don't try to fall for the trap of reaching out to leftists (both those that admit they're leftists and those that call themselves "moderate independents") Because those people won't be fooled, they'll vote for the "real Democrat" instead of the "Democrat-Lite with an R after their name" and at the same time the Republican base (along with conservative & libertarian leaning unaffiliated folk) will stay home (just like the last two presidential elections).

If this "reach out to the middle" crap worked we'd all be bitching about what President McCain or President Romney was doing (or not doing).