Why Republicans could lose ground in the 2012 election

The 2010 midterm elections was a reverse of misfortune for the Republican Party since losing control of Congress in 2006 and then the White House in 2008. They seemed poised to finish their conquering of Congress, that is, until they nominated Mitt Romney for president.

He is the worst choice for a nominee in a time when the opposing party is running an incumbent president with a questionable record. They had the opportunity to nominate someone who displayed a clear contrast to President Obama. Unfortunately, Romney is far from that.

What makes matters worse, his recent comments about the "47 percent of Americans" who don't pay income tax and constantly line up at the government feeding trough is very alienating to the middle class. And there lies the problem: Republicans aren't closing the deal with the middle class. A poll in late August revealed that 47 percent (how ironic!) of registered voters said the Democratic Party cares more for "people like us", while 42 percent stated that Republicans fit the mold for their ideology. Furthermore, 51 percent of voters believe the Democrats currently holding seats in Congress are "for the middle class", while only 40 percent said the same of Republicans.

So what can Republicans do to turn this around? I wish I knew. I'm not a political strategist. The only thing I can do is offer my ideas.

First, and most important aspect of Romney's campaign for president, is he needs to separate himself from the neo-conservative image of George W. Bush. His wars were very unpopular with Democrats and a majority of independents. With the current budget problems and looming debt hanging over our nation, we cannot afford to finance any more military combat operations overseas. Romney's approach to foreign policy is nothing different to Bush's. Romney stated in an interview on "Meet the Press" over a week ago that "all options are on the table" to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Does this include military action? While President Obama has reiterated this same point, his administration has advocated to give the current sanctions on Iran more time to work.

Touching further on the issue of foreign policy, the Democrats and Republicans differ greatly in their platforms. Here is a summary of their wording from their respective platforms:

Democrats:
No U.S. forces or bases in Iraq.
Bring our troops home from Afghanistan by 2014.

Republicans:
Prevent Iran from building and possessing nuclear weapons.

Notice the difference? It is for this reason that many votes could sway towards Democrats.

Second, the Republicans need to make a better effort to come up with a balanced budget, and pass the message to their nominee that he needs to push the idea in the campaign. Again, referring to the interview Mitt Romney had on "Meet the Press", host David Gregory asked Romney, if elected, if a balanced budget would be a priority for his administration. His response: No. It would be a priority in his second term. The arrogance of that statement alone is just frustrating, but his reason for not making it a priority has the potential to incite rage in many conservative American voters. A balanced budget at this point, according to Romney, would be detrimental to our economy. He also remarks that if his Medicare voucher program idea doesn't work that he wouldn't pass any costs on to seniors and instead blow up the deficit to pay for it.

I can't see how this view totes the party line (as seen in the GOP platform) of passing a Balanced Budget Amendment.

For being a party committed to economic freedom and limited government, they sure aren't advancing those principles. This could hurt them in the South. Democratic strategist, David "Mudcat" Saunders said the Democrats can win the South if they focus on more on equality for Americans rather than class. "Democrats go after class; Republicans go after culture. Culture wins almost every time [in the South]". It is a good idea, since Democrats already have the middle class' support. Saunders also said the difference in the past were the Reagan Democrats, who he claims, are ready to come home to the Democratic Party. He is currently working with a Democratic candidate in Virginia to unseat Eric Cantor, the Republican Majority Leader.

Oh, and Saunders prediction? "Obama will win Virginia".

The GOP has a lot of work to do right now. Mitt Romney has proven to be a poor choice. He is not very popular amongst a majority of Americans. He isn't popular in his own party! There have even been reports that three Republican members of the electoral college have vowed to give Texas Congressman Ron Paul his electoral votes. The division within the party is not good, and if they hope to win the White House as well as additional seats in Congress, they have to unite themselves before they even try to unite the country.