Why Republicans Lose Elections

Harking back to grade school, I remember my social studies teacher telling our class about the tactics the Colonial Army used during the Revolutionary War to harass and defeat the British Army, which was far superior in size, strength, equipment, and experience. Instead of engaging the British in the open field – where they were almost sure to lose – the colonists would fight and fire from behind trees and stone walls. Under George Washington in the north, Nathanael Greene in the south, and Daniel Morgan in the west, the Colonial Army also employed spy networks to gain a strategic advantage and to spread disinformation, thereby confusing their enemy. These three generals also encouraged their troops to ambush British supply lines while foraging for food.

To the British, such miliary tactics were demeaning, unmanly, and uncivilized. However, there is no questioning their effectiveness as an outnumbered and outgunned group of Americans outmaneuvered and outlasted the world’s greatest fighting force.

And now you know why the Democrats continue to win elections they shouldn’t and why Republicans, with better candidates and a better message, continue to lose. Simply put, the Democrats use guerilla warfare while the prim and proper Republicans prefer to fight - and get clobbered – in the open field.

I am not suggesting that the GOP should lower its standards and lie, cheat, and steal to win like the Democrats. However, I am recommending that we stop being so smug and stodgy when it comes to our political tactics.

By now, it should be apparent to even the most casual political observer that early voting (which I’m OK with to a point) and mail-in ballots (which I despise except for shut-ins and overseas military) are not only here to stay, but they also provide the Democrats with a decided edge. While Republicans continue to extol the virtues of in-person Election Day voting, the Democrats have mastered the art and science of voter registration and ballot harvesting.

Another area in which Republicans lag behind their Democrat counterparts involves GOTV (get out the vote) efforts. For years, the GOP strategy was to motivate voters to get themselves to the polls whereas the Democrats rounded them up by the busload, sometimes offering illegal incentives along the way. Meanwhile, Black churches routinely hold “Souls to the Polls” drives, knowing that the vast majority of their members will pull the Democrat lever.

My conservative friends, it is high time that the GOP started using social media, microtargeting, and other creative and cutting-edge methods to push their candidates over the top. Standing pat while the opposition is constantly breaking new campaign ground is no longer an option.

Not if we want to win and not if we want to save America.