Quote (AspenSniper @ May 18 2015 01:13pm)
To preface, I vote every 2 years and I care a lot more about local elections than general elections. I vote about 70% republican, 30% democrat, give or take. I'm socially liberal, fiscally conservative. However, I think you need to spend money to make money often times. 99% of the reasoning behind my voting is money. I like to think I'm very unbiased.
1. With the exception of a couple potential candidates, Republicans are anti-marijuana legalization. I think this will be the #1 social issue in 2016 and I think Democrats will win that fight. Obama 2008 brought black and young voters out in record numbers. I see a similar event in 2016 if marijuana law gets to be a hotter topic than it is now.
2. Latino voters. Obama and the democratic party has been pushing Immigration law heavily. The funny thing that no one seems to notice, Obama was EXTREMELY strict and deported more illegals than most Republicans. That changed recently of course, but it seems that it's all just a "be on the right side of history" and a set-up for 2016 Latino voters to vote Democrat.
3. Women. Not like this hasn't been done before, but Obama and the dem party have been backing "Lean-In" agendas led by people like Sheryl Sandberg, Meg Whitman, etc.
4. Republicans are still failing to modernize themselves. In the 80s in the Lee Atwater days, College Republicans led a massive right-wing movement. There is sooo little of that these days. They need to reinvent themselves a bit.
5. Moderates. There are about 20% of voters who are like myself, fully willing to vote Republican or Democrat depending on our feelings of the individual candidate, or what the climate is like and whether we feel a more liberal or conservative approach would be beneficial for the current state. Democrats are much more willing to adapt and be bi-partisan, which is appealing to moderates. Republicans have taken a hard-line approach to "no new taxes no matter what" ideology of the tea party. That has left moderates with a sour taste in their mouth. Romney won the 2012 primary on the line that he wasn't a Tea party guy and that he was cool with being bi-partisan. He shot himself in the foot with his "my job isn't to worry about those people" in that 47% comment he made, which ruined moderate voters' view of him as a moderate himself.
I think the only chance the Republican party has to win is Rand Paul or Chris Christie. Republicans come out to vote no matter what. A hard-liner makes no sense. A pseudo-republican like Rand Paul makes a lot of sense. Chris Christie makes sense because moderates find his assertive approach appealing, especially the young-moderate population. He's a very likable character and people find that attractive.
more like Hilary just has it clinched , and all possible republican candidates suck ass.