Pundits and pols have spilled oceans of pixels on what to make of the GOP’s underwhelming show in the November elections. That’s normal for either major party following an election in which it failed to meet even the worst-case expectations.
But out of all of this chatter has come one interesting, and useful, critique from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who says the GOP “must learn to quit underestimating President Joe Biden.”
Do tell, Mr. Gingrich:
…conservatives’ hostility to the Biden administration on our terms tends to blind us to just how effective Biden has been on his terms. He has only built upon and fortified the left-wing Big Government Socialist woke culture system.
We dislike Biden so much, we pettily focus on his speaking difficulties, sometimes strange behavior, clear lapses of memory, and other personal flaws. Our aversion to him and his policies makes us underestimate him and the Democrats.
But remember: Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan both preferred to be underestimated. Both wanted people to think of them as pleasant – but not dangerous. They found being underestimated was a major asset. While people laughed at them, they were busy achieving their goals and getting their programs implemented.
Biden has achieved something similar.
That’s another way of saying that being edgy on social media may make Team Red feel good about themselves. But it does nothing at all to damage Biden with his voters and independents who just couldn’t stomach the terrible candidates Republicans nominated in key races.
What’s the GOP supposed to do about it? Gingrich writes:
Today there is not nearly enough understanding (or acknowledgement) among leading Republicans that our system and approach failed. We need to rethink from the ground up how we are going to Defeat Big Government Socialism – including almost inevitable second-time Democrat Presidential Nominee Biden.
This is a much bigger challenge than I would have guessed before the election.
And it’s not going to get any smaller so long as Republicans play to type – uninterested in ideas or policy, way too interested in being snarky on social media…and utterly blind, deaf and dumb to the bad actors in their own orbit.
It’s possible that most Republicans won’t agree with Gingrich. Good luck with that. The nation needs a viable, adult, sane, opposition party that can hold the president and his party accountable (and, along the way, offer sound policy alternatives that can win voter support). The GOP isn’t any of those things. It has two years to figure out how to get serious.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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This article on why Joe is “winning” s so true. It seems to echo my thoughts when I say (as I have for over a year) we need to clear out the top of the RNC and put in new blood. They never stood behind Trump or understood how to win against the Democrats. They never advised Trump on his unacceptable methods of dealing with the population and so Trump’s victories went unacknowledged.
Like fix the elections NOW. Not whine about it after the same thing happens every election.
The greatest problem of the GOP is starkly simple: DWYSYWD. Do What You Say You Will Do. Consistently and generationally, you have NOT. End of discussion, Any questions?
No questions – just a response – the repuklicants are idiots in their methodologies. You got the so-called leader in the senate, mcconnnell by name, a month before the election stating there is no way the repukicants can take over the senate. Then there is the clown LtGov from GA stating he would never vote for Walker. And you wonder why the party of backstabbers cannot win. At least the libtard party, right or wrong gets behind their candidates. And what is the upshot – the US is in the tank and quickly becoming a 3rd world country!
Like fix the elections NOW. Not whine about it after the same thing happens every election.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich says the GOP “must learn to quit underestimating President Joe Biden”??? That’s almost as stoopid a statement as anything that comes out of Biden’s mouth.
COS – Convention Of States. It’s gonna’ be up to we, the people, to fix this mess. The fools in D.C. will never fix themselves. NEVER.
Joe Biden was put on earth to execute Satan’s plans.
NO Vision
No leadership
Too many RINOs
DC Estd types
NOT voting way Dems vote
Biden Cartel is nothing but a bunch of evil Nazis
This article exists to show you why it’s not that simple.
GOP:
NOT aggressive
Inflexible
Cant adapt, adopt
Good Ol Boy minset
For the Status Quo
& we Lose 2024
“Underestimate game” and “delayed gratification game” are clutch but can require great skill. When done right, you end up humbling anyone who wrongly thought you were weak or that they were alpha over you. This article taps into the vibe and really exposes one of the GOP’s primary blind spots.