KT --
As always, I enjoy your articles.
I am surprised you didn't devote a paragraph to underscore that Gary Johnson was prevented from debating even though (like Mr. Paul) had grass root support.
I think Mr. Paul hurt himself on foreign policy allowing the press to paint him as an isolationist. He needed to reinforce that should Congress make a declaration of war, that as President he'd be duty bound to use all means necessary to vanquish the opponent. Many people feared that he would not act decisively when he acknowledged that Iran had as much right as any state to develop nuclear weapons. That hurt his campaign badly.
Most of all the RNC damaged itself, again, especially by the shenanigans at the convention (as you point out).
Soul-searching is not in the GOP’s blood. Many Republicans see themselves as stoic, rugged and hardworking individuals. But after twice losing the White House to an ex-community organizer and failing to mobilize the base, Republicans need to take a trip to a mountainous valley, sip some tea and meditate.
In the quiet of nature, I think Republicans would find that the solutions to winning lie within themselves. After my own reflection, I developed three key insights into how the GOP can win presidential elections going forward:
#1 Keep an open mind
Early on, talking heads like Ann Coulter disparaged Romney...
I guess being big-L Libertarian means math skills are optional.
You are kidding, right? All any sentient creature needed to do was visit Ron Paul's website to get the truth. It appears young people, females, blacks, and Hispanics were for the most part UNINTERESTED in the truth.
The CIA runs the media. It is they who wished Ron Paul to be silenced.
As I see it, the GOP comprises 4 major factions:
(a) Mug-wumps ... milk toast "conservatives" who sway with the blowing wind,
(b) Social-Conservatives: fixated on using law and the power of the state to mold society to conform to their social beliefs (authoritarians),
(c) Neo-Conservatives: Imperialists seeking to impose our laws and values across the planet (also authoritarians), and
(d) Liberty-Republicans: Libertarians who are trying to help the GOP rediscover the constitution and federalism, civil liberties, fair taxation, and fiscal conservatism.
When groups (b) or (c) dominate the process, trouble ensues.