Of course, this Bloomberg article opines more on the static divide between “old” more pragmatic Republican voters and “new” and younger Republican voters.
True to form, the media rushes to Bolling — still smarting from Cuccinelli’s ascendancy and a perceived slight on nomination methods — who offers the following sage advice:
Bolling said his colleagues have done a poor job appealing to these emerging voters, and instead have retreated into a party where “you are persona non grata unless you agree with them 100 percent of the way, 100 percent of the time. We’ve got to move beyond that.”
He declined a gubernatorial run after the state party decided to nominate its candidate at a convention rather than in a primary, ensuring that its most ideological partisans dominated the process.
“The organizational structure was taken over by the Tea Party groups and Ron Paul types. They have taken the party in a direction that is very troubling to me,” said Bolling, in a reference to the former Texas U.S. House representative who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2012.
Sage advice indeed. Which of course raises the question as to why Bill Bolling…
“One of the challenges the Republican Party faces in Virginia and a lot of other swing states is how do we remain a conservative party but still be able to appeal to these changing demographic patterns,” Bolling said.
“I am a Republican. I am very concerned about the direction of the Republican Party but I believe in the Republican Party. But I’m not a happy Republican,” he said.
…and Tom Davis:
“It’s not just the change in demographics, it is the changing issue matrix the party has decided to embrace,” said Tom Davis, a former Republican congressman who represented counties in northern Virginia. “The social and cultural agenda of the party does not play to these educated people.”
…can’t seem to “swallow the toad” as it were.
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: establishment Republicans are more than happy to have a “big tent” party… so long as they are the ringmasters.
If folks such as Bolling and Davis truly believe their sentiments about the new members of the party demanding 100% orthodoxy, then they would be wise to lead by example and demonstrate the sort of statesmanship they are asking the rising leadership to emulate.
At the moment, the newer younger voters the GOP claimed to so assiduously cultivate? Are merely emulating their leadership.
Physician, heal thyself?
