How Republicans Won It All - And What It Will Take To Win It Back

Lessons to Learn from the Other Side

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Bill Clinton once famously said that “Democrats fall in love but Republicans fall in line.” Now, you may think that’s hilarious, considering that Republicans have both fallen head over heels for Donald Trump and have fallen in line by parroting heretofore Republican heterodox positions, from protectionism to an explosive deficit, once Trump embraced them.

But Trump arrived on the scene not that long ago. Republicans have been priming the pump to succeed — and win every branch of government — for decades. If you are shocked that they have what amounts to an imperial presidency, the majority of governors and state legislatures and ironclad control over our judiciary, you have to understand how they got there.

We need to learn from them — and then be just as ruthless as they have been in getting there. As I keep saying, when they go low, we don’t go high. When we’re in a fight for the soul of our country, we look at their playbook, flip it and improve it.

Here are four things Republicans have done very well. Democrats should spend time analyzing this list — and then figure out a way to not just emulate it but to improve upon it. It’s not rocket science; it just requires planning the work and working the plan.

Build a Political Bench

For generations, Republicans have tirelessly built benches of leaders from the ground up. In 1978, Pierre DuPont, the Republican Governor of Delaware, launched an organization called GOPAC, whose mission was and continues to be to mentor and elect state legislators who can make an impact in their home states and then run for higher office.

Many notable Republicans have had a turn at helming GOPAC — from Newt Gingrich to Michael Steele to David Avella. Gingrich had the inspired idea to use specific language that all these up-and-coming Republicans could message. The language was focus-tested by a young Frank Luntz and sent to prospective candidates as “tapes” to memorize.

GOPAC articulated its goals clearly after the 1990 elections, when Republicans failed to win the House. “GOPAC’s mission for the 1990s is to create and disseminate the doctrine which defines a caring, humanitarian reform Republican Party in such a way as to capture the United States House of Representatives and become a governing majority at every level of Government.”

Less than four years later, Republicans took back the House for the first time in four decades. Thirty-four years later, they have “become a governing majority at every level of Government [sic].”

Today, Republicans control the executive branch.

Today, Republicans control the legislative branch

Today, Republicans control the judicial branch.

Republicans control the vast majority of state legislatures, where GOPAC has really focused its efforts in recent decades.

Look at this map to see just how successful GOPAC has been:

(Source: NCSL)

There are groups that exist to elect Democrats to state legislatures but they cannot possibly compete with GOPAC. For some inexplicable reason, it just isn’t a priority. And yet, state legislatures are the ones debating women’s reproductive freedom, the minimum wage and all sorts of civil rights legislation that can never get through Congress. They are also a direct pipeline to federal office.