If I Were CEO of the GOP (Not That They Listen to Me, Because They Had Their Chance)

It is frustrating and pathetic to watch the mainstream media and some Republicans try to explain John McCain’s loss for the presidency. Even worse, some McCain staffers are reportedly trying to blame the choice of Governor Sarah Palin as the reason for their loss, so they can position themselves for their next campaign job.

I do not know any of the McCain top staffers and I do not intend to insult them, but they need a wake-up call before they staff-infect another Republican’s run for high political office. What I am about to say may be hard medicine, but that’s how you recover from a serious illness.

I would not hire any of them for even a dog-catcher campaign, because collectively they resemble the same team that ran the 1996 Dole-Kemp campaign, with the same problem.

Namely, they would not listen.

Even though John McCain was out-classed as the messenger of the Republican mantel, he was also beat badly on message. That was his senior staff’s number one priority, and they did not deliver.

It’s not like Karl Rove was not on Fox News six times a day laying out what the message strategy should be, while numerous articles were written almost daily by conservatives who were clinging to their hopes of at least a partially conservative president.

Then, I came across a speech I gave in 1999 at the Republican Congressional Retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I laid out a strategy for continuous Republican victories for years to come for the presidency, Congress and every Republican position down ballot.

They did not listen then, and they probably will not listen now.

Most of the Republicans in Congress were there, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, House Majority Leader Dick Armey and the well-respected Congressman J.C. Watts.

If the currently floundering Republican Party would ask me for advice today, and they will not, I would tell them the same thing I told them in 1999, because they still have the same problems as a party.

First, they have a brand identity problem. If you ask 10 Republicans what the GOP stands for, you would get 10 different answers. Even worse, if you ask 10 independent voters the same question you would get one answer: I don’t know.

Even though Sen. Barack Obama’s and the Democrats’ message was vague and arithmetically confusing, they were consistently on message. They said it often enough collectively that even when one of their spokespersons made a substantive gaffe, the voters did not pay it enough attention to vote for a very vague and totally confusing Republican candidate.

In 1999, I told the Republicans that they had a “brand identity” problem.

They still do, but even worse.

Here is what I told them in 1999 in short, and I will give details if asked. But I am not going to waste my time again. I am not mad, just frustrated.

The Republican Party needs to do three things to establish a strong political party brand with voters:

1. Emphasize your priorities consistently (and walk the talk)
2. Neutralize divisive issues
3. Create a message tsar (and then follow).