{"id":47057,"date":"2024-02-03T12:13:52","date_gmt":"2024-02-03T19:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/?p=47057"},"modified":"2024-02-03T12:41:02","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T19:41:02","slug":"guest-column-the-gops-master-plan-to-keep-losing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/guest-column-the-gops-master-plan-to-keep-losing\/","title":{"rendered":"GUEST COLUMN: The GOP\u2019s Master Plan to Keep Losing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

(Jon Caldara)<\/em>\u00a0– Politics is the art of addition, not subtraction.
\u00a0
The job of electing someone is all about getting people who aren\u2019t all that crazy for you to vote for you.
\u00a0
Proving to voters you despise them oddly doesn\u2019t win them over.
\u00a0
Just like government cannot tax a people into prosperity, a political party cannot divide and alienate its way to victory.
\u00a0
So, it is with great curiosity I watch the communications from the Colorado Republican Party. Instead of highlighting what makes them a better choice than Democrats, they condemn Republicans who don\u2019t pass their purity test.
\u00a0
The Colorado Republican Party will be a lost cause for the next six to eight years as it continues to self-deteriorate. We can still move forward with great limited government, freedom-oriented policy reforms. It just won\u2019t be the party carrying them.
\u00a0
For the next several election cycles, the Republican Party will be a \u201cregional party.\u201d That is, Republican state reps and senators will still be elected from strongly conservative, mostly rural districts.
\u00a0
But when running in urban and most suburban areas, a Colorado legislative candidate with an \u201cR\u201d behind their name may as well have a swastika there instead, especially as the party is seen as Trump-crazed and ferociously anti-abortion.
\u00a0
Colorado might become one of the first post-partisan states. That is, we\u2019re going to see business-friendly, anti-tax, but not moralistic, unaffiliated candidates running for office and winning in suburban districts.
\u00a0
By building a coalition with the minority Republicans in the legislature, these unaffiliateds could help undo some of the economic damage perpetrated by the Capitol\u2019s left-wing occupants.
\u00a0
The Colorado Republican Party is doing its very best to make this scenario a reality by driving voters out of their party and into the unaffiliated camp.
\u00a0
Reading their communications, it\u2019s clear their goal is not to tempt voters in, but to drive voters out with their declared jihad on the ideologically impure or not sufficiently Trump-worshipping.
\u00a0
Even the organization I run, Independence Institute, which for nearly 40 years has served as Colorado\u2019s guiding star for limited government, and personal and economic freedom, was just disdained by the Colorado GOP.
\u00a0
At issue is a lawsuit the GOP is funding under the banner of protecting our Taxpayer\u2019s Bill of Rights (TABOR), which we didn\u2019t financially support.
\u00a0
In fact, the suit has nothing to do with TABOR. It has everything to do with state Rep. Scott Bottoms demanding a bill in the special session be read out loud. The bill was the hideous, wealth-transferring, earned-income credit.
\u00a0
Bottoms and the GOP have a fair point, and their legal brief is well reasoned. But Independence Institute has no standing in this procedural question. So, when asked to put our donors\u2019 money behind it, I politely declined.
\u00a0
Thus, we earned a spot along with many other libertarian- and conservative-leaning activists, politicians and organizations drawing their ire.
\u00a0
The state GOP advertises a \u201cRINO (Republicans in name only) watch\u201d site devoted to the art of subtraction, listing those (and by default those who support them) no longer worthy to be Republicans. Luminaries include Ken Buck, Dick Wadhams, that rampant liberal Barb Kirkmeyer, Weld County Commissioner Scott James and state Sen. Larry Liston.
\u00a0
Former state party chair Kristi Burton Brown has been targeted in many email blasts for alleged financial impropriety. She sits on their \u201chall of shame\u201d of \u201cRINOS\u201d.
\u00a0
Yep. She\u2019s quite a RINO. Before becoming GOP chair, this very Christian lady led the fights for abortion limitations, including the failed citizen\u2019s initiative to ban late-term abortions.
\u00a0
On Christmas, the party blasted a Bible-versed email proclaiming salvation can only happen through Jesus, with no regard to other faiths or no faith.
\u00a0
Message: If you\u2019re not Christian, you\u2019re not one of us.
\u00a0
And now the state GOP, whose job is to run impartial primaries, is looking to go against past bylaws, tradition and ethics to endorse Donald Trump before the Colorado presidential primary.
\u00a0
What a middle finger to voters who support other Republican presidential candidates, you know, those voters the GOP will need later in the general election.
\u00a0
In his classic \u201c7 Habits\u201d book, Stephen Covey said to start with the end in mind.
\u00a0
For the state GOP, the end is to purge the impure from the party, French Revolution style.
\u00a0
Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute, a free market think tank in Denver.<\/em>
\u00a0
Save the (NEW) Date for Conservative Awards Dinner<\/strong>
\u00a0
I had originally planned on hosting this year\u2019s Conservative of the Year dinner on March 9.\u00a0 However, we had problems booking the entertainment for that date.
\u00a0
We\u2019ve now nailed down both the date and the entertainers.\u00a0 It\u2019s now scheduled for Wednesday night, May 1, 2024 at the Italian-American Club in Las Vegas.\u00a0 So please pencil it in now.
\u00a0
Last year we had a blast featuring a murder-mystery dinner and show.\u00a0 Gonna be awfully hard to top that one.\u00a0 But I think we\u2019ve found something new and unique that\u2019ll live up to your\u00a0FUN<\/u>\u00a0expectations.
\u00a0
Save the date and stay tuned for details\u2026
\u00a0
7 Habits of Highly Unelectable People<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Picking the wrong race<\/li>\n
  2. Picking the wrong district<\/li>\n
  3. Picking the wrong issues<\/li>\n
  4. Picking the wrong time<\/li>\n
  5. Picking the wrong consultants<\/li>\n
  6. Picking unnecessary fights with the media<\/li>\n
  7. Picking door-knocking over fundraising<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    CAMPAIGN BOOT CAMPS<\/u><\/strong>
    \u00a0
    Mini-Campaign Boot Camp<\/strong>
    \u201cKiller Copywriting\u201d<\/em>
    Wednesday, February 7, 2024
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    6:00 \u2013 8:00 pm
    FREE
    Click here<\/a>\u00a0for details and to register
    \u00a0
    Campaign Boot Camp<\/strong>
    \u201cFAST-START Campaign Implementation & Fundraising\u201d<\/em>
    Saturday, February 10, 2024
    Pahrump, Nevada
    9:30 am \u2013 4:30 pm
    $10 (includes lunch and training materials)
    Click here<\/a>\u00a0for details and to register
    \u00a0
    Mini-Campaign Boot Camp<\/strong>
    \u201cDealing with the Media\u201d<\/em>
    Thursday, February 22, 2024
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    6:00 \u2013 8:00 pm
    FREE
    Click here<\/a>\u00a0for details and to register
    \u00a0
    Campaign Boot Camp<\/strong>
    \u201cFAST-START Campaign Implementation & Fundraising\u201d<\/em>
    Saturday, February 17, 2024
    Reno, Nevada
    9:30 am \u2013 4:30 pm
    $10 (includes lunch and training materials)
    Click here<\/a>\u00a0for details and to register
    \u00a0
    Mini-Campaign Boot Camp<\/strong>
    \u201cPutting the FUN in Fundraising\u201d<\/em>
    Thursday, February 22, 2024
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    6:00 \u2013 8:00 pm
    FREE
    Click here<\/a>\u00a0for details and to register
    \u00a0
    FAMOUS LAST WORDS<\/strong>
    \u00a0
    \u201cNew York City is gearing up to launch a $53 million program where illegal immigrants will receive pre-paid credit cards. Meanwhile Mayor Eric Adams is wondering why migrants keep coming to New York City.\u201d \u2013\u00a0Collin Rugg<\/em><\/strong>
    \u00a0
    Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views, and founder of CampaignDoctor.com.\u00a0 You can sign up for his conservative, Nevada-focused e-newsletter at MuthsTruths.com.\u00a0 His views are his own.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    (Jon Caldara)\u00a0– Politics is the art of addition, not subtraction.\u00a0The job of electing someone is all about getting people who aren\u2019t all that crazy for you to vote for you.\u00a0Proving to voters you despise them oddly doesn\u2019t win them over.\u00a0Just like government cannot tax a people into prosperity, a political party cannot divide and alienate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[748],"tags":[3466],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47057"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47057"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47057\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47059,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47057\/revisions\/47059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}