This is a question one is likeley to hear at Republican Party functions (at least those where ordinary, non-insiders are allowed to speak) that never really gets an answer beyond the usual vagaries and empty platitudes:
"We need to better articulate the low tax message."
"We need to call for less government and regulations."
Yup. Absolutely. I can just hear the newly-minted young voters knocking at the door of the GOP now…
NOT!
Of course, this is for 3 main reasons:
1) The Republican talking points don’t really offer solutions other than to identify problems that might even be agreed-to and capitalized upon by Democrats while cloaking their real socialist ambitions, which they never stop seeking to implement; and 2) Nobody believes the present crop of Republicans anyway, as their actions betray their rhetoric; and 3) They are viewed, as a local Party, to be out of touch, which, heh, when you consider the facts, who could disagree?
Meanwhile, across the aisle at the NH Democratic Party, as reported by the Citizen newspaper:
FRANKLIN – With temperatures just barely getting into the teens and the wind chill a shivering negative 10, kayakers and extreme-sports enthusiasts paddled down the ragging waters of the Winnipesaukee River on Thursday morning as their way of celebrating the new year.
The annual event has grown in size since it began nearly three decades ago, welcoming people from all over the state. Like last year, spectators lined the bridge by Trestle View Park to see dozens of kayakers battle their way through the whitewater near downtown Franklin.
[snip]
To help warm up the kayakers after getting out of the water, a tent with propane heaters was set up by Choose Franklin and other volunteers. The Merrimack County Corrections Department sent over a few inmates to help with the labor of putting up and taking down the tent.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party organized the event this year and supplied the chili.
"We knew that kayakers come down the river every year," said Sarah Stanley, secretary of Choose Franklin. "A group of us got together and decided to help make something good better. We supplied the tent and many others helped by supplying tables, food and the heaters."
Choose Franklin has been supplying the tent for the kayakers for the past four years. Franklin Fire-Rescue provided the generator for the tent, Scott Stanley Electric supplied the heaters and Wilderness Trailer Sales supplied the propane for the heaters.
"It’s nice to welcome new people to the community," Stanley said.
This event is 30 years old, and the local Democrats have figured out a way to co-opt it, and use, in some cases, taxpayer-funded equipment, to run the event, for which they will get credit– and deserved, I’d say. This is how I imagine many conversations went:
"Welcome to the community! Would you like to know more about our local, vibrant Democratic Party as you meet some of your new friends and neighbors– the ones that will run in future local– and some, not so local– elections?"
These would include some of those "non-partisan" localized elections the great savior of the NHGOP, Gov. John H. Sununu so handily pooh-poohs as unimportant and non-consequential. Indeed, the once-proud Granite State GOP could literally spend a generation or more "wandering in the desert"– and deservedly so.