KC Republicans give postmortem perspective of election losses
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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Republicans now ask themselves, "What next?"
After a long, hard campaign, their presidential candidate won't be heading to the White House.
Eyewitness News was at the Republican victory party in Bakersfield on election night, and party faithful watched with long faces as Ohio was declared for President Barack Obama. They knew then Mitt Romney could not win,
At that minute, Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R - Bakersfield) stared at TV returns with a grim look on his face.
"it's not the outcome I was hoping for," McCarthy told Eyewitness News. "First reaction, depressed. I was looking for a new direction for this country."
Others shared that view Tuesday night. "I think it's a shame," Don Moody said. "The nation needs recovery, and this is not going to do it."
"I'm truly upset with our country," Annemarie Eggert said. "There's no jobs out there for us. I don't get it, people just don't get it." She wonders why people voted for Barack Obama.
Republicans are also asking themselves why not enough voters cast ballots for their ticket.
"Blue collar is what we lost in the north," Ken Mettler said Thursday. "Blue collar voters." Mettler is past president of the California Republican Assembly.
He spotted a huge drop in votes for the GOP in the "Rust Belt," speculating they felt taken for granted and just didn't show up at the polls.
On election night, McCarthy was also speculating after seeing very early returns.
"It's a tough place to run," McCarthy said. "The President, he had very a very big win four years ago, it was a tighter race for him this time."
But, Republicans have to take a hard look at the numbers they got. "We're going to look at it and see where we made mistakes," McCarthy said. "There's always places we look at and see where we can improve."
The party has to ask why more voters didn't get behind their man, Mitt Romney.
"I don't think he got his word out like Obama did," Alan Holzman said. The party message is something else Republicans are thinking about.
"The Republican party's got to articulate that we're not excluding anybody," Mettler said. And, he points to that, when it comes to reaching Hispanic voters.
"I think with Hispanics, we need to probably be better in our message that we're the party of opportunity." And he thinks the GOP can do that.
"I look at Texas," Mettler continued. "Texas has a very large Hispanic population, yet they voted for Mitt Romney."
But, Romney isn't heading to the White House, so how will Republicans work with the Democratic President Obama for the next four years.
Mettler says the country has a spending problem and huge deficit, and needs to shrink government.
"This President needs to compromise," he said. As for Republicans compromising with the administration? "Yes," Mettler "but we can't compromise our principles, or do something that destroys this country in the long term."
McCarthy also looks ahead to serious problems to be solved. He wants to stop tax increases, reform the tax code, grow the economy with more jobs, support small business and develop an energy independence policy that's good for business.
"We have big items to do," McCarthy said. "I hope the president will sit down, work with us, because we're wiling to work with him to put America first and get us moving again."
After a long, hard campaign, their presidential candidate won't be heading to the White House.
Eyewitness News was at the Republican victory party in Bakersfield on election night, and party faithful watched with long faces as Ohio was declared for President Barack Obama. They knew then Mitt Romney could not win,
At that minute, Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R - Bakersfield) stared at TV returns with a grim look on his face.
"it's not the outcome I was hoping for," McCarthy told Eyewitness News. "First reaction, depressed. I was looking for a new direction for this country."
Others shared that view Tuesday night. "I think it's a shame," Don Moody said. "The nation needs recovery, and this is not going to do it."
"I'm truly upset with our country," Annemarie Eggert said. "There's no jobs out there for us. I don't get it, people just don't get it." She wonders why people voted for Barack Obama.
Republicans are also asking themselves why not enough voters cast ballots for their ticket.
"Blue collar is what we lost in the north," Ken Mettler said Thursday. "Blue collar voters." Mettler is past president of the California Republican Assembly.
He spotted a huge drop in votes for the GOP in the "Rust Belt," speculating they felt taken for granted and just didn't show up at the polls.
On election night, McCarthy was also speculating after seeing very early returns.
"It's a tough place to run," McCarthy said. "The President, he had very a very big win four years ago, it was a tighter race for him this time."
But, Republicans have to take a hard look at the numbers they got. "We're going to look at it and see where we made mistakes," McCarthy said. "There's always places we look at and see where we can improve."
The party has to ask why more voters didn't get behind their man, Mitt Romney.
"I don't think he got his word out like Obama did," Alan Holzman said. The party message is something else Republicans are thinking about.
"The Republican party's got to articulate that we're not excluding anybody," Mettler said. And, he points to that, when it comes to reaching Hispanic voters.
"I think with Hispanics, we need to probably be better in our message that we're the party of opportunity." And he thinks the GOP can do that.
"I look at Texas," Mettler continued. "Texas has a very large Hispanic population, yet they voted for Mitt Romney."
But, Romney isn't heading to the White House, so how will Republicans work with the Democratic President Obama for the next four years.
Mettler says the country has a spending problem and huge deficit, and needs to shrink government.
"This President needs to compromise," he said. As for Republicans compromising with the administration? "Yes," Mettler "but we can't compromise our principles, or do something that destroys this country in the long term."
McCarthy also looks ahead to serious problems to be solved. He wants to stop tax increases, reform the tax code, grow the economy with more jobs, support small business and develop an energy independence policy that's good for business.
"We have big items to do," McCarthy said. "I hope the president will sit down, work with us, because we're wiling to work with him to put America first and get us moving again."
McCarthy should consider the meeting he had on Inauguration night, Jan 2008, as inappropriate behavior for an elected Representative from CA.  A group of Republicans met with Frank Luntz to dicuss their plot to see the President fail. Four years later the President was reelected. McCarthy survived this year but it doesn't look like fellow attendee Lungren will. Let's see if there is bipartian support to solve the problems of the nation now that McCarthy and his follow Republicans were not successful in making President Obama a one-termer..
The Republicans did everything they could WITH the endorsement and vocal support of Kevin McCarthy to discredit and make President Obama a failure. The Republican Party and Kevin McCarthy failed. The majority of the American people not only said no but they said hell no! Now look at what Kevin McCarthy is saying. The exact same thing the Republican Party and he was saying and to try do then, bring down the Obama administration. There is no compromise in McCarthy's voice and words. They are saying that if President Obama does it their way they will work with him. That is a recipe for failure. And if the Republican Party and Kevin McCarthy continue their hateful anti-American ways they will be a permanent minority party in 10 years. It would almost be worth the suffering the Republican Party wants to bring for that to be a reality.
Not only did Mittens and The GOP get creamed nationally, but Terry Phillips got a quarter of CA-23's votes for 1/15th the amount of money The Haircut spent.
Kevin Mc Carthy's campaign commercials said he speaks for "us," in Washington. Exactly who is "us" Mr. Mc Carthy? I'm Latino, I worked in the fields picking grapes for the mosesseion family. Do you speak for farm workers? If so, on what basis? Have you EVER picked a grape in your ENTIRE life? I assume not, PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong. Moreover, what is your position on the dream act? Why would you deny a path to citizenship for people who have grown up here, earned college degrees, stayed out of trouble, and/or served the United States of America by putting their lives on the line for us in our military? Until you can answer this question without calling other human beings "illegal" your party will NEVER win the Hispanic vote. We ARE the LARGEST minority group in the country. We will soon be the majority of California's population. We value hard work, integrity and family as much as anyone. But when your party insists that we should "self deport" ourselves, you are doomed to failure with us. I graduated from BC, CSUB, HARVARD and MIT. I own my own business. Growing up, I my brothers and sisters and I had to "dumpster dive" for food because my father refused to take public assistance. I would NEVER presume That the person who picks my food (and it's definitely NOT the "farmer"), cleans the restrooms, fixes my car, mows my lawn, builds the houses, among many, many other things is somehow less worthy of being called "American" than I am. This is a country of immigrants. The people on the mayflower were the original "illegal immigrants" if we are going to tell the truth. Your forefathers had to be immigrants as well, Mr. "Mc Carthy". So until your party stops hating everyone who doesn't look like them, your numbers will likely decline. Perhaps next election a Hispanic business owner, who has done MORE than be a politician his entire adult life will run against you. Good luck.
Please endorse a president whose religion was created in NY by a convicted con artist. Move along.