Thomas Beaumont of the Des Moines Register features David in a recent article profiling Iowan voters and getting insights about the GOP from Iowan Republicans.
“I think the conservative brand is generally fine,” said Republican pollster David Winston. “But the Republican brand has difficulty at this point. And there’s no question that, until the party stops being the opposition party and starts being the alternative party, it’s not going to help its brand.”
David Winston is featured in Politico’s report on the Bipartisan Policy Center’s inaugural summit, which took place in New Orleans on November 9th and 10th. The summit brought together several pundits from both sides of the political spectrum, and proved that they actually can get along:
One attendee told POLITICO that the pundits’ attitude was very much “they’re willing to work together when that works and they’re willing to club each other when clubbing is appropriate.”
To read more of the Politico story, access it here.
Byron York’s latest article features commentary from David Winston on the real top issue right now – jobs (not healthcare). Even with unemployment in the double digits, there an urgency missing in addressing the problem, even from both sides of the political spectrum.
“Any time you have unemployment this high, it is the number one story, whether it’s being written about or not,” says David Winston, a Republican pollster who for months has urged GOP officeholders to focus steadily on the issue.
Ben Pershing writes about the divergent views within the GOP on why Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman lost the NY-23 Congressional race against Democrat Bill Owens. The Winston Group’s David Winston weighed in on how clashes between the base and moderates can affect off-year elections:
“This is not a simplistic problem,” said Republican pollster David Winston. “You watched Democrats go through this after the 1994 election. It’s the constant tension within any political party.”
In this week’s 2nd episode, Kristen, Ross and Reihan discuss whether conservative political discourse has fallen by the wayside to allow for more entertainment value. Have we really become “more Glenn Beck and less William F. Buckley”?
Comments from left and right – mostly from the right – flew after Obama’s trip to Copenhagen failed to secure a win for Chicago to host the 2016 Olympics. Kristen chats with Abby Alger and The Winston Group’s Chris Anderson about what folks from the right said, what happened in Copenhagen, and possible reasons why Chicago lost the vote.
Kristen, Rachel and Tommy chat about the rare breed of conservative celebrities – why are there so few of them? And what can the right do gain more support from them? Kristen and our guests also discuss why conservative new media material like blogs and magazines are important.
Can information be credible if it falls under the guise of entertainment? Is The Colbert Report a viable alternative to the nightly news? Kristen, J.P. and Chris switch gears in our second episode of this week to discuss political journalism, particularly on the blurred lines between fact and opinion, especially when humor is used.
Politics Daily’s Walter Shapiro addresses what’s behind President Obama’s latest job approval ratings. Shapiro features some commentary from David Winston on why we’re hearing so much from “Obama foes”:
Anti-Obama passions are undeniably present, although they may not be as meaningful as advertised. In part, they reflect the high-decibel partisanship of a political dialogue defined by cable television and angry Web sites. As Republican pollster David Winston puts it, “I think there are things going on that have nothing to do with Obama, like the change in the political discourse.”
Kristen Soltis, Patrick Ruffini and Liz Mair continue their chat on new media, this time focusing on its use in campaigns and how technology is changing the way campaigns are run.
This week, Kristen Soltis talks about education with Katherine Haley from House Republican Leader John Boehner’s office, and Dan Lips from The Heritage Foundation.
Kristen Soltis, Jill Bandes and Jon Henke continue to discuss Arlen Specter’s switch from the Republican party to the Democrat party and its implications, as well as questions of how conservatism should be defined.
The Right Idea returns with 2 new installments this week, featuring Jill Bandes of Townhall.com and Jon Henke, a political and policy consultant. They discuss with Kristen Soltis possible solutions for the Republican Party regarding Arlen Specter’s defection and Justice Souter’s retirement.
Kristen Soltis, Mindy Finn and James Kirchick address long-term solutions to the GOPs recent setbacks, looking at which direction they need to take with policies and messaging.
Winston provides insight into the problems the GOP is facing, with Arlen Specter’s switch to the Democratic party showing how less voters are identifying with Republicans.
“Clearly the Democrats want to portray the Republicans as the ‘Party of No’ and the challenge for Republicans is how do they become an effective opposition party at the same time defining a clear choice?” said David Winston, a prominent strategist and pollster who works closely with the congressional Republican leadership. “Once people see the Republicans defining a choice, the ‘Party of No’ goes away.”
