VERO BEACH — Republican strategist Mary Matalin is not panicking about the future of her party in the wake of the 2012 presidential election.
For more than two decades, the often controversial pundit, educator, author and CNN contributor has served as the GOP’s chief cheerleader through thick and thin – even predicting Gov. Mitt Romney would win a landslide over President Barack Obama.
Undeterred by the 2012 outcome, Matalin urges the party faithful to continue to forge ahead, despite sinking hundreds of millions in a failed attempt to put Romney into the White House.
When Matalin comes to Vero Beach on Saturday, guests at her two lectures can look forward to getting a taste of her no-nonsense political wisdom earned the hard way in the trenches.
They will also discover a warm, funny and down-to-earth woman, wife and mother who sincerely wishes to leave the best country and world possible for her two daughters.
Matalin exudes hope, even enthusiasm about the party’s chances to realize gains not only in Congress, but also in state and local races in the 2014 mid-term elections. To accomplish this, she does not see the need for any major shifts in policy or in platform.
Solid conservative values will endure the test of time, she said, even in these uncertain times.
“What we need to do is not change our message. What we need to do is convey it in a way that people can understand,” Matalin said.
Especially in these uncertain times, she said, it’s critical for the government to get out of the way of economic recovery.
Matalin said she’s convince the same philosophy of limited government and free-market solutions that moved Indian River County residents to donate record amounts of cash to Romney’s campaign will appeal to immigrants, to Latinos and to African-American voters across the socioeconomic spectrum.
“There’s obviously a correlation between success and hard work,” Matalin said. “Wealthy people understand how they got there and they want government to foster policies that do not impede upward mobility. They want the same types of policies that contributed to their success.”
Those policies, Matalin said, tend to benefit the small businesses which create a great number of jobs.
In Matalin’s opinion, the failure of 2012 was in marketing, not in any shortcoming on the candidate’s part.
“His press did not do him justice,” she said of Romney’s campaign.
Republicans lost the ground war, Matalin said, by allowing President Obama to dominate in the use of technology and in building grassroots support.
Unlike some who assert the GOP needs to focus on women or minorities next time around, Matalin does not advocate this.
“I do not like group think and I don’t believe in homogeneity,” she said, explaining that, for example, the country’s Latino population is a complex mix of ethnicities from Mexican and Cuban to Puerto Rican and those who hail from South America.
Assuming all those groups of people have the same priorities is an ignorant oversimplification of their cultures. Stereotyping all African-Americans or all women with regard to what they desire from their leaders and their government is also missing the point, she said.
One area Matalin said Republicans must lead on is immigration – not to pander to any particular group, but to resolve what she called “the most critical economic and moral issue of the day.”
Supporters like the Indian River County residents who wrote large checks to Republicans in 2012 might not be the ones frequenting political meetings and forums, but they are deeply involved in determining the future of the country.
“Those kinds of successful people tend to be active not only in politics, but in their churches, schools and communities,” she said.
Retail politicking from the city council, county commission and state house level is a better strategy. Converting voters to identify as Republican locally by demonstrating fiscal responsibility will reap rewards for candidates higher up on the ballot.
The rising stars of the party who will best carry the banner of conservatism going forward, Matalin said, very well may come from Florida.
In her opinion, the battleground of the Sunshine State also serves as an ideal proving ground for a future U.S president due to its complex demographics and problems.
A leader who can master the economic, environmental, social, political and cultural intricacies of Florida could be well-equipped not only to win, but to run the country.
Voters find former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio attractive because, though their backgrounds are very different, they both bring an energy and an authenticity that has national appeal.
Rubio has a great American Dream story, Matalin said, and Bush has proven his skill as an executive.