In Which the Washington Bureau Chief Parses the ‘Growth and Opportunity Project’ and Concludes the GOP Isn’t Learning

by Eileen | 10:33 pm, January 26, 2013 | Comments Off

I am taking the GOP’s survey, goofily titled the ‘Growth and Opportunity Project‘ and thought I’d share the experience with you.  I learned that this delightful opportunity was available through Daily Kos.  That the Republicans have managed to reach out to free market minions who habitually read the opposition’s press but are not getting coverage with the usual right-wing suspects may or may not be a subtle and brilliant plot.  Knowing the ‘Pubs, it’s not.

OK, here we go.  First, I get to provide my non-optional name, email, and ZIP.  Which I make up with babble any decent coder could thwart.  But I have now clouded the data set, and the Republicans will be trying to get money out of ‘Hiwghier Hihwgio’ at ergnr@sibn.com, residing in a ZIP code that is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

I am still not ready to really forgive them for last November.  Immature, yes.  But I think they could stand to understand what frustration and cold dismissal feel like.

Randomly banging on the keyboard – 1; Data analytics – 0

Question 1: “First, will you please tell us a little about yourself?”

Fine, I am a 7o year old male who is not registered to vote.  Which is how it ought to be, given that ‘I’ live in the damn Virgin islands.

Question 2: “Thinking about political parties…Do you consider yourself today to be a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or something else (please select one)?

I might as well answer one item honestly.  I am ‘something else’.

Moving right along…

Question 3: “Have you ever considered yourself a Republican?”

‘I was young and I needed the money’ is not a choice here, so I go with ‘no’.

Question 4: OOOh, a combo.  Did I vote in primaries or caucuses, for whom did I vote in the general, and how did I support the GOP?

Not this time around, not for the bastard who won, and by taking the time to tell the saccharine voiced teen who pestered me for money that cold calls are ineffective.  Her script didn’t give her a non-sequitor response for that one, so she just asked me for money and free work again.

Question 5: At this point, halfway through, respondents are finally given the option to provide something other than personal information.  But still only by clicking on one, and only one, bubble.

From a foursome – fiscal, economic, national security, and social – I’m asked to pick one I care about, one I think the Republicans should talk about more, and one they should talk about less.  I choose the same item for all three.

This is not a serious question.  It means nothing to ‘talk more’ or ‘talk less’ without an idea of what would be said.

Question 6: At long last, something any political party should always be asking.

Thinking about the current Republican Party…	Progress 55%
Do you think the Republican Party shares your values?
Yes No

Do you think the Republican Party listens to voters like you?

Yes No

The answer to both is ‘no’.  And I would like to go further by suggesting that the only values the GOP brass has are getting reelected and oozing moral indignation at everyone else.  Also, the Republican Party doesn’t listen to anyone who isn’t already in the echo chamber.  Seriously, prove me wrong on this one.  I’d love that.

Thinking about the future of the Republican Party…	Progress 66%
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “not much improvement” and 5 being “significant improvement”,: please tell us how much the Republican Party needs to improve in each of the following areas?
Diversity within the Party 1 2 3 4 5 The Party’s positions on issues 1 2 3 4 5 How the Party communicates with voters 1 2 3 4 5 The process of selecting the best candidates 1 2 3 4 5 The Party’s infrastructure and tactics used in campaigns 1 2 3 4 5

Which of these is the most important area in which the Party needs to improve? (please select one) Diversity within the Party The Party’s positions on issues How the Party communicates with voters The process of selecting the best candidates The Party’s infrastructure and tactics used in campaigns Other (please specify)

Thinking about what you just selected as “most important” for improvement, what steps do you think the Republican Party can take to improve in that area? (please be as specific as you can)

5′s all around on that one.  However, if you twits need the man on the street to inform you of any of that, you might as well start planning to become the minority party in the House in 2014.

For the one and only item so far to ask me an open-ended question, I provided a link to one of my own articles.  I figure the GOP can respond intuitively to arrogant self-promotion.  Also, they asked.

Question 7: ….aaaaand we’re right back to bubble checking.  What social media do I use, where do I get my news, and what’s my race and religion.

Not your business, from more sources than you do, not your business, and not your business.

Instead, I answer that I don’t use social media, get my news from social media, and am an Evangelical Native American.

And then I get a final item, asking me if I have anything else to provide.  But it is a second open-ended question.

I will at least give them credit for trying, or appearing to.  As Kos pointed out, “Surely it’s not just a flimsy effort towards party list-building under the guise of momentary introspection.”

But Republicans don’t get the benefit of the doubt these days.  However, I hope to be thrilled and proven wrong.

Until then, I return to preparations for bugging out to a less malfunctional place.  Maybe the Virgin Islands.

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