One of the core tenets of Pierce Wire’s message is that Republicans must stop harking back to the glory days; aka the Reagan Years. We are long on talking heads (Limbaugh Hannity, etc.) all very busy postulating that anything short of a mirror image of a Reagan redux is a recipe for disaster. They argue that we have nominated disastrously flawed candidates, and the minute we appear to be adopting centrist policies, we are done for.

I respectfully disagree. Let’s face it. All of us would love to see President Reagan behind the Oval Office desk once again. But that is not going to happen. Neither will we ever again have the electorate we had thirty years ago. America has changed immensely since the 1980 and 1984 elections. The demographics are vastly different, and they will continue to evolve in ways that warrant a new Republican outlook. George H. W. Bush was often ridiculed for his talk of the need for the Republican Party to open wide the flaps of a “big tent” and embrace all who were interested in entering. His son was also lambasted by the left and right for his core foundational belief in “compassionate conservatism”. My friends, they were both on target, and if our party does not unite around these principles, we will be outside that tent looking wistfully in for years to come.

We should first and foremost embrace the fact that our policies and ideas must appeal to independent voters and voting blocks within the following constituencies; Hispanics, Asians, blacks, and females. Adopting or maintaining the aura of stuffy old white guys will ensure one thing for the Republican Party; permanent unemployment!

Our right wing is dead wrong to suggest that we should forfeit the middle ground. They say the centrists will always vote democrat, so we should plant ourselves outside of America’s fuselage and remain steadfastly glued to its right wing. To move to the middle on core social issues (of which immigration reform is just one) would be suicide; or so they say.

There is no data to suggest that their position is grounded in fact. On the contrary, the data suggests there are millions of fiscal conservatives and foreign affairs hawks pleading with our party to use common sense on some of the social issues that evoke the highest emotional toll in the voting booth. These people would love to vote Republican; they are screaming for help!

Here are some things you should know.

• In the 2012 Presidential Election, females showed up in larger numbers than their male counterparts in these age brackets: 18-24, 25-44, and 45-69.

In the key swing state of Ohio:

• Females voted 55%-45% for Obama.
• Obama won the Hispanic vote by 16 percentage points.
• 43% of Catholic voters cast a ballot for Obama. (Given the onslaught on Catholic beliefs perpetrated by Obamacare, that is phenomenal.)
• People calling themselves “moderate” voted 57% for Obama.
• Whites who claimed not to be religious voted 62% for Obama.
• Of the people who cited “healthcare” as their number one priority, 73% voted for Obama!

Now, check this out:

The Obama campaign was able to convince an overwhelming percentage of Ohio voters that Mitt Romney was a heartless, capitalist bastard! Anyone who knows the man or anything about the man knows that is not true; but the election is over, and he lost. The data tells us the principle reason he lost is that he was painted into a false corner, and he was never able to get himself back into the center of the ring.

As we look ahead to November 2014, and the big enchilada in 2016, Pierce Wire will sound a recurring theme. The data tells us we must lead with compassion. We must open the flaps of the “Big Tent”, and never second-guess ourselves. It all starts with uniting as a party, and sounding the bugle of hope consistently, repeatedly, and with alacrity!

Much More to Follow!