How The GOP Can Win With Compassion

If Republicans want to win over the hearts of moderate voters in 2016, they might be wise to take a few PR notes from Aristotle. 2,300 years ago, the great philosopher identified three fundamental aspects of persuasion: he called the appeal to reason “Logos,” the appeal to credibility “Ethos,” and the appeal to emotion “Pathos.”

Sensible fiscal policies and a slew of impressive candidates already give Republicans a head start in Logos and Ethos. They’ve been having problems with Pathos — the emotional appeal. Think about it. Are the Republicans currently beating the Democrats at speaking to the emotions of voters?

Hillary Clinton routinely portrays Republicans as insensitive and mean-spirited, and she gets away with it. She recently suggested that GOP rhetoric may have “triggered” the church shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, alluding to comments made by Donald Trump. A few weeks earlier, at her campaign launch speech, she told an adoring crowd that Republicans “reject what it takes to build an inclusive economy.”

Obama’s presidential campaigns mastered this song and dance. Who could forget the 2012 ad showing a Paul Ryan-like figure push granny off a cliff in her wheelchair?

To take back the White House, the GOP needs to convince voters that Republican candidates genuinely care about the well being of every American, not just the rich. Proving this will involve more than conservatives merely calling themselves “compassionate” in the style of George W. Bush.

Republicans must keep their message positive, using elevating, vivid language to paint a picture of what a GOP-led future could look like: a flourishing economy, where anyone who works hard can land a good-paying job, and a bright future for our children.

Showing this to voters shouldn’t be so hard. The middle and lower classes benefit from policies that promote free enterprise and self-sufficiency — both defining Republican principles. Texas, for example, is governed by Republicans and has a comparatively business-friendly climate and no income tax. The result is an astounding unemployment rate of just four percent and one of the lowest welfare rates in the country.

Now that the hard work is done in Texas, the trick is for GOP candidates to effectively share results like these with voters in a way that is inspiring. Americans from all walks of life need to get excited about how their lives can improve from conservative policies.

This kind of positive messaging should be coupled with discussions that highlight the results of Republican policies — not just the means of Republican policies. Focusing on ends as opposed to means is the jewel in the crown of Democratic rhetorical strategies: their candidates focus on all the wonderful benefits that voters are entitled to. They don’t focus, by contrast, on who’s actually going to be paying for those benefits or the consequences for some of the same people those policies are supposed to help. While Republicans campaign on the theme of “cuts,” Obama campaigns on “free” college, healthcare, food, housing, and childcare. The GOP knows Logos, but Obama and Hillary know Pathos.

Republicans also need to take better note of Democrats’ strategies for showing their inclusiveness, if for no other reason than to counterbalance Democrats’ relentless efforts to portray the GOP as exclusivist. Remember when Vice President Joe Biden told black constituents that Republicans wanted to “put y’all back in chains”?

Combating this damaging narrative will require conservatives to go beyond rhetoric. They have an obligation to travel to cities like Detroit, St. Louis, and Baltimore — where a high percentage of citizens are stuck on welfare and in poverty — and show voters how conservative initiatives can provide pathways to prosperity. The GOP can spread their message by building up trust among voters in these groups; the only way to do that is by connecting with these communities in a sincere way.

Some GOPers are learning these lessons. Rand Paul has proposed policy initiatives to lift up the underprivileged, such as “economic freedom zones” in predominantly black areas like Detroit. He has also reached out to these areas by explaining how school choice can help children of all economic backgrounds. The senator has been critical of his own party for not being more outwardly inclusive of minorities.

Jeb Bush appears to understand the GOP’s Pathos problem as well. He vocalized concern for the “most vulnerable in society” in a recent campaign video. “My core beliefs start with the premise that the most vulnerable in our society should be in the front of the line, not the back,” he said. It’s a good start, but Bush will need to expand on these ideas in an uplifting way if he wants to appear genuine.

Here’s the bottom line: The GOP doesn’t need to change its platform to become the party of compassion; it needs to hone that message and hammer it home.