Cool won't cut it | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Re "GOP's future: Change or die" (Tribune, Nov. 11):

Rep. Jason Chaffetz says that the Republicans should "be more eloquent in stating our position" on immigration, gay marriage and abortion. "We are on the right side of the issues but our coolness quotient is not as good as it should be," he said. "The last month we criticized President Obama for going on 'The Tonight Show,' 'Letterman' and 'The Daily Show'. … Rather than scoff at it, we ought to do it."

No matter how eloquent, a hip Republican, spouting on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" last summer's ultra-conservative Republican platform planks on immigration, gay marriage and abortion, will lose even more votes. However packaged, the Republicans are wrong on those issues, and they're not going to convince people through better public relations.

The medium is not their problem; it's their message.

John Holmstead

Park City