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Joint Crisis Committee: Republican National Committee 2016 Angela Sailor

In order for the American People to maintain a more conservatively focused federal government, the republican party must be victorious in the 2016 presidential elections. In order to do this the candidate chosen in the Republican primaries must be true to the core, traditional values of the Republican party, however open to change in order to gain support from a larger variety of voters and nationally recognized through more advanced, technology-enforced campaign methods. The success of the presidential election is completely dependent on the success of the Republican primaries.

Keeping this in mind, Rob Portman and Chris Christie become strong candidates, as both support traditional Republican values, but also are able to pull support from other parties and have had a fair amount of publicity in recent years. Portman is aggressively pro-life, while Christie is pro-life, but tolerates pro-choice views, both keeping in line with the general Republican views. Both candidates were against same-sex marriage. although Christie stands by the belief that "being gay isn't a choice" and Portman after his son recently came out as gay, has amended his views to support gay rights. This view, although it does not align with the majority of the Republican party, will most likely be able to pull more votes from the younger, more liberal voters. Portman as well as Christie have made efforts to aid the environment, a topic that has become more and more prevalent in today's society, especially after Al Gore's "Global Warming" speech. Christie has given 157 million dollars for Green Acres open-space acquisition, as well as made a point of conserving Jersey Shore beaches for tourism as opposed to offshore drilling.In 2004, Portman voted to adopt the conference report on a bill that would reduce and expedite environmental and judicial reviews of forest thinning projects, authorizing 760 million dollars a year for the proceeding four fiscal years.

A candidate should have an extensive and varied resume, if they are going to win the presidential election they cannot just be well-versed in Education issues or foreign affairs, they need to have articulate standpoints on all issues, ranging from civil rights to crime within the U.S. Portman meets this standard as his resume is extremely built up, Christie also holds an impressive resume, although the "Bridgegate" scandal that occurred in January of 2014 damaged his reputation and lost him the valuable support of several groups. Issues that the party should prioritize include same-sex marriage, because that will be a big focus of young and gay voters, immigration laws, and healthcare reform. A vast majority of the Republican party was displeased with Obamacare, however as it has benefited many Americans who cannot afford proper health care, so the Republican candidate will have to come up with a solution that promises those same benefits, or it will be very challenging to secure the vote of Obamacare supporters.

In the recent years the Republican party itself has become divided into factions, which it can't be in if it wants any chance of winning the 2016 presidential election. The Republican party needs to rally behind one candidate, meaning the winner of the primaries must gain support from all of the factions if the Republican party wants to be presented as a whole. Both Portman and Christie appear capable of doing this, however Christie's bipartisan gestures have caused some stir within the party, making Portman appear to be a more suitable candidate. It is vital that all factions of the party have something positive to say about the Republican candidate. In order to maximize the chance of success for the Republican party, the RNC should have representatives from all factions, to discuss current issues and evaluate potential nominees.

Unfortunately just having a candidate with a well-rounded resume and strong standpoints on all current issues isn't enough to succeed without a clever, relevant campaign strategy. Today, the most effective way of getting information out to the public is unquestionably through technology and the media. Social media has consumed the youth and therefore a key instrument in involving young people in politics. Utilizing television and the internet is no doubt the fastest way to transfer information about nominees not only during the primaries, but also to promote the republican candidate during the presidential election, however the effects of a live appearance should never be underestimated. In a world dominated by technology, a personal speech, or cameo can sway votes all over America, and secure a win for the Republican party in the 2016 Presidential election.