For decades, the Republican Party fought to win voter hearts-&-minds with solid ideas.

Rush Limbaugh makes the ‘arena of ideas’ his centerpoint in battles with Liberalism.

Considering the Nov 2012 elections, and the state of current polling regarding Obama’s non-stick image when it comes to recent scandals, concept recalibration is in order.

1st rule of debates: you can’t win in the ‘ideas arena’ if you’re in the wrong arena.

Case in point – Republicans claim higher taxes suppress an economy; Liberals deny it, even while pushing for higher taxes on cigarettes and alcohol to reduce their sales!

Got that? Liberals use taxes to reduce economic activity…

…while at the same time denying taxes do just that.

This means they’re either lying or (economically) dumb…but they still get elected.

Why?

Because they’re not in the same ‘arena of ideas’ arguing with Republicans about the suppressive effect of taxation on the American economy as a whole…

…they’re in a micro-issue ‘fever swamp’ arena, playing to emotions of fear-and-envy…completely ignoring and obscuring their illogical stance on the bigger issue.

Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ theory addresses how humans are motivated, with the most Physiological needs first being met before achieving the last…Self-actualization.

Republicans debate using the last need in the pyramid. Democrats appeal to the first 4.

As any student of human nature will tell you, if a voter’s lower-four needs are in danger, there’s no way a Self-actualization argument will succeed in influencing voter behavior.

The saying goes that ‘you can mud-wrestle with a pig, but only the pig will enjoy it’.

Nevertheless, Republicans must fight fire with fire, study Maslow’s theory…

…recalibrate their arguments using effective influencing Physiological arguments…

…and start mud-wrestling with the Liberals…in their fever-swamp arena.

(Sorry Rush, only fever-swamp logic will defeat fever-swamp deception.)