Subject: RE: For research review: 2nd GOP autopsy
From: "Brinster, Jeremy" <[email-masked]>
To: "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>, RR2 <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 9 May 2016 09:03:22 -0700

Small edits. I'll note that we have no way of knowing if the RNC blasted their autopsy to reporters over email or something like that, so I'm not sure we should keep that one in. I added the unfavorable numbers at the bottom-the Asian favorability one is from way back in December, the others are more recent, though they're all from different polls.

From: Walker, Eric
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2016 11:38 AM
To: RR2
Subject: For research review: 2nd GOP autopsy

SL: 2016 is going so badly for the RNC, they put out a second autopsy over the weekend. Sad!

Body:

We're not joking. Here it is<https://gop.com/2016-election-principles-lessons-from-the-last-three-elections/>.

You may have missed it, seeing as the RNC only publicized their second autopsy in a tweet<https://twitter.com/seanspicer/status/729044183374303233> from their Communications Director on a Saturday afternoon. No release, no email blast, no blog post, no tweets from the RNC's official accounts. This is a big departure from the fanfare used to roll out their first autopsy<http://goproject.gop.com/rnc_growth_opportunity_book_2013.pdf>.

We don't have time to get into all of the pathetic white-washing in this document so we've just picked out a few of the best passages for you:

*         Page 5: "The Republican opportunity has also been strengthened and expanded because of the Republican National Committee's Growth and Opportunity Project and the bold changes which grew out of it and which Chairman Priebus has implemented vigorously."

We're curious - which "bold changes" has Chairman Priebus implemented vigorously? And how has the GOP opportunity been "strengthened and expanded?" Because from where we're sitting - the GOP hasn't been this unpopular since the 90s<http://www.businessinsider.com/poll-republican-party-favorability-ratings-2016-4>, their standard-bearer has the highest disapproval rating<https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/01/trump-has-highest-unfavorability-ever-recorded> of any nominee in history, and newspapers are literally holding funerals<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/new-york-daily-news-front-pages-presidential-election-gallery-1.2512941?pmSlide=1.2624119> for the GOP on the front page.

*         Page 9: "Words and Ideas Matter. 1. The wrong words cripple or kill."

Donald Trump may think he has "the best words<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thw6k1XNRtc>," but calling Mexicans "rapists," saying you want to "punish" women for abortions, and refusing to rule out using nuclear weapons in Europe sound like some pretty crippling words and ideas.

*         Page 11: "Training our own candidates to avoid major mistakes becomes a much more important requirement for an effective campaign."

Trump has already said<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/27/donald-trump-just-served-notice-that-hes-wont-change-and-then-he-proved-it/> he's not going to change his approach in the election, so any hope of the GOP "training" him to avoid major mistakes does not pass the laugh test. Looks like you just can't teach an old, xenophobic and sexist candidate new tricks.

*         Page 11: "That narrative should be reflected in the GOP platform and at the convention and should be reflected in the messaging that is communicated electronically to every candidate and campaign in the country so there can be a unified chorus driving home the winning narrative and the winning choice."

With every Republican nominee from the 21st century agreeing to skip the convention, and given the current personal feud between Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, is there any phrase that is less applicable to the GOP right now than "unified chorus?"

*         Page 13: "Quality Campaigns Still Matter"

Amen. With the Trump operation getting dominated by the Cruz team in state-and-local level delegate fights, Republicans have to be feeling just fantastic about their frontrunner's organization and ground game.

*         Page 17: "Republicans have the opportunity to perform better among single women, younger voters, Asians, Hispanics, and African Americans."

Research - can you pull Trump's polling with these groups ^^ can just sub women in for single women. Thanks.

Trump unfavorability: 63 percent of Asian-Americans<http://www.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/187577/bernie-sanders-popular-candidate-among-asian-americans.aspx>, 70 percent of women<http://www.gallup.com/poll/190403/seven-women-unfavorable-opinion-trump.aspx>, 74  percent of young voters<http://iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/harvard-iop-spring-2016-poll>, 77 percent of Hispanic-Americans<http://www.gallup.com/poll/189887/trump-major-image-problem-hispanics.aspx>, 86 percent of African-Americans<http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trump-non-white-voters-20160311-story.html>

Eric Walker
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
732-991-1489
@ericmwalker<https://twitter.com/ericmwalker>