Politico.com’s Jonathan Martin Offers Insight on Changes in the Republican Party

On February 11, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP) hosted a lecture by online political journalist Jonathan Martin. Martin is senior political director and White House correspondent for Politico.com. A podcast of his talk is available on the Saint Anselm College Blog.

In his lecture, “The GOP is Changing Too – The Republican Response,” he discussed the hesitance of the Republicans to outwardly oppose President Obama and yet vote against Democratic legislation. Before beginning his remarks, Martin complimented the political vigor of New Hampshire, calling the state a “neat place that holds a special place in the hearts of people in my business.”

Martin recounted a story of his recent travels on Air Force One.  He told of a recent flight where members of Congress (both Republican and Democrat) seemed star struck of the President; some were even spotted taking photographs next to Air Force One,  a scene Martin had never witnessed in his years of political journalism.

He argues that Republicans are flattered by Obama’s outreach; they enjoyed the lunch with Obama shortly after inauguration and were surprised by his early visit to Capitol Hill. Martin believes that many Republicans are anxious to see if these gestures are genuine, and while they will not oppose President Obama in public, they are more than willing to oppose the legislation he and his party created.

Besides discussing the current actions of the Republican party, Martin speculated where the party might go next. He believes the 2012 race will greatly depend on the economy and the popularity of President Obama. He projected America will see more issue-oriented candidates than the GOP has had in the past, and possibly a focus on governors as candidates like in the post-Clinton era (Martin cited names like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Lousiana Gov. Bobby Jindall, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Gov. Sarah Palin, and former governors, including Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

In order to succeed, Martin believes the GOP must become more issue oriented, and come up with conservative solutions to problems of the 21st century.