Thursday, July 23, 2015

Should Republicans continue to write off urban voters?

Jill Homan asserts in the New York Post that the GOP's
political future is bleak if it continues to write off urban areas as political losers.

...Indeed, current drama over Uber and the “sharing economy” perfectly illustrates the GOP’s opportunity.

Uber’s innovative business model has proved a challenge for Democrats, who are boxed in by powerful constituents like the taxi industry, as well as labor unions who have long had a bone to pick with businesses who use independent contractors.

Republicans like Jeb Bush have enthusiastically embraced the new “sharing economy,” while Hillary Clinton has been forced to offer caveat-filled statements of tepid support and even criticize the business model.

The stakes are high: Republicans control just four of the mayoral seats in the nation’s 25 largest cities and fewer than 20 percent of the city council seats.

These cities represent 35 million people, or roughly 11 percent of the population, and they’re a key component in Democrats’ strategy to flip red states to blue, and to swing “purple” states permanently to the left.

In urban centers like Raleigh, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Virginia Beach, an expanding Democratic base is making it more difficult for Republicans to offset their losses in the city with larger victories elsewhere in the state.

...And conservatives have more to offer cities than they might think. As longtime urban outsiders, Republicans have the advantage of being the reform candidates, standing up against one-party hegemony and a lack of accountability.

School-choice programs, for instance, have improved the fortunes of low-income students in New York City, Milwaukee and Washington, DC. Every parent, no matter their political ideology, wants the best education for their children.

Longtime residents of cities in working-class neighborhoods want safe streets, affordable housing and a city government that balances the concerns of Wall Street and Main Street.

Democrats offer simplistic, but ultimately harmful, mandates like “living wage” requirements.

As an alternative, Republicans should champion tax incentives that encourage businesses to relocate to struggling communities.

Georgia’s “opportunity zone” credit, for example, has allowed cities like Atlanta to provide a tax credit of $3,500 per job created for businesses that invest in blighted areas.

A “road map” for city success could include the elimination or reduction of occupational-licensing requirements that stifle entrepreneurship by forcing small, minority-owned businesses to meet costly training requirements just to open their doors.
Read more here.

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