How Republicans can win in a changing America: The Art of War with lesson plans

Let the 2016 games begin! Top U.S. pollster Lance Tarrance and political strategist/co-author Stephan Helgesen challenge the Republican Party to an intervention and offer five electoral vote pathways to victory in 2016. The authors advocate for a "Third Way" candidate with 15 'must-haves' in his/her resume. Through an in-depth analysis of seven distinct voter types and two generational U.S. Presidential elections (one a huge win and one an unsettling loss), they make their case for rejecting the status quo.

The Republican Party stands at the edge of a cliff looking into the abyss. Has it the power to jump the gorge or will it fall into it? After nearly 40 years as a top Republican pollster and strategist, Lance Tarrance thinks there's a Third Way, and along with political writer and former U.S. diplomat Stephan Helgesen, believes it's time to awaken the sleeping lion in the Republican hierarchy to that reality. Comparing two watershed moments in American history: the Reagan election in 1980 and the Obama re-election in 2012, the writers chart the evolution of the U.S. electorate to paint a picture of what the ideal candidate must do to win.

"A manifesto for change and a call to action" is how Tarrance and Helgesen describe their 200 plus page book that calls for a new Republican coalition of social conservatives, Libertarians and 'safety-net' conservatives. The book dissects the 1980 and 2012 campaigns' messaging, strategies, financing and candidates and then moves toward a full-on confrontation and analysis of the causes for the Republican loss in 2012.

• Tarrance' work on the Nixon, Reagan, Bush and McCain Presidential campaigns are part of a special chapter on 'Measuring
Generational Change' along with personal anecdotes from the John Tower, Jack Kemp and John Connally campaigns as well as an analysis of Tarrance' famous 'Four Corners
Offense' for managing successful political campaigns.

• Helgesen's narrative on winning and losing and recommendations for 'engaging the opposition' in a Sun Tzu setting lifts the veil of circumspection revealing the essential steps to preparing a candidate for 'prime time.'

• The book is a must-read for all Republican
Party leaders, Precinct Captains and State
Party Chairmen who want to win in 2016
and beyond.