Let me share with you the essence of Lawrence's conclusion:
Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, is talking up a plan this week to rebuild the GOP. (snip) But none of that will help if most Republicans keep talking and acting as if people with problems are not their problem.
To a substantial degree that is exactly who the Republican Party represents: people without problems. The Democratic Party represents people with problems. We are in a recession, hence there are more people with problems and thus Democrats have an advantage.
One day we will be out of the recession. Then a majority of Americans will be people without serious problems and will vote Republican. Other than doing our level best to get America out of the recession, Republicans need to hang in there as the loyal opposition until the economy improves.
Some of what Lawrence suggests possibly could help. However, a party which did all of what she recommends would become largely indistinguishable from the Democratic Party, clearly Republicans don't want to become Democrats Lite.
I find her inclusion of "decision fatigue" interesting. It's a social science explanation for why the poor often make poor economic decisions, thus compounding their quite real problems.
