It all depends, writes Michael Barone, the dean of American political analysts. Barone says that Republicans have a clear advantage on the issues:

So “which political party’s views are closer to” yours on each issue? Answer: mostly the Republican Party. On the economy (41%-29%), immigration (40%-30%), crime and policing (40%-28%), government spending (35%-26%) and parents’ rights (36%-33%).

Admittedly, the Republicans’ margin is closer on America’s role in world affairs (35%-32%) and freedom of speech (37%-35%), and Democrats have the advantage on social and cultural issues (36%-33%) and abortion (40%-30%).

But the overall picture is fairly clear.

Unfortunately, the same respondents who say Republicans are more closely aligned with their views than Democrats, also report warmer feelings toward the Democrats. No doubt this is due to the Democrats’ control of education, the press and the entertainment industries.

As always, much depends on who the candidates are:

One revealing thing about these numbers is that they show majorities of American voters rejecting both the 45th and 46th presidents, and are presumably in the market for a 47th. But even more revealing is that Republicans’ apparent advantage on salient issues has not produced an electorate determined to reject an 80-year-old Democratic incumbent.

It is really remarkable: most voters agree with Republicans on the issues, and the Democrats’ standard bearer is an 80 year old man who barely functions and was never very popular when he had his wits about him. And also, he is utterly corrupt and has been taking lots of money from the Chinese Communist Party, among others.

Are you kidding me? We can’t beat that guy? Well, it all depends. Both Biden and Donald Trump are massively unpopular:

Bottom line: Republicans have some advantage on issues, but there’s probably a bigger advantage for the party whose voters eschew residual loyalties and dump their overage and unpopular 2020 presidential nominees.

Amen. Can we please get beyond the geriatric generation and nominate someone new? When has a political party gone back in time, and nominated the guy who lost last time? The Democrats didn’t re-nominate Michael Dukakis or John Kerry. The Republicans didn’t re-nominate George H.S. Bush, John McCain or Mitt Romney. You have to go back to 1956, when the Democrats served up Adlai Stevenson for a second time as a sacrificial lamb. Not exactly the precedent that today’s Republicans should be following.

Honestly, it isn’t hard to see what Republicans should be doing. But understanding and doing are two very different things.